Tags for this article: dublin core, html, meta elements, schemes, tutorial
This section is a continuation of the previous section on Meta Elements. Here we will go over multilingual Meta elements, Meta element profiles in separate files, and a scheme for Meta elements.
Multilingual Meta Elements
You can notate multiple Meta elements of the same type and only differentiate between them by language. Keywords, or short descriptions, especially, can be written in multiple languages.
Here is an Example:
<head>
<meta name= “keywords” lang= “en-us”content= “vacation, Greece, sunshine”>
<meta name= “keywords” lang= “en” content= “holiday, Greece, sunshine”>
<meta name= “keywords” lang= “fr” content= “vacances, Grèce, soleil”>
</head>
The example shows the same keywords being defined in American English, British English, and French. The attribute lang is used in order to define the language. An abbreviation for the language is allowed as a value, for example, en for English, fr for French, es for Spanish, it for Italian, and so on.
Take Note:
The lang is one of the universal attributes in HTML. If you work in XHTML, then you will have to add the xml universal attribute like so: xml:lang.
A profile for Meta elements in a separate File
You can enter an external profile or formula for Meta elements, which you then follow. It could be a well known public profile, with certain internet addresses as its homepage. But it is also possible to enter your own profile with your own Meta definitions.
An Example:
<head profile= http://example.org/profile.html>
<meta name= “Category” content= “A.1.B.”>
</head>
Explanation:
In order to draw in a profile, you need to notate the profile attribute in the introductory <head> tag. Enter the URI for the profile file as the value. It is not prescribed how exactly this profile should look. Typically, a HTML file is entered that lists and defines the Meta attributes in a table. The W3 consortium would prefer to think of the entered address as a unique global name. In this manner, web browsers or search engines that already recognise the corresponding profile, do not need to read anything, as they already know how the following Meta elements should be interpreted according to the profile.
In this example we define a profile that is saved at the http://example.org/profile.html internet address. We assume that a Meta attribute, with the name category, is defined in this profile. This attribute can be used with <meta name= “category” content= “…”>
Take Note:
You cannot actually outsource the Meta elements themselves, only the scheme the elements follow.
A Schematic for Meta Elements
So that your Meta elements can be automatically processed, the values that notate the content attribute of a Meta element should be written in an established format – assuming of course a fitting format exists. You can enter such a scheme with help of an additional attribute.
An Example:
<head profile= “http://example.org/profile.html”>
<meta name= “Type” scheme= “MIME-Type” content “image/svg+xml”>
</head>
Explanation:
A profile is given, that is loaded onto the http://example.org/profile.html internet address. We assume that an attribute with the name Type exists in the profile. This attribute can be characterised in a Meta element with name= “Type”. The scheme attribute presents the attempt to give the reading software instructions on how values, belonging to the content attribute, should be read. In the example, the scheme= “MIME-Type” attempts to tell the software the value for content is a MIME Type.
Take Note:
This way of linking to a scheme is not strictly defined. The problem, which the scheme instructions should solve, actually arises from the scheme attribute itself. Modern Meta data profiles, such as the Dublin Core, do not only define attributes, but also give descriptions for possible schemata at the same time. We will go over the Dublin Core in more depth in our following section.