Should we use a frameset doctype if we use iframes?

Question

Why are iframes declared as a non-standard elements? It is useful.

Is it allowed in XHTML 1.1, or should we use a frameset doctype if we use iframes?

Answer 1

An iframe is a method of displaying another html document inside a frame on a webpage. The w3 is moving towards making all external files to be displayed in an html document done with the <object> tag. This includes applets, flash movies, even images. Iframe's deprecation isn't because the idea of having an html file displayed in a "frame" is bad, it's deprecated because there's now a "better" method of doing the same thing.

Iframe is completely dropped in XHTML 1.1, so it will probably not display. Iframes are valid in the non frameset doctypes that support them, but changing the doctype can sometimes change how it's displayed due to some bugs <cough> internet explorer </cough>.

Since support for iframes and the <object> tag is sketchy in many browsers, its best to test code using either of them carefully to make sure if behaves in the major browsers.

see replacing iframe with object in xhtml 1.1

Answer 2

Because it's ugly and nobody wants multiple sets of scrollbars in their pages.

Answer 3

You can use the object. (http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/struct/objects.html#h-13.5)

<object id="page" type="text/html" data="page.htm" width="500" height="600"> 
  <p>Oops! That didn't work...</p> 
</object>