3. Other Attributes

Several other attributes can be applied to the <audio> to make it behave as intended.

Multiple-Source

preload

As with the <video> element, this attribute tells the browser what to do when the page loads. It can have one of three values:

• none - The browser should not load the audio until the user presses play.
• auto (default) - The browser should download the audio when the page loads.
• metadata - The browser should just collect information such as the size, first frame, track list, and duration.

controls

When the controls attribute is supplied, the browser should supply its own controls for playback. No controls will be shown by default if you do not use this attribute.

loop

This tells the browser whether or not to loop the audio.

autoplay

When used, this attribute specifies that the file should play automatically.

Remember, this is considered poor practice, and in most cases, it is better to let the user choose whether to start the audio or not.