Even if you are not a web designer, you are probably aware that your site has been written in HTML. HTML was originally intended as a means of describing the content of a document, not as a means to make it appear visually pleasing. Semantic code returns to this original concept and encourages web designers to write code that describes the content rather than how that content should look. For example, the title of a page could be coded like this:
This is the page title
This would make the title large and bold giving it the appearance of a page title, but there is nothing that describes it as a title in the code. This means a computer is unable to identify this as being the page title.
To write the same title semantically so that a computer understands that this is a title, you would use the following code:
The appearance of your heading can then be defined in a separate file called a "cascading style sheet" without interfering with your descriptive (semantic) HTML code.
Why Is Semantic Code Important?I have already hinted at one reason why semantic code is important when I said that without explaining what a piece of content is, a computer has no way of identifying it. The ability for a computer to be able to understand your content is important for a number of reasons:However, semantic code has other benefits too:
The meaning of a legal (syntax correctness) expression.
Examine the expression of 'A' + 1:
Some programming languages will yield 'B' (the character B)
Some will yield "A1" (the string A1)
Some will yield the integer value of 66 (the ASCII value of 'A' = 65)
Some programming languages will not even compile (syntax errors), and hence no semantic meaning
In PHP, semantics refer to the meaning of code or how statements are interpreted by the PHP engine. It involves understanding how code functions and interacts with other elements in a PHP script. Proper semantics ensure that the code behaves as expected and follows the established rules of the PHP language.
Stephen Ullmann has written: 'Semantics' -- subject(s): Semantics 'The principles of semantics' -- subject(s): Semantics
The Semantics ended in 1996.
Journal of Semantics was created in 1982.
Some people dont know the sentence for semantics.
Journal of Web Semantics was created in 2003.
Natural Language Semantics was created in 1993.
semantics = words; syntax = how they're used
Semantics refer to the meaning of words and how they are interpreted within a particular context or language.
Just as a person requires knowledge of the syntax (structure) and semantics (meaning) of a spoken language, so too does the compiler need to "understand" how to interpret what is being given to it. A formal grammar provides the rules of syntax and semantics.
Semantics is how we say something. Pragmatics is how we do something.
Emma Borg has written: 'Minimal Semantics' -- subject(s): Semantics