HTML Guide for sizes
The sizes attribute specifies the size of the image when it is displayed on different devices.
The error message is saying that the value auto is not a valid value for the sizes attribute.
To fix this issue, you need to replace the value auto with a valid size. You can use a width descriptor or a media query to specify the size for different device widths.
Here’s an example of using a width descriptor:
<img src="example.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 50vw" />This example sets the size of the image to 100% of the viewport width when the device width is less than or equal to 600px, and 50% of the viewport width for larger device widths.
Alternatively, you can remove the sizes attribute altogether and let the browser decide the best size for the image based on the viewport size.
<img src="example.jpg" />If you do this, the browser will use the default sizes value of 100vw and will scale the image accordingly.
The sizes attribute for an img element requires valid CSS syntax, and auto is not an acceptable value within that attribute.
The sizes attribute allows you to specify a list of media conditions and corresponding sizes for the images. Each condition determines which size of the image should be displayed at different viewport widths, ensuring responsive image delivery. The syntax for sizes should be a comma-separated list of media queries followed by a value denoting the corresponding width of the image. This width value may be in pixels (px) or as a percentage (vw, vh), but auto is not valid in this context.
Here is a breakdown of a correct sizes attribute usage:
- 50vw: This denotes that the image should take up 50% of the viewport’s width.
- (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 50vw: When the viewport is at most 600 pixels wide, the image should occupy the full width (100vw). Otherwise, it should take 50 percent of the viewport width.
Remove “auto” from your sizes value and provide a valid, contextually correct CSS value.
Example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>Responsive Images Example</title>
</head>
<body>
<img
src="image.jpg"
sizes="(max-width: 472px) 100vw, 472px"
srcset="image-small.jpg 300w, image-medium.jpg 600w, image-large.jpg 1000w"
alt="A description of the image"
>
</body>
</html>In this example, if the viewport width is less than or equal to 472 pixels, the image will take up the entire width (100vw). For larger widths, the srcset specifies different image files for varying resolutions.
The sizes attribute contains an empty source size, probably due to a trailing comma.
According to the HTML standard, the sizes attribute on the img element must contain a valid source size list. Each size is separated by a comma, and there must not be a trailing comma because that would create an empty entry, which is not allowed.
An example of an invalid sizes attribute:
<img
src="image.jpg"
alt=""
sizes="(min-width: 2200px) 100vw, (min-width: 856px) 461px, (min-width: 784px) 615px, "
srcset="image-2200.jpg 2200w, image-856.jpg 856w">To fix the validation error, remove the trailing comma so the size list does not end with an empty value:
<img
src="image.jpg"
alt=""
sizes="(min-width: 2200px) 100vw, (min-width: 856px) 461px, (min-width: 784px) 615px"
srcset="image-2200.jpg 2200w, image-856.jpg 856w">Each value in the sizes attribute should be a valid media condition and source size, separated only by commas, with no trailing or empty values.
The sizes attribute on the img element must use CSS length units (such as px, vw, em) and not image width descriptors like w.
The sizes attribute defines the intended display size of the image in CSS length units, which helps the browser select the appropriate image from the srcset. Use units like px (pixels) or vw (viewport width percentage), not w, which is used in the srcset descriptors. The srcset attribute specifies different image resources and their width descriptors (e.g., 860w), while sizes reflects the image’s display size in the layout.
Correct usage:
- sizes="(min-width: 568px) 140px" tells the browser the image will be displayed as 140 pixels wide when the viewport is at least 568 pixels wide.
- srcset="photo.png?w=860&q=90 860w" uses w as the descriptor for the image resource’s width.
HTML example:
<img
alt=""
sizes="(min-width: 568px) 140px"
srcset="photo.png?w=860&q=90 860w"
src="photo.png?w=860&q=90">Summary:
- Use CSS units like px, vw, etc. in the sizes attribute.
- Use the w descriptor only in srcset, not in sizes.
The sizes attribute is used to complement the srcset attribute on an <img> tag for responsive images, therefore it’s not valid if srcset is missing.
The W3C validator error you are seeing indicates that you’ve used the sizes attribute on an <img> element without providing a srcset attribute. According to HTML specifications, the sizes attribute is only meaningful when used alongside the srcset attribute.
The srcset attribute allows you to specify a list of possible image files for the browser to choose from based on conditions like the screen size or resolution. The sizes attribute helps the browser understand what size the image should be under specific conditions defined in srcset.
How to Fix the Issue
There are two options, adding or removing attributes.
-
Adding a srcset Attribute: If you need responsive images, make sure to include the srcset attribute in your <img> element.
-
Removing the sizes Attribute (if not necessary): If responsive images are not required and you’re not using srcset, simply remove the sizes attribute.
Example
Incorrect Markup:
<img src="image.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 480px, 800px" alt="Example Image">Correct Markup with srcset:
<img src="image.jpg"
srcset="image-480w.jpg 480w, image-800w.jpg 800w"
sizes="(max-width: 600px) 480px, 800px"
alt="Example Image">In this correct example, the srcset attribute provides two different images (image-480w.jpg and image-800w.jpg) and their corresponding widths (480w and 800w). The sizes attribute tells the browser to use the 480 pixels wide image if the viewport is 600 pixels or less, otherwise, it will use the full 800 pixels.
Correct Markup without sizes and srcset:
<img src="image.jpg" alt="Example Image">If you don’t need responsive images, simply remove the sizes attribute to fix the issue.
Summary
Ensure that whenever you use the sizes attribute, you also include a srcset attribute. This makes sure that the browser can effectively make decisions about which image size to load in different scenarios.
A srcset attribute with width descriptors requires a sizes attribute on the img element.
When you use width descriptors (e.g., 400w, 800w) in the srcset attribute, the browser needs the sizes attribute to correctly select the appropriate image source based on the layout size in the viewport. Without sizes, the HTML is invalid, and the browser cannot resolve how large the image will be displayed.
Explanation
The srcset attribute allows you to provide multiple image sources for different screen conditions. There are two types of descriptors in srcset: width descriptors (e.g., 400w) and pixel density descriptors (e.g., 2x). When using width descriptors, you must include a sizes attribute to describe the expected display width of the image in CSS pixels. This helps browsers pick the best matching source.
Correct Usage Example
<img
src="image-400.jpg"
srcset="image-400.jpg 400w, image-800.jpg 800w"
sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"
alt="Responsive example">Incorrect Usage Example
<img
src="image-400.jpg"
srcset="image-400.jpg 400w, image-800.jpg 800w"
alt="Responsive example">(Missing sizes attribute)
Explanation of the correct example:
- The srcset attribute lists two images with their respective pixel widths.
- The sizes attribute tells the browser to use 100vw (100% of the viewport width) if the viewport is 600px wide or less, and otherwise use 600px as the display width.