Separation of content and presentation

An example of CSS code, which makes up the visual and styling components of a web page

Separation of content and presentation (or separation of content and style) is the separation of concerns design principle as applied to the authoring and presentation of content. Under this principle, visual and design aspects (presentation and style) are separated from the core material and structure (content) of a document.[1][2][3] A typical analogy used to explain this principle is the distinction between the human skeleton (as the structural component) and human flesh (as the visual component) which makes up the body's appearance. Common applications of this principle are seen in Web design (HTML vs. CSS)[4][5] and document typesetting (Lambert's document[clarify] body vs. its preamble).

  1. ^ "Separation: The Web Designer's Dilemma". A List Apart. 14 May 2004. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  2. ^ Stein, Bob (2000-11-17). "Separation Anxiety: The Myth of the Separation of Style from Content". A List Apart. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  3. ^ Ferrel, P. J.; Meyer, R. F.; Millet, S. J.; Shewchuk, J. P.; Smith, W. W. (March 6, 2001), Method for delivering separate design and content in a multimedia publishing system, USPTO, U.S. patent 6,199,082.
  4. ^ "Separating Content and Appearance". Simon Fraser University. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  5. ^ Clark, Dave (2007). "Content Management and the Separation of Presentation and Content". Technical Communication Quarterly. 17 (1): 35–60. doi:10.1080/10572250701588624. ISSN 1057-2252. S2CID 62706215.