HTML Introduction: Learn the Basics of HTML for Web Development
HTML, which stands for HyperText Markup Language, serves as the fundamental building block of the World Wide Web.
Hypertext refers to text displayed on computer screen or any other electronic devices that contains references to other text accessible instantly to users through mouse clicks or key presses.
Beyond just text, hypertext may incorporate tables, lists, forms, images, and other presentational elements. This format proves to be user-friendly and versatile for sharing information over the Internet.
Markup languages employ sets of markup tags to define text elements within a document, providing instructions to web browsers on how to present the document.
Originally developed by Tim Berners-Lee in 1990, HTML is often credited as the brainchild of the web. In 1996, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) assumed the responsibility of maintaining HTML specifications. By the year 2000, HTML attained international standardization (ISO). The latest iteration, HTML5, represents an advanced version that facilitates faster and more robust web development approaches.
What You Can Do with HTML
There are numerous possibilities and functionalities that HTML offers.
- With HTML, you can publish diverse documents online, incorporating text, images, lists, tables, and more.
- Hyperlinks enable you to access web resources such as images, videos, or other HTML documents.
- Forms can be created to collect user inputs, including name, e-mail address, comments, and more.
- Multimedia elements like images, videos, sound clips, flash movies, and applications can be directly insert or embedded within an HTML document.
- Creating offline versions of your website that work without internet connectivity is also achievable.
- Data can be stored in the user's web browser for later access.
- HTML enables you to determine the current location of your website's visitors.
There are still many more amazing things you can implement with HTML; the list does not end here. You will have the opportunity to explore all of them in detail in the upcoming chapters.
Note: HTML is not a programming language like Java, Ruby, PHP, etc.; it is a markup language as stated previously. To read HTML pages, you need a web browser. The HTML tags are not shown by web browsers; instead, they are used to interpret overall content of online pages.
A Simple HTML Document
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Page Title</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Your First Heading</h1>
<p>Your first paragraph.</p>
</body>
</html>
Example Explained
- The
<!DOCTYPE html>declaration specifies that this is an HTML5 page. - The
<html>element is the HTML page's root element - The
<head>element includes metadata about the HTML page. - The
<title>element defines an HTML page title (which appears in the browser's title bar or in the page's tab). - The
<body>element specifies the body of the page and serves as a container for all visible components like headings, paragraphs, pictures, hyperlinks, tables, lists, and so on. - The element
<h1>defines a wide header - The
<p>element specifies a subsection
What This Tutorial Covers
This series of HTML tutorials includes all the basics of HTML, such as the concept of components and attributes, how to format text using HTML tags, how to add attribute values to the document, how to insert images and tables, how to make lists and forms, how to include other HTML documents within the current one.
Once you're acquainted with the fundamentals , you can continue on to the next level, which covers the anatomy of a URL, methods for generating web page layouts, the significance of adding meta information to web pages, how to add scripts, how to show special characters use much more.
At last, you'll look at some of the more developed HTML5 features, such as new input types, drawing graphics on the page, including audio and video in the report, storing data customer using web storage, caching files, performing background tasks with web workers, as well as receiving the user's location, developing drag-and-drop applications, etc.
Tip: This lesson includes numerous real-world examples in each chapter that you may try out and test using an internet browser. These illustrations will aid in your understanding of the idea or subject. It also includes clever workarounds, helpful hints, and significant notes.
FAQ
What is HTML and what does it stand for?
HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language. It is the standard markup language used for creating webpages. HTML provides a set of tags and elements that define the structure and content of a webpage.
What is the role of HTML in web development?
HTML is the fundamental language used for creating webpages. It defines the structure and content of a webpage, including text, images, links, and other elements. HTML works in conjunction with other technologies such as CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and JavaScript to create visually appealing and interactive websites.
What role does the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) play in HTML development?
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is responsible for maintaining HTML specifications and ensuring its standardization and compatibility across different platforms.
What are the basic building blocks of HTML?
The basic building blocks of HTML are tags and elements. Tags are used to define the structure of the content, while elements are the individual components within those tags that hold the actual content.
How do HTML tags and elements work?
HTML tags are used to enclose elements and provide structure to the content. Tags are represented by angle brackets (<>) and usually come in pairs, consisting of an opening tag and a closing tag. Elements are the specific content within the tags, such as text, images, links, headings, and paragraphs.
What is the latest version of HTML and what improvements does it offer?
The latest version of HTML is HTML5. HTML5 provides a faster and more robust approach to web development.
How does HTML differ from programming languages like Java, Ruby, and PHP?
HTML is a markup language used for structuring the content of web pages, while programming languages like Java, Ruby, and PHP are used for creating dynamic and interactive web applications.