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Wilfredo Casas
6,174 PointsIs <nav> necessary?
I don't really get what navs are for, are they just for aesthetics? What could happen if I don't use them?
1 Answer
Kevin Korte
28,148 PointsThey are part of the html5 semantics. Nav elements just help browers and web crawlers better understand what a block of code is. It can also aid in people with disabilities who use screen readers, for the same purpose. They'll know they are in a navigation element.
From a presentational standpoint on a webpage, it makes little to no difference between a nav and an unordered list styled as a nav. It's just one is more semantic than the other.
Wilfredo Casas
6,174 PointsWilfredo Casas
6,174 PointsWhat does semantic stand for? I'm not familiar with that word
Kevin Korte
28,148 PointsKevin Korte
28,148 PointsYou'll hear the word semantic a lot of web development. As you advance, you'll be looking for ways to write more semantic code. Have more semantic class names, etc.
Semantic means meaning, or meaningful. So a nav element is more meaningful, than an unordered list when it's dealing with navigational elements.
It's more correctly relaying what the meaning of that chunk of code is, or does.