Why Shouldn't I Use Self-Closing Script Elements in XHTML?

Self-Closing Script Elements and XHTML Support

The correct syntax for a script element in XHTML is:

<script src="foobar.js"></script>

Using a self-closing script element like this:

<script src="foobar.js" />

will not be correctly recognized by browsers. This is because the XHTML 1 specification explicitly states that for elements with a content model that is not EMPTY, the minimized form should not be used.

The script element has a content model that is not EMPTY, so the minimized form (with a trailing slash) is not valid. This is specified in the XHTML DTD as:

<!ELEMENT script (#PCDATA)>

Therefore, the use of self-closing script elements breaks the concept of XHTML support. Browsers will not correctly recognize these elements, and they should not be used.

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