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<header><h1><section>: The Generic Section element</h1></header><div class="section-content"><p>The <code><section></code> <a href="../index">HTML</a> element represents a generic standalone section of a document, which doesn't have a more specific semantic element to represent it. Sections should always have a heading, with very few exceptions.</p></div>
<h2 id="try_it">Try it</h2>
<div class="section-content"><iframe class="interactive is-tabbed-standard-height" height="200" src="https://interactive-examples.mdn.mozilla.net/pages/tabbed/section.html" title="MDN Web Docs Interactive Example" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>
<h2 id="attributes">Attributes</h2>
<div class="section-content"><p>This element only includes the <a href="../global_attributes">global attributes</a>.</p></div>
<h2 id="usage_notes">Usage notes</h2>
<div class="section-content">
<p>As mentioned above, <code><section></code> is a generic sectioning element, and should only be used if there isn't a more specific element to represent it. As an example, a navigation menu should be wrapped in a <a href="nav"><code><nav></code></a> element, but a list of search results or a map display and its controls don't have specific elements, and could be put inside a <code><section></code>.</p> <p>Also consider these cases:</p> <ul> <li>If the contents of the element represent a standalone, atomic unit of content that makes sense syndicated as a standalone piece (e.g. a blog post or blog comment, or a newspaper article), the <a href="article"><code><article></code></a> element would be a better choice.</li> <li>If the contents represent useful tangential information that works alongside the main content, but is not directly part of it (like related links, or an author bio), use an <a href="aside"><code><aside></code></a>.</li> <li>If the contents represent the main content area of a document, use <a href="main"><code><main></code></a>.</li> <li>If you are only using the element as a styling wrapper, use a <a href="div"><code><div></code></a> instead.</li> </ul> <p>To reiterate, each <code><section></code> should be identified, typically by including a heading (<a href="heading_elements">h1</a> - <a href="heading_elements">h6</a> element) as a child of the <code><section></code> element, wherever possible. See below for examples of where you might see a <code><section></code> without a heading.</p>
</div>
<h2 id="examples">Examples</h2>
<h3 id="simple_usage_example">Simple usage example</h3>
<div class="section-content">
<h4 id="before">Before</h4> <div class="code-example">
<p class="example-header"><span class="language-name">html</span></p>
<pre data-signature="J6KDvFLfQm8eED/CYG4hVDTBWEHgiZiGkHkWU4hbJ8g=" data-language="html"><span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"><</span>div</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>
<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"><</span>h2</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>Heading<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"></</span>h2</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>
<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"><</span>p</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>Bunch of awesome content<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"></</span>p</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>
<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"></</span>div</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>
</pre>
</div> <h5 id="result">Result</h5>
<div class="code-example" id="sect1">
<iframe class="sample-code-frame" title="Before sample" id="frame_before" src="https://live.mdnplay.dev/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/section/runner.html?id=before" loading="lazy"></iframe>
</div> <h4 id="after">After</h4> <div class="code-example">
<p class="example-header"><span class="language-name">html</span></p>
<pre data-signature="5b7leNz2AZvXzRIrnfZ11PsNHxxo4Vd3GBLTzD3JgLw=" data-language="html"><span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"><</span>section</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>
<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"><</span>h2</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>Heading<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"></</span>h2</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>
<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"><</span>p</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>Bunch of awesome content<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"></</span>p</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>
<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"></</span>section</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>
</pre>
</div> <h5 id="result_2">Result</h5>
<div class="code-example" id="sect2">
<iframe class="sample-code-frame" title="After sample" id="frame_after" src="https://live.mdnplay.dev/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/section/runner.html?id=after" loading="lazy"></iframe>
</div>
</div>
<h3 id="using_a_section_without_a_heading">Using a section without a heading</h3>
<div class="section-content">
<p>Circumstances where you might see <code><section></code> used without a heading are typically found in web application/UI sections rather than in traditional document structures. In a document, it doesn't really make any sense to have a separate section of content without a heading to describe its contents. Such headings are useful for all readers, but particularly useful for users of assistive technologies like screen readers, and they are also good for SEO.</p> <p>Consider however a secondary navigation mechanism. If the global navigation is already wrapped in a <code><nav></code> element, you could conceivably wrap a previous/next menu in a <code><section></code>:</p> <div class="code-example">
<p class="example-header"><span class="language-name">html</span></p>
<pre data-signature="RaHu3O0bE347gVJz13HmDceSS7OzEYB1A8UfKmik9Ko=" data-language="html"><span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"><</span>section</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>
<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"><</span>a</span> <span class="token attr-name">href</span><span class="token attr-value"><span class="token punctuation attr-equals">=</span><span class="token punctuation">"</span>#<span class="token punctuation">"</span></span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>Previous article<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"></</span>a</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>
<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"><</span>a</span> <span class="token attr-name">href</span><span class="token attr-value"><span class="token punctuation attr-equals">=</span><span class="token punctuation">"</span>#<span class="token punctuation">"</span></span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>Next article<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"></</span>a</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>
<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"></</span>section</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>
</pre>
</div> <p>Or what about some kind of button bar for controlling your app? This might not necessarily want a heading, but it is still a distinct section of the document:</p> <div class="code-example">
<p class="example-header"><span class="language-name">html</span></p>
<pre data-signature="gryYVEKrpXlsruYIxEPL5CFfWM2gKpqgOWLWiUK1Dt4=" data-language="html"><span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"><</span>section</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>
<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"><</span>button</span> <span class="token attr-name">class</span><span class="token attr-value"><span class="token punctuation attr-equals">=</span><span class="token punctuation">"</span>reply<span class="token punctuation">"</span></span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>Reply<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"></</span>button</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>
<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"><</span>button</span> <span class="token attr-name">class</span><span class="token attr-value"><span class="token punctuation attr-equals">=</span><span class="token punctuation">"</span>reply-all<span class="token punctuation">"</span></span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>Reply to all<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"></</span>button</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>
<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"><</span>button</span> <span class="token attr-name">class</span><span class="token attr-value"><span class="token punctuation attr-equals">=</span><span class="token punctuation">"</span>fwd<span class="token punctuation">"</span></span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>Forward<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"></</span>button</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>
<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"><</span>button</span> <span class="token attr-name">class</span><span class="token attr-value"><span class="token punctuation attr-equals">=</span><span class="token punctuation">"</span>del<span class="token punctuation">"</span></span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>Delete<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"></</span>button</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>
<span class="token tag"><span class="token tag"><span class="token punctuation"></</span>section</span><span class="token punctuation">></span></span>
</pre>
</div> <h4 id="result_3">Result</h4>
<div class="code-example" id="sect3">
<iframe class="sample-code-frame" title="Using a section without a heading sample" id="frame_using_a_section_without_a_heading" src="https://live.mdnplay.dev/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/section/runner.html?id=using_a_section_without_a_heading" loading="lazy"></iframe>
</div> <p>Depending on the content, including a heading could also be good for SEO, so it is an option to consider.</p>
</div>
<h2 id="technical_summary">Technical summary</h2>
<div class="section-content"><figure class="table-container"><div class="_table"><table class="properties"> <tbody> <tr> <th scope="row"><a href="../content_categories">Content categories</a></th> <td> <a href="../content_categories#flow_content">Flow content</a>, <a href="../content_categories#sectioning_content">Sectioning content</a>, <a href="../content_categories#palpable_content">palpable content</a>. </td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Permitted content</th> <td>
<a href="../content_categories#flow_content">Flow content</a>.</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Tag omission</th> <td>None, both the starting and ending tag are mandatory.</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Permitted parents</th> <td> Any element that accepts <a href="../content_categories#flow_content">flow content</a>. Note that a <code><section></code> element must not be a descendant of an <a href="address"><code><address></code></a> element. </td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Implicit ARIA role</th> <td> <code><a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/region_role">region</a></code> if the element has an <a href="https://developer.paciellogroup.com/blog/2017/04/what-is-an-accessible-name/" target="_blank">accessible name</a>, otherwise <code><a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/generic_role">generic</a></code> </td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Permitted ARIA roles</th> <td> <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/alert_role"><code>alert</code></a>, <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/alertdialog_role"><code>alertdialog</code></a>, <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/application_role"><code>application</code></a>, <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/banner_role"><code>banner</code></a>, <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/complementary_role"><code>complementary</code></a>, <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/contentinfo_role"><code>contentinfo</code></a>, <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/dialog_role"><code>dialog</code></a>, <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/document_role"><code>document</code></a>, <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/feed_role"><code>feed</code></a>, <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/log_role"><code>log</code></a>, <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/main_role"><code>main</code></a>, <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/marquee_role"><code>marquee</code></a>, <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/navigation_role"><code>navigation</code></a>, <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/none_role"><code>none</code></a>, <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/note_role"><code>note</code></a>, <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/presentation_role"><code>presentation</code></a>, <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/search_role"><code>search</code></a>, <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/status_role"><code>status</code></a>, <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/tabpanel_role"><code>tabpanel</code></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">DOM interface</th> <td><a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/HTMLElement"><code>HTMLElement</code></a></td> </tr> </tbody> </table></div></figure></div>
<h2 id="specifications">Specifications</h2>
<div class="_table"><table class="standard-table">
<thead><tr><th scope="col">Specification</th></tr></thead>
<tbody><tr><td><a href="https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/sections.html#the-section-element">HTML Standard <br><small># the-section-element</small></a></td></tr></tbody>
</table></div>
<h2 id="browser_compatibility">Browser compatibility</h2>
<div class="_table"><table>
<thead>
<tr id="bct-browser-type">
<th></th>
<th colspan="6">Desktop</th>
<th colspan="6">Mobile</th>
</tr>
<tr id="bct-browsers">
<th></th>
<th>Chrome</th>
<th>Edge</th>
<th>Firefox</th>
<th>Internet Explorer</th>
<th>Opera</th>
<th>Safari</th>
<th>WebView Android</th>
<th>Chrome Android</th>
<th>Firefox for Android</th>
<th>Opera Android</th>
<th>Safari on IOS</th>
<th>Samsung Internet</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody><tr>
<th><code>section</code></th>
<td class="bc-supports-yes">5</td>
<td class="bc-supports-yes">12</td>
<td class="bc-supports-yes">4</td>
<td class="bc-supports-yes">9</td>
<td class="bc-supports-yes">11.1</td>
<td class="bc-supports-yes">5</td>
<td class="bc-supports-yes">4.4</td>
<td class="bc-supports-yes">18</td>
<td class="bc-supports-yes">4</td>
<td class="bc-supports-yes">11.1</td>
<td class="bc-supports-yes">4.2</td>
<td class="bc-supports-yes">1.0</td>
</tr></tbody>
</table></div>
<h2 id="see_also">See also</h2>
<div class="section-content"><ul> <li>Other section-related elements: <a href="body"><code><body></code></a>, <a href="nav"><code><nav></code></a>, <a href="article"><code><article></code></a>, <a href="aside"><code><aside></code></a>, <a href="heading_elements">h1</a>, <a href="heading_elements">h2</a>, <a href="heading_elements">h3</a>, <a href="heading_elements">h4</a>, <a href="heading_elements">h5</a>, <a href="heading_elements">h6</a>, <a href="hgroup"><code><hgroup></code></a>, <a href="header"><code><header></code></a>, <a href="footer"><code><footer></code></a>, <a href="address"><code><address></code></a>
</li> <li><a href="heading_elements">Using HTML sections and outlines</a></li> <li><a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/region_role">ARIA: Region role</a></li> <li>
<a href="https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2020/01/html5-article-section/" target="_blank">Why You Should Choose HTML5 article Over section</a>, by Bruce Lawson</li> </ul></div><div class="_attribution">
<p class="_attribution-p">
© 2005–2023 MDN contributors.<br>Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v2.5 or later.<br>
<a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/section" class="_attribution-link">https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/section</a>
</p>
</div>
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