A variety of markup languages that identify data using regular HTML syntax. Although XML is the conventional standard for data markup, microformats provide a way to define elements in Web pages for Web browsers and other software that are looking for specific data in those pages. Some microformats are named with an "h" prefix, such as hAtom for Atom feeds, hCard for business cards and hReview for product ratings.
Microformat Syntax
Microformats use the CLASS and REL attributes within DIV and SPAN tags (see
DIV tag). Used this way, the CLASS and REL (link relationship) attributes allow for the identification of data without interfering with the normal interpretation of the pages by Web browsers and other HTML rendering programs. The CLASS attribute is the most widely used, and the particular microformat defines the syntax; for example,
class="org" becomes a tag that defines the name of an organization. See
markup language,
hAtom,
HTML and
XML.