May 27, 2021 W3C Standard
XHTML is a more rigorous and purer version of HTML.
To learn how to convert a website to XHTML, read our XHTML tutorial.
As a W3C recommendation, XHTML 1.0 was released on January 26, 2000.
As a W3C recommendation, the second release of XHTML 1.0 was released on August 1, 2002. I t is not a new version, but an update and bug fix.
As a W3C recommendation, XHTML 1.1 was released on May 31, 2001.
As a W3C recommendation, XHTML 1.1 (SE) was released on November 23, 2010.
XHTML 1.0 is the first major change to HTML since 1997 and a very important step on the road to providing richer web pages to a wider range of user agents, including desktops, mobile devices, mobile phones, and more.
XHTML is an XML app that migrates smoothly from HTML 4.01. T he first step in refactoring HTML 4.01 into XML by W3C led to the birth of XHTML 1.0. XHTML 1.0 relies on the semantics provided by html 4.01 tags.
The next step is to modularize XHTML into a smaller collection of elements, making it easier to combine XHTML with other markup languages, such as vector graphics and multimedia.
At the same time, the modularization of XHTML can reduce development costs, improve collaboration with other applications, such as databases, make it easier to communicate with different user agents (browsers), and integrate more purely between HTML and different XML standards.
XHTML 1.0 is a re-representing of HTML 4.01 using XML.
To learn more about XHTML, visit our XHTML tutorial.
Small devices, such as mobile phones, do not support the full functionality of XHTML. X HTML 1.1 divides the specification into models with limited functionality. Small browsers can reduce their complexity by supporting the selected model (although once a model is selected, all of its features must be supported).
XHTML 1.1 is a strict language. XHTML 1.1 is not backward compatible with HTML 4.
XHTML Basic is a small subset of XHTML 1.1. I t contains only basic XHTML features, such as text structures, images, basic lists, and basic tables. It is designed for small browsers (e.g. in handheld devices).
It is precisely because of support for W3C document object model level 2 in XHTML that the event processor can attach to the XHTML element so that the parent element can handle events before or after the child element.
To learn more about DOM, take our DOM tutorial.
XHTML-Print is part of XHTML 1.1 (modular XHTML).
XHTML-Print is designed for mobile devices and inexpensive printers that typically print a page from start to finish without a print cache and a print driver tailored to the device.
With an XHTML form, users can access a page, add information to it, and then submit a page to the Web server.
XForms is the successor to HTML forms, providing a more complete and render-independent way of dealing with each other on the Web. For it to be designed to integrate with XHTML, we expect future e-commerce applications to require XForms.
XHTML modularity refers to the division of XHTML 1.0 into collections of small models that provide specific functionality.
The modularity of XHTML 1.0 is achieved by using XML DTD (Document Type Definition).
The modularity of XHTML 2.0 is achieved by using XML Schemas.
To learn more about DTD, learn about our DTD tutorial.
To learn more about XML Schemas, learn about our XML Schemas tutorial.
XHTML 2.0 is the next generation of markup languages. Its functionality is expected to be similar to XHTML 1.1, but may be changed to comply with XML standards such as XML Linking and XML Schema.
XLink is a language that creates hyperlinks in XML documents. XLink is similar to HTML links - but more strongly supports simple links (such as HTML) and extended links (used to link multiple resources together).
You can learn more about XLink in our XLink tutorials.
HLink adds the ability to specify which elements of an element in XHTML represent hyperlinks and how hyperlinks are traversed.
HLink is an extension of XLink.
| Specification | Draft/proposal | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| XHTML 1.0 | January 26, 2000 | |
| XHTML 1.0 revision | August 1, 2002 | |
| XHTML 1.1 | May 31, 2001 | |
| XHTML Modules | April 10, 2001 | |
| XHTML Modules 1.1 | October 8, 2008 | |
| XHTML Basic | December 19, 2000 | |
| XHTML Basic 1.1 | July 29, 2008 | |
| XHTML Events | October 14, 2003 | |
| XHTML Print | September 20, 2006 | |
| XHTML Media Types (SE) | January 16, 2009 | |
| XHTML 2.0 | July 26, 2006 | |
| XForms 1.0 | October 14, 2003 | |
| XForms 1.0 (Third Edition) | October 29, 2007 | |
| XForms 1.1 | October 20, 2009 | |
| Xlink | June 27, 2001 | |
| HLink | September 13, 2002 |