<META>

This tag supplies meta-information about the current document. It can be used to store extra information inside the document. For example, when you use Netscape Navigator Gold to create an html page the program will insert a META tag with the name of the program as its generator.
Most META tags come in name/value pairs, one attribute describing the item that is being defined, and the other containing the value of this item.
The other use of the META tag is for simulating HTTP response headers in HTML, using the HTTP-EQUIV attribute.

CONTENT
The value of the item of the meta-data that is being described.

HTTP-EQUIV
This is used to supply some information in the HTML file normally present in the HTTP header of the response of the server. Allowed values are :

Value Description

Content-Type This allows MIME charset information to be contained in the HTML document:
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=ISO-2022-JP">

Refresh This tells the client it must refresh the page after a number of seconds. The number of seconds and the URL of the new page must be present in the CONTENT attribute :
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Refresh" CONTENT="10; URL=New-page.html">
Important note: make sure the URL you give is fully qualified (e.g. http://whatever/whatever). That is, don't use a relative URL.
The interval can be 0 seconds. This will cause the browser to load the data from the supplied URL as soon as it can. This makes it possible to use it an an automatic redirection.

Expires This sets the expiration date & time for the current document.You can use this value to keep your page from being cached if you set the expiration date to a date in the past.

Keywords Several search sites use the values you supply here as keywords in their index database. When you use the keywords that best describe the subject of your page, this will make your page show up when a user searches with these sites.

Description Several search sites use the text you supply here as the description of the page in their database. Most of these sites have a maximum number of characters that will be saved.

See the HTTP specification for other headers you can simulate with the META tag.

NAME
Description of the item that is being described as meta-data. Often used values are :

Author, with the author of the document,
Description, to hold a summary of the contents of the document.
Generator, for the program that created the document.
Several search engines such as AltaVista use the content for NAME=description and NAME=keywords as references to a site.

Source:
Here's a way to include your name in every page you create :<BR> <META NAME=Author CONTENT="Rob Schlüter">

Result: Here's a way to include your name in every page you create :
<META NAME=Author CONTENT="Rob Schlüter">

Source:
<A HREF=META1.html>Visit this page</A>, which includes an automatic refresh. It will switch automatically between two pages every 5 seconds.

Result: Visit this page, which includes an automatic refresh. It will switch automatically between two pages every 5 seconds.

Source:
Set the expiration date for a page <META HTTP-EQUIV=Expires CONTENT="Tue, 01 Dec 1990 06:30:00 GMT">

Result: Set the expiration date for a page <META HTTP-EQUIV=Expires CONTENT="Tue, 01 Dec 1990 06:30:00 GMT">



Source:	Here's a way to include your name in every page you create :<BR> <META NAME=Author CONTENT="Rob Schlüter">

Result:	Here's a way to include your name in every page you create : <META NAME=Author CONTENT="Rob Schlüter">


Source:	<A HREF=META1.html>Visit this page</A>, which includes an automatic refresh. It will switch automatically between two pages every 5 seconds.

Result:	Visit this page, which includes an automatic refresh. It will switch automatically between two pages every 5 seconds.


Source:	Set the expiration date for a page <META HTTP-EQUIV=Expires CONTENT="Tue, 01 Dec 1990 06:30:00 GMT">

Result:	Set the expiration date for a page <META HTTP-EQUIV=Expires CONTENT="Tue, 01 Dec 1990 06:30:00 GMT">