HTML <meter> Tag
The HTML <meter> tag represents a scalar measurement within a known range, or a fractional value.
Also known as a gauge, usage could include displaying disk usage, the relevance of a query result, the fraction of a voting population to have selected a particular candidate, or the amount raised during fundraising activities, or the relevance of a search query result.
The <meter> element is used to represent a range. It is not appropriate to use this element for representing a single number (such as how many children someone has) unless there is a known maximum number.
Syntax
The <meter> tag is written as <meter></meter> with any contents inserted between the start and end tags.
There are six attributes that can be used to determine the semantics of the gauge. These are min, max, low, high, optimum, and value.
Here's an example:
Another example:
Examples
Here are some examples of potential <meter> tag usage.
Attributes
Attributes can be added to an HTML element to provide more information about how the element should appear or behave.
There are 3 kinds of attributes that you can add to your HTML tags: Element-specific, global, and event handler content attributes.
The <meter> element accepts the following attributes.
Element-Specific Attributes
This table shows the attributes that are specific to the <meter> tag/element.
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| value | Specifies the "measured" value. |
| min | Specifies the lower bound of the range. Default is 0. |
| low | Specifies the range that is considered to be a "low" value. |
| high | Specifies the range that is considered to be a "high" value. |
| max | Specifies the upper bound of the range. Default is 1. |
| optimum | Specifies the value that is considered to be the "optimum", or best, value. If this value is higher than the "high" value then it indicates that the higher the value, the better. If it's lower than the "low" mark then it indicates that lower values are better. If it is in between then it indicates that neither high nor low values are good. |
Global Attributes
The following attributes are standard across all HTML5 elements. Therefore, you can use these attributes with the <meter> tag , as well as with all other HTML tags.
- accesskey
- class
- contenteditable
- contextmenu
- dir
- draggable
- dropzone
- hidden
- id
- inert
- itemid
- itemprop
- itemref
- itemscope
- itemtype
- lang
- spellcheck
- style
- tabindex
- title
- translate
For a full explanation of these attributes, see HTML 5 global attributes.
Event Handler Content Attributes
Event handler content attributes enable you to invoke a script from within your HTML. The script is invoked when a certain "event" occurs. Each event handler content attribute deals with a different event.
Below are the standard HTML5 event handler content attributes.
Again, you can use any of these with the <meter> element, as well as any other HTML5 element.
- onabort
- oncancel
- onblur
- oncanplay
- oncanplaythrough
- onchange
- onclick
- oncontextmenu
- ondblclick
- ondrag
- ondragend
- ondragenter
- ondragexit
- ondragleave
- ondragover
- ondragstart
- ondrop
- ondurationchange
- onemptied
- onended
- onerror
- onfocus
- onformchange
- onforminput
- oninput
- oninvalid
- onkeydown
- onkeypress
- onkeyup
- onload
- onloadeddata
- onloadedmetadata
- onloadstart
- onmousedown
- onmousemove
- onmouseout
- onmouseover
- onmouseup
- onmousewheel
- onpause
- onplay
- onplaying
- onprogress
- onratechange
- onreadystatechange
- onscroll
- onseeked
- onseeking
- onselect
- onshow
- onstalled
- onsubmit
- onsuspend
- ontimeupdate
- onvolumechange
- onwaiting
For a full explanation of these attributes, see HTML 5 event handler content attributes.
Differences Between HTML 4 & HTML 5
The <meter> tag is new in HTML5.
For more information on this element, see HTML5 <meter> Tag. Also check out the links to the official specifications below.
Template
Here's a template for the <meter> tag with all available attributes for the tag (based on HTML5). These are grouped into attribute types, each type separated by a space. In many cases, you will probably only need one or two (if any) attributes. Simply remove the attributes you don't need.
For more information on attributes for this tag, see HTML5 <meter> Tag.
Tag Details
For more details about the <meter> tag, see HTML5 <meter> Tag.
Specifications
Here are the official specifications for the <meter> element.
- HTML5 Specification (W3C)
- HTML Living Standard (WHATWG)
- Current W3C Draft (the next version that is currently being worked on)
What's the Difference?
W3C creates "snapshot" specifications that don't change once defined. So the HTML5 specification won't change once it becomes an official recommendation. WHATWG on the other hand, develops a "living standard" that is updated on a regular basis. In general, you will probably find that the HTML living standard will be more closely aligned to the current W3C draft than to the HTML5 specification.