Theoretically, the recommendation has been and still is that DIR element be rendered as a multicolumn directory list.
attribute name | possible values | meaning |
---|---|---|
COMPACT | COMPACT | reduced interim spacing |
Typically, browsers ignore the COMPACT attribute.
<DIR> <LI>one <LI>two <LI>three </DIR>A larger list of very small elements (typically this is not rendered in a suitable manner):
<DIR> <LI>A<LI>B<LI>C<LI>D<LI>E<LI>F<LI>G<LI>H<LI>I<LI>J<LI>K<LI>L<LI>M <LI>N<LI>O<LI>P<LI>Q<LI>R<LI>S<LI>T<LI>U<LI>V<LI>W<LI>X<LI>Y<LI>Z </DIR>See also Examples of various list elements in HTML.
In HTML 4.0, the DIR element is deprecated in favor of the UL element; style sheets can be used to suggest features of the presentation of a list.
See general notes about list elements for a discussion of selecting between them.