Recently I learned about the scope (scroll down to scope) attribute in regards to tables within HTML. I understand this provides the browser and search engines information needed to relate the header tag to the appropriate row or column.
I have a job making email templates. Does the scope attribute still apply to email templates? I realize that CSS/HTML website builds revolve around browser and search engine reads, but how does this apply to email templating, if at all?
I can’t say categorically whether the scope attribute is used in emails, but HTML emails use a very small subset of HTML and I would put money on scope NOT being in that subset.
Thanks for the input! Do you happen to have any references that can confirm this?
Good question! I don’t have anything to hand but will see what I can come up with. To clarify, it is the email clients that only “understand” partial HTML/CSS.
The problem with HTML email clients is that most of them force us to use HTML tables for layout, even though this is not what HTML tables are for. Most of the elements and attributes of tables are for giving meaning to the content and the relationships between bits of content, but this is meaningless in terms of tables being used for layout.
So I’d say just forget about things like scope in terms of email layouts. The whole point of things like scope is lost when the table is being misused for purely visual layout.
Thank you SOO much!
Yes! Tremedously, however do you know of any HTML email templating articles on HTML5 (ones that most specifically include <DOCTYPE!> HTML5 specs). I’ve googled this several times and cannot find anything.
I’m not sure there is an article on SP. The MailChimp Email Blueprints might help. Are you sure you want to use HTML5? My understanding (and it’s a little outdated) is that many email clients are still using HTML 3.2.
As said, HTML5 won’t help you much with email layouts. The whole problem with email layouts is that you’re pretty much forced to use tables. The new HTML elements in HTML5 aren’t of any use with emails as the email clients most likely won’t support them. Heck, we can’t even make much use of divs in email, so things like section etc. are way out of bounds for any practical purposes.
Actually, as a follow-up, I was listening to a podcast about the current state of HTML email (ShopTalk) and was surprised to hear that normal HTML structure (divs etc.) along with CSS actually has pretty good support these days. It’s basically stinky old Outlook that hasn’t come to the party, with its sill MS Word rendering engine. Sigh … such a pity.
happen to have a link for that? Did they say anything about videos? More specifically mp4s?
Yes, it’s in the post.
No, it was a discussion about email, but there are lots of places to get info on the current state of video support. mp3 and mp4 are pretty widely supported, but you usually need at least one other format as well to be sure an end user will be able to access the content.
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