Software Help: HTML

With HTML you can create your own Web site.

This tutorial teaches you everything about HTML.

HTML is easy to learn - You will enjoy it.

Examples

<html>
<body>

<h1>My First Heading</h1>

<p>My first paragraph.</p>

</body>
</html>

Result:

My First Heading

My first paragraph.

What is HTML?

HTML is the "mother tongue" of your browser.

To make a long story short, HTML was invented in 1990 by a scientist called Tim Berners-Lee. The purpose was to make it easier for scientists at different universities to gain access to each other's research documents. The project became a bigger success than Tim Berners-Lee had ever imagined. By inventing HTML he laid the foundation for the web as we know it today.

HTML is a language, which makes it possible to present information (e.g. scientific research) on the Internet. What you see when you view a page on the Internet is your browser's interpretation of HTML. To see the HTML code of a page on the Internet, simply click "View" in the top menu of your browser and choose "Source".

www.webopedia.com/TERM/H/html.html

What can I use HTML for?

If you want to make websites, there is no way around HTML. Even if you're using a program to create websites, such as Dreamweaver, a basic knowledge of HTML can make life a lot simpler and your website a lot better. The good news is that HTML is easy to learn and use. In just two lessons from now you will have learned how to make your first website.

HTML is used to make websites. It is as simple as that!

HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages.

HTML is written in the form of HTML elements consisting of tags, enclosed in angle brackets (like <html>), within the web page content. HTML tags most commonly come in pairs like <h1> and </h1>, although some tags, known as empty elements, are unpaired, for example <img>. The first tag in a pair is the start tag, the second tag is the end tag (they are also called opening tags and closing tags). In between these tags web designers can add text, tags, comments and other types of text-based content.

The purpose of a web browser is to read HTML documents and compose them into visible or audible web pages. The browser does not display the HTML tags, but uses the tags to interpret the content of the page.

HTML elements form the building blocks of all websites. HTML allows images and objects to be embedded and can be used to create interactive forms. It provides a means to create structured documents by denoting structural semantics for text such as headings, paragraphs, lists, links, quotes and other items. It can embed scripts in languages such as JavaScript which affect the behavior of HTML webpages.

Web browsers can also refer to Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to define the appearance and layout of text and other material. The W3C, maintainer of both the HTML and the CSS standards, encourages the use of CSS over explicitly presentational HTML markup

What is HTML?

HTML is a language for describing web pages.

HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language
HTML is not a programming language, it is a markup language
A markup language is a set of markup tags
HTML uses markup tags to describe web pages

HTML Tags

HTML markup tags are usually called HTML tags

HTML tags are keywords surrounded by angle brackets like <html>
HTML tags normally come in pairs like <b> and </b>
The first tag in a pair is the start tag, the second tag is the end tag
Start and end tags are also called opening tags and closing tags

HTML Documents = Web Pages

HTML documents describe web pages
HTML documents contain HTML tags and plain text
HTML documents are also called web pages

The purpose of a web browser (like Internet Explorer or Firefox) is to read HTML documents and display them as web pages. The browser does not display the HTML tags, but uses the tags to interpret the content of the page:

<html>

<body>

<h1>My First Heading</h1>

<p>My first paragraph.</p>

</body>

</html>

Example Explained

The text between <html> and </html> describes the web page
The text between <body> and </body> is the visible page content
The text between <h1> and </h1> is displayed as a heading
The text between <p> and </p> is displayed as a paragraph

What You Need

You don't need any tools to learn HTML at W3Schools.

You don't need an HTML editor
You don't need a web server
You don't need a web site

Editing HTML

HTML can be written and edited using many different editors like Dreamweaver and Visual Studio.

However, in this tutorial we use a plain text editor (like Notepad) to edit HTML. We believe using a plain text editor is the best way to learn HTML.

Create Your Own Test Web

If you just want to learn HTML, skip the rest of this chapter.

If you want to create a test page on your own computer, just copy the 3 files below to your desktop.

(Right click on each link, and select "save target as" or "save link as")

mainpage.htm

page1.htm

page2.htm

After you have copied the files, you can double-click on the file called "mainpage.htm" and see your first web site in action.

Use Your Test Web For Learning

We suggest you experiment with everything you learn at W3Schools by editing your web files with a text editor (like Notepad).

Note: If your test web contains HTML markup tags you have not learned, don't panic. You will learn all about it in the next chapters.

.HTM or .HTML File Extension?

When you save an HTML file, you can use either the .htm or the .html file extension. There is no difference, it is entirely up to you.

<html>

<body>

<h1>This is heading 1</h1>

<h2>This is heading 2</h2>

<h3>This is heading 3</h3>

<h4>This is heading 4</h4>

<h5>This is heading 5</h5>

<h6>This is heading 6</h6>

</body>

</html>

HTML Elements

An HTML element is everything from the start tag to the end tag:

Start tag *	Element content	End tag *
<p>	This is a paragraph	</p>
<a href="default.htm" >	This is a link	</a>
<br />

* The start tag is often called the opening tag. The end tag is often called the closing tag.

HTML Element Syntax

An HTML element starts with a start tag / opening tag
An HTML element ends with an end tag / closing tag
The element content is everything between the start and the end tag
Some HTML elements have empty content
Empty elements are closed in the start tag
Most HTML elements can have attributes

Tip: You will learn about attributes in the next chapter of this tutorial.

Nested HTML Elements

Most HTML elements can be nested (can contain other HTML elements).

HTML documents consist of nested HTML elements.

HTML Document Example

<html>

<body>

<p>This is my first paragraph.</p>

</body>

</html>

The example above contains 3 HTML elements.

HTML Example Explained

The <p> element:

<p>This is my first paragraph.</p>

The <p> element defines a paragraph in the HTML document.

The element has a start tag <p> and an end tag </p>.

The element content is: This is my first paragraph.

The <body> element:

<body>

<p>This is my first paragraph.</p>

</body>

The <body> element defines the body of the HTML document.

The element has a start tag <body> and an end tag </body>.

The element content is another HTML element (a p element).

The <html> element:

<html>

<body>

<p>This is my first paragraph.</p>

</body>

</html>

The <html> element defines the whole HTML document.

The element has a start tag <html> and an end tag </html>.

The element content is another HTML element (the body element).

Don't Forget the End Tag

Some HTML elements might display correctly even if you forget the end tag:

<p>This is a paragraph

The example above works in most browsers, because the closing tag is considered optional.

Never rely on this. Many HTML elements will produce unexpected results and/or errors if you forget the end tag .

Empty HTML Elements

HTML elements with no content are called empty elements.

<br> is an empty element without a closing tag (the <br> tag defines a line break).

Tip: In XHTML, all elements must be closed. Adding a slash inside the start tag, like <br />, is the proper way of closing empty elements in XHTML (and XML).

HTML Tip: Use Lowercase Tags

HTML tags are not case sensitive: <P> means the same as <p>. Many web sites use uppercase HTML tags.

W3Schools use lowercase tags because the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommends lowercase in HTML 4, and demands lowercase tags in XHTML.

HTML Attributes

HTML elements can have attributes
Attributes provide additional information about an element
Attributes are always specified in the start tag
Attributes come in name/value pairs like: name="value"

Attribute Example

HTML links are defined with the <a> tag. The link address is specified in the href attribute:

Example

Always Quote Attribute Values

Attribute values should always be enclosed in quotes.

Double style quotes are the most common, but single style quotes are also allowed.

Tip: In some rare situations, when the attribute value itself contains quotes, it is necessary to use single quotes: name='John "ShotGun" Nelson'

HTML Tip: Use Lowercase Attributes

Attribute names and attribute values are case-insensitive.

However, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommends lowercase attributes/attribute values in their HTML 4 recommendation.

Newer versions of (X)HTML will demand lowercase attributes.

HTML Text Formatting

<html>

<body>

<p><strong>This text is strong</strong></p>

<p><i>This text is italic</i></p>

<p><em>This text is emphasized</em></p>

<p><code>This is computer output</code></p>

<p>This is<sub> subscript</sub> and <sup>superscript</sup></p>

</body>

</html>

The HTML <font> Tag Should NOT be Used

The <font> tag is deprecated in HTML 4, and removed from HTML5.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has removed the <font> tag from its recommendations.

In HTML 4, style sheets (CSS) should be used to define the layout and display properties for many HTML elements.

The example below shows how the HTML could look by using the <font> tag:

Example

<p>

This paragraph is in Arial, size 5, and in red text color.

</font>

</p>

<p>

This paragraph is in Verdana, size 3, and in blue text color.

</font>

</p>

Styling HTML with CSS

CSS was introduced together with HTML 4, to provide a better way to style HTML elements.

CSS can be added to HTML in the following ways:

in separate style sheet files (CSS files)
in the style element in the HTML head section
in the style attribute in single HTML elements

Using the HTML Style Attribute

It is time consuming and not very practical to style HTML elements using the style attribute.

The preferred way to add CSS to HTML, is to put CSS syntax in separate CSS files.

However, in this HTML tutorial we will introduce you to CSS using the style attribute. This is done to simplify the examples. It also makes it easier for you to edit the code and try it yourself.

You can learn everything about CSS in our CSS Tutorial.

HTML Style Example - Background Color

The background-color property defines the background color for an element:

Example

<html>

<h2 style="background-color:red;">This is a heading</h2>

<p style="background-color:green;">This is a paragraph.</p>

</body>

</html>

HTML Hyperlinks (Links)

A hyperlink (or link) is a word, group of words, or image that you can click on to jump to a new document or a new section within the current document.

When you move the cursor over a link in a Web page, the arrow will turn into a little hand.

Links are specified in HTML using the <a> tag.

The <a> tag can be used in two ways:

To create a link to another document, by using the href attribute
To create a bookmark inside a document, by using the name attribute

HTML Link Syntax

The HTML code for a link is simple. It looks like this:

The href attribute specifies the destination of a link.

Example

<a href="http://www.w3schools.com/">Visit W3Schools</a>

HTML Links - The target Attribute

The target attribute specifies where to open the linked document.

The example below will open the linked document in a new browser window or a new tab:

Example

<a href="http://www.w3schools.com/" target="_blank">Visit W3Schools!</a>

HTML Links - The name Attribute

The name attribute specifies the name of an anchor.

The name attribute is used to create a bookmark inside an HTML document.

Note: The upcoming HTML5 standard suggest using the id attribute instead of the name attribute for specifying the name of an anchor. Using the id attribute actually works also for HTML4 in all modern browsers.

Bookmarks are not displayed in any special way. They are invisible to the reader.

Example

A named anchor inside an HTML document:

<a name="tips">Useful Tips Section</a>

Create a link to the "Useful Tips Section" inside the same document:

<a href="#tips">Visit the Useful Tips Section</a>

Or, create a link to the "Useful Tips Section" from another page:

Visit the Useful Tips Section</a>

HTML Images - The <img> Tag and the Src Attribute

In HTML, images are defined with the <img> tag.

The <img> tag is empty, which means that it contains attributes only, and has no closing tag.

To display an image on a page, you need to use the src attribute. Src stands for "source". The value of the src attribute is the URL of the image you want to display.

Syntax for defining an image:

The URL points to the location where the image is stored. An image named "boat.gif", located in the "images" directory on "www.w3schools.com" has the URL: http://www.w3schools.com/images/boat.gif.

The browser displays the image where the <img> tag occurs in the document. If you put an image tag between two paragraphs, the browser shows the first paragraph, then the image, and then the second paragraph.

HTML Images - The Alt Attribute

The required alt attribute specifies an alternate text for an image, if the image cannot be displayed.

The value of the alt attribute is an author-defined text:

The alt attribute provides alternative information for an image if a user for some reason cannot view it (because of slow connection, an error in the src attribute, or if the user uses a screen reader).

HTML Images - Set Height and Width of an Image

The height and width attributes are used to specify the height and width of an image.

The attribute values are specified in pixels by default:

Tip: It is a good practice to specify both the height and width attributes for an image. If these attributes are set, the space required for the image is reserved when the page is loaded. However, without these attributes, the browser does not know the size of the image. The effect will be that the page layout will change during loading (while the images load).

Basic Notes - Useful Tips

Note: If an HTML file contains ten images - eleven files are required to display the page right. Loading images take time, so my best advice is: Use images carefully.

Note: When a web page is loaded, it is the browser, at that moment, that actually gets the image from a web server and inserts it into the page. Therefore, make sure that the images actually stay in the same spot in relation to the web page, otherwise your visitors will get a broken link icon. The broken link icon is shown if the browser cannot find the image.

HTML Tables

Tables are defined with the <table> tag.

A table is divided into rows (with the <tr> tag), and each row is divided into data cells (with the <td> tag). td stands for "table data," and holds the content of a data cell. A <td> tag can contain text, links, images, lists, forms, other tables, etc.

Table Example

<tr>

</tr>

<tr>

</tr>

</table>

How the HTML code above looks in a browser:

row 1, cell 1	row 1, cell 2
row 2, cell 1	row 2, cell 2

HTML Tables and the Border Attribute

If you do not specify a border attribute, the table will be displayed without borders. Sometimes this can be useful, but most of the time, we want the borders to show.

To display a table with borders, specify the border attribute:

<tr>

</tr>

</table>

HTML Table Headers

Header information in a table are defined with the <th> tag.

All major browsers will display the text in the <th> element as bold and centered.

<tr>

<th>Header 1</th>

<th>Header 2</th>

</tr>

<tr>

</tr>

<tr>

</tr>

</table>

How the HTML code above looks in your browser:

Header 1	Header 2
row 1, cell 1	row 1, cell 2
row 2, cell 1	row 2, cell 2

HTML Unordered Lists

An unordered list starts with the <ul> tag. Each list item starts with the <li> tag.

The list items are marked with bullets (typically small black circles).

<ul>

<li>Coffee</li>

</ul>

How the HTML code above looks in a browser:

Coffee
Milk

HTML Ordered Lists

An ordered list starts with the <ol> tag. Each list item starts with the <li> tag.

The list items are marked with numbers.

<ol>

<li>Coffee</li>

</ol>

How the HTML code above looks in a browser:

Coffee
Milk

HTML Definition Lists

A definition list is a list of items, with a description of each item.

The <dl> tag defines a definition list.

The <dl> tag is used in conjunction with <dt> (defines the item in the list) and <dd> (describes the item in the list):

<dl>

<dt>Coffee</dt>

<dd>- black hot drink</dd>

<dd>- white cold drink</dd>

</dl>

How the HTML code above looks in a browser:

Coffee

- black hot drink

Milk

- white cold drink

Software Help

Thursday, 10 November 2011

HTML

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