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HTML File Paths

Last Updated : 18 Dec, 2024

HTML file paths specify the location of files or resources that a webpage needs to access, such as images, videos, scripts, or other HTML documents. These paths tell the web browser where to find the files required to display the content correctly or to execute scripts as intended.

To insert a file in a web page, its source must be known. For example, the syntax (<img src=" " alt=" ">) is used to insert an image file, where the path of the file is mentioned in the source (src).

Types of File Paths

There are two main types of HTML File Paths:

Absolute File Paths
Relative File Paths

1. Absolute File Paths

Point directly to a resource's location on the internet and include the full URL, which consists of the protocol (http:// or https://), domain, and path to the resource.
Best for resources that are hosted externally. The browser knows exactly where to find them regardless of the current document’s location.

Syntax:

<img src="https://media.geeksforgeeks.org/wp-content/uploads/geek.png" alt="My Image">

Example:

HTML

<!DOCTYPE html> <html>  <head>     <title>Absolute file path</title> </head>  <body>     <img src= "https://media.geeksforgeeks.org/wp-content/uploads/geek.png"           alt="My Image"           style="width: 400px" /> </body>  </html>

Output:

Absolute File Paths example output

2. Relative File Paths

Specify the path to a resource in relation to the location of the HTML file currently being viewed.
Ideal for resources within the same website. Keeps your HTML portable if the domain changes since the path doesn’t need to be updated.

Syntax:

<img src="images/geeks.jpg" alt="My Image">

Example:

In This example, the relative file path "images/geeks.jpg" indicates that the image file "geeks.jpg" is located in a subfolder named "images" relative to the current HTML file.

HTML

<!DOCTYPE html> <html>  <head>     <title>Relative file path</title> </head>  <body>     <h2>File present in the same folder</h2>     <img src="images/geeks.jpg"           alt="My Image"           style="width:400px"> </body>  </html>

Output:

relative file path Example output

Relative Path Variants

Document-relative paths: As in the above example, the path starts from the directory of the current HTML document.
Root-relative paths: Start with a slash (/), which tells the browser to look for the resource starting from the root directory of the server. Example:

<img src="/images/geeks.jpg">

Directory-relative paths: Use dot notation to navigate the directory structure:
- ./ refers to the current directory.
- ../ moves up one directory level.

<img src="../images/geeks.jpg"> <!-- Goes up one directory, then into the images folder -->

Best Practices for Using HTML File Paths

Keep a Consistent Structure: Organize your files in a logical structure which makes it easier to manage and reference your resources.
Use Relative Paths for Internal Resources: This makes your website more portable and easier to maintain, especially if you migrate to a different domain.
Test Paths Locally and on the Server: Paths that work on your local machine may not function the same way on a web server due to different directory structures or permissions.
Avoid Spaces in Filenames: Spaces can cause issues in URLs and make linking more complex. Use hyphens or underscores instead.

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