Hyperlink (or link) is a reference to a document that the reader can directly follow, or that is followed automatically.
Hyperlink (or link) is a reference to a document that the reader can directly follow, or that is followed automatically.
A hyperlink points to a whole document or to a specific element within a document. Hypertext is text with hyperlinks. A software system for viewing and creating hypertext is a hypertext system, and to create a hyperlink is to hyperlink (or simply to link). A user following hyperlinks is said to navigate or browse the hypertext.
A hyperlink has an anchor, which is the location within a document from which the hyperlink can be followed; the document containing a hyperlink is known as its source document. The target of a hyperlink is the document, or location within a document, to which the hyperlink leads. Users can activate and follow the link when its anchor is shown, usually by touching or clicking on the anchor with a pointing device. Following the link has the effect of displaying its target, often with its context.
Links are specified in HTML using the (anchor) elements. To see the HTML used to create a page, most browsers offer a "view page source" option. Included in the HTML code will be an expression in the form symbol "," marking the start of an anchor, followed by the highlighted text and the "" symbol, which indicates the end of the source anchor. The element can also be used to indicate the target of a link.
