HTML archive Attribute

Posted in HTML Tutorial

Updated on Oct 29, 2024

By Mari Selvan

👁️ 36 - Views

⏳ 4 mins

💬 1 Comment

Photo Credit to CodeToFun

🙋 Introduction

The archive attribute in HTML is used with the <object> element to specify a space-separated list of URLs of archives containing resources relevant to the object. This attribute is now largely obsolete, but it can still be found in older codebases.

Understanding its purpose and usage can be helpful when maintaining or updating legacy HTML documents.

🎯 Purpose of archive Attribute

The primary purpose of the archive attribute is to provide a list of URLs for archive files (like .zip or .jar files) that contain resources the object might need. This was particularly useful in the context of applets and other embedded objects that required additional resources bundled together.

💎 Values

The archive attribute accepts a space-separated list of URL values. Each URL should point to an archive file containing resources for the object.

📄 Single URL Example:

Specifies a single archive file.

index.html

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<object data="example.jar" type="application/java-archive" archive="example1.jar">
  <!-- Fallback content -->
</object>

📄 Multiple URLs Example:

Specifies multiple archive files, separated by spaces.

index.html

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<object data="example.jar" type="application/java-archive" archive="example1.jar example2.jar">
  <!-- Fallback content -->
</object>

📄Basic Example:

Here's a basic example of how the archive attribute is used in an HTML document:

index.html

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<object data="myApp.jar" type="application/java-archive" archive="lib1.jar lib2.jar">
  <!-- Fallback content for browsers that do not support the object element -->
  Your browser does not support Java applets.
</object>

🧠 How it Works

In this example, the <object> element references an application archive (myApp.jar) and additional resource archives (lib1.jar and lib2.jar).

🔄 Dynamic Values with JavaScript

You can dynamically set or modify the archive attribute using JavaScript. This can be particularly useful when you need to update the resources for an object based on user interaction or other conditions. Here's a brief example:

index.html

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<script>
  // Dynamically set archive attribute for an object element
  document.getElementById("myObject").setAttribute("archive", "dynamicLib1.jar dynamicLib2.jar");
</script>

🧠 How it Works

In this script, the archive attribute is dynamically set to include dynamicLib1.jar and dynamicLib2.jar for an object element with the id myObject.

🏆 Best Practices

Since the archive attribute is largely obsolete, consider using modern alternatives or updating legacy code to avoid relying on deprecated features.
When dealing with legacy HTML that uses the archive attribute, ensure that the referenced archive files are accessible and properly maintained.
Test the functionality across different browsers, especially when working with older code that may rely on deprecated attributes.

🎉 Conclusion

The archive attribute in HTML was desixgned to provide URLs of archive files containing resources for the <object> element. While it's now considered obsolete, understanding its use can be important for maintaining and updating legacy HTML documents.

By utilizing JavaScript, you can also dynamically manage this attribute to adapt to changing resource requirements.