HTML Parsing

Updated 04 Oct 2026

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What it is
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  converts HTML input into a document tree through tokenization and tree construction
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Error handling
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  defined parsing rules handle malformed input; the browser is not simply guessing
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  nested anchors and misnested formatting elements can trigger repairs
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  unexpected text inside table structures can be moved outside the table trhough foster-parenting rules
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Text handling
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  textarea uses RCDATA parsing: character references are interpreted, ordinary markup-lookingtext remains text, and the matching closing tag ends the element
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  therefore, text such as <strong> inside a textarea does not create a strong element
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Distinguish from
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  XML uses different well-formedness rules and does not apply HTML's repair behavior
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Reference
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Linked references 4