Why Is Closing Script Elements Important in Web Development?

In the realm of web development, it is imperative to understand the nuances of different markup practices. One such distinction arises between the usage of and in incorporating JavaScript into a web page.

While it may seem logical to omit the closing tag for a self-contained script, as evident in

for empty table rows, this logic does not apply to script elements. Unlike in the case, scripts are required to possess both opening and closing tags. Neglecting to include the closing tag, as seen in , disrupts the browser's interpretation of the page's structure.

By not explicitly closing the script element, the browser misinterprets the subsequent content as JavaScript code, leading to improper rendering. To illustrate the consequences, consider the following code snippet:

<br><br> <br>   <script src="doesntmatter.js"></script><br>   <title>Hello</title><br> <br> <br>   <h1 id="Do-you-see-me">Do you see me?</h1><br> <br>

In this example, despite the presence of valid HTML markup, the browser incorrectly processes the content following the malformed script tag as JavaScript, resulting in the body content failing to display. Consequently, the

element remains hidden, and the page remains incomplete.

Therefore, it is crucial to refrain from omitting the closing tag in script elements and to always write them in the correct form: . This practice ensures the browser interprets the code correctly and renders the page as intended.

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