Which one do you prefer?

[DNSB]

They should be ignored. A quick test of an ePub3 read using the RMSDK renderer on a Kobo ereader showed no difference when I added section and article.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Turtle91

Ahhh, so you DO choose to wrap a blockquote around each sentence…. Fascinating….

I shudder to imagine assistive technology calling out “Quote” every time it gets to a new sentence of yours.

It's only the offset text that gets a <blockquote> as it should. Regular paragraphs would not need such.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Turtle91

The <blockquote> HTML element has been available since HTML 2.0, which was released in November 1995.

The <q> HTML element was introduced in HTML 4.01, which was published as a W3C Recommendation on December 24, 1999.

In short, they’ve been around for a LONG time! If a device doesn’t support them, the device should be tossed in the trash because it is probably growing some zombie apocalypse mold in its innards…

You have to remember that Kobo are popular. And because of this, you really should be coding (when you can) so that your eBook works as best as it can with the version of RMSDK on a Kobo. There are things you won't be able to make work, but when you can, you should. For example, do not use rem but instead use em.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by icearch

Not just these, I mean other newer things like <section> and <article>. If I recall correctly, they are html5 feature. If not supported, would these just be ignored or cause some troubles?

Things line <section> and <article> will get ignored as needed. Just remember, do not use a class with any of these sorts of things or you could break your eBook's backwards comparability.

[Turtle91]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

You have to remember that Kobo are popular. And because of this, you really should be coding (when you can) so that your eBook works as best as it can with the version of RMSDK on a Kobo. There are things you won't be able to make work, but when you can, you should. For example, do not use rem but instead use em.

Are you saying that Kobo’s don’t work with blockquote and q??

If the OP is making a commercial product, then, of course, they would need to provide fallback coding for those ancient devices. As you also know, that should not prevent them from using current coding techniques to make their books look as good as possible.

The use of <article> and <section> are ePub3. The new standards should be used as much as possible if for no other reason than to keep them current longer. If those old devices can’t grok the new coding they are required to ignore them gracefully. That means they might have a slightly less-pretty product, but will be able to read it just fine. If the device doesn’t follow the spec, and crashes completely, then it’s time to toss the device… as you know.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It's only the offset text that gets a <blockquote> as it should. Regular paragraphs would not need such.

Only actual quotations should get Blockquote (for semantic reasons). Use a <p class="whatever"> with any offset text that's not a quotation. It's only needed for "old mobi" which is now dead since about March 2025.

Kobo in both modes does support Blockquote. It should also have a class to explicitly set margins rather than accepting whatever default is defined by the renderer. Never have nested blockquotes. I've seen that stupidity in old mobi source (HTML3).

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Turtle91

Are you saying that Kobo’s don’t work with blockquote and q??

If the OP is making a commercial product, then, of course, they would need to provide fallback coding for those ancient devices. As you also know, that should not prevent them from using current coding techniques to make their books look as good as possible.

The use of <article> and <section> are ePub3. The new standards should be used as much as possible if for no other reason than to keep them current longer. If those old devices can’t grok the new coding they are required to ignore them gracefully. That means they might have a slightly less-pretty product, but will be able to read it just fine. If the device doesn’t follow the spec, and crashes completely, then it’s time to toss the device… as you know.

With RMSDK on Kobo, <blockquote> works. <q> does not work. However, you can just use quotes instead.

Thing is, Kobo is not old. Just RMSDK is old. So you do have to code for it whenever possible. However, things like <article> and <section> are ignored. Just don't use any classes with these ePub3 specific tags.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Only actual quotations should get Blockquote (for semantic reasons). Use a <p class="whatever"> with any offset text that's not a quotation. It's only needed for "old mobi" which is now dead since about March 2025.

Kobo in both modes does support Blockquote. It should also have a class to explicitly set margins rather than accepting whatever default is defined by the renderer. Never have nested blockquotes. I've seen that stupidity in old mobi source (HTML3).

I see no reason not to use <blockquote> for offset text. I don't like <div class="shouldhavebeenablockqoute">.

[Turtle91]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I see no reason not to use <blockquote> for offset text. I don't like <div class="shouldhavebeenablockqoute">.

As usual, you are only concerned with the VISUAL result. You don’t seem to care about assistive technologies and their need for using the correct semantic tag.

For your own books, do whatever you "like", but please don’t come on here presenting your "likes" as good practice.

[ElMiko]

Originally Posted by Turtle91

As usual, you are only concerned with the VISUAL result. You don’t seem to care about assistive technologies and their need for using the correct semantic tag.

For your own books, do whatever you "like", but please don’t come on here presenting your "likes" as good practice.

So, in fiction, let's say a character finds a flyer on the ground, and that flyer is 12 lines long plus and extended disclaimer.

Mr. Amazing's Wonder Emporium
Come One! Come All!
We're open 24/7,
but only for a LIMITED TIME!
Some exhibits restricted to 18+...
Be prepared to be
shocked,
horrified,
thrilled,
and
delighted!!
$5 entry; group discounts available

DISCLAIMER GOES HERE......

Would you blockquote that? Or limit yourself to a <div> for the top/bottom/left/right margins around the one or more <p>s that constitute the flyer's contents?

Semantically, I think of this as functionally a blockquote, as the content is representing text that exists apart from narrative text. It's "quoting" the contents of the flyer. But by that logic, I'm also inclined to use it for signage that's much shorter, e.g.:

BEWARE OF GOD
KEEP OUT!

From an accesibility standpoint, I would think blockquoting these communicates more contextual information to the consumer than <div>-ing them, but I don't know what is standard practice.

[icearch]

I think it can be compared with movies. If something need a dedicated shoot, like a poster/flyer/long quote, it needs blockquote. If it does not have a separate shoot, like someone is talking and just bring up a sentence, it does not need blockquote.
It's more of a flow and vibe thing rather than technical and standard thing I so think.

[Jellby]

In my latest ebook (to be uploaded soon) I use <blockquote> for letters inserted in the narrative, with offset left margin (but not right, to better fit narrow screens). Printed books would use both left and right offset, and/or smaller type. I also use:

em, span.foreign, span.title {
  font-style: italic;
}

with:

Hubert Sand never <em>wore</em> this dressing-gown.

There is our <span class="foreign" xml:lang="fr">jeune premier</span>, Mr Knight

a burlesque of <span class="title">Hamlet</span>.

<em> is for emphasis, not all italics are emphasized. I could have used <i> instead of <span>, but that's less semantic, and I'm specifying the style anyway.

[phillipgessert]

Originally Posted by ElMiko

So, in fiction, let's say a character finds a flyer on the ground, and that flyer is 12 lines long plus and extended disclaimer.

Mr. Amazing's Wonder Emporium
Come One! Come All!
We're open 24/7,
but only for a LIMITED TIME!
Some exhibits restricted to 18+...
Be prepared to be
shocked,
horrified,
thrilled,
and
delighted!!
$5 entry; group discounts available

DISCLAIMER GOES HERE......

Would you blockquote that? Or limit yourself to a <div> for the top/bottom/left/right margins around the one or more <p>s that constitute the flyer's contents?

Semantically, I think of this as functionally a blockquote, as the content is representing text that exists apart from narrative text. It's "quoting" the contents of the flyer. But by that logic, I'm also inclined to use it for signage that's much shorter, e.g.:

BEWARE OF GOD
KEEP OUT!

From an accesibility standpoint, I would think blockquoting these communicates more contextual information to the consumer than <div>-ing them, but I don't know what is standard practice.

I blockquote stuff like that. I try to figure the nearest semantic tag to use, even if it's not exactly right, because I prefer that over something like a <div> which has no particular meaning at all.

But I absolutely 100% understand, and have no strong argument against, the idea that you shouldn't do that because "meaningless" is better than "wrong meaning." I could see getting there myself in time.

[KevinH]

You can also use a section tag with whatever css you want but with an aria-label attribute to identify things for a screen reader. If you want you can add aria attributes to many other kinds of tags as long as you follow the aria rules.

[Turtle91]

I imagine the way to differentiate is to ask yourself what it would sound like if you were listening to an assistive technology reading the passage aloud. Some of them will actually say the word "Quote" aloud before they start reading anything in a blockquote to give the listener context.

If you don't mind a listener hearing "Quote" before any indented sentence, letter, banner, etc. then you could use a blockquote; otherwise a div would be more appropriate. Especially since you can make a div look exactly how you want - not just relying on a blockquote's visual default.

I also bow to Kevin's greater familiarity with section tags/aria labeling in ePub3!