What is HTML
HTML, or Hypertext Markup Language, is the standard language used to create web pages. It is the backbone of the internet and is used to create the structure and layout of websites. Understanding the basics of HTML is essential for anyone looking to create their own website or improve their web development skills.
The first thing to understand about HTML is that it is a markup language, which means that it is used to create the structure of a website, rather than its design. HTML uses a set of tags and attributes to define the layout and organization of a web page. These tags include things like headings, paragraphs, lists, and images.
One of the most important tags in HTML is the "html" tag. This tag is used to define the start and end of an HTML document. Inside this tag, you will find other tags that define the structure of the page, such as the "head" and "body" tags.
The "head" tag is used to define the top of the page and contains information such as the page title and meta data. The "body" tag is used to define the main content of the page and contains all of the text, images, and other elements that make up the website.
Another important tag in HTML is the "div" tag. This tag is used to create a container for other elements and is often used to create sections or columns on a web page. It can be used to group similar elements together and can be styled with CSS to create unique layouts.
In addition to the basic tags, there are also attributes which can be added to tags to provide additional information. For example, the "src" attribute is used to specify the source of an image, while the "href" attribute is used to create links to other pages.
To write HTML code, you will need a text editor such as Notepad or Sublime Text. You can also use an integrated development environment (IDE) like Visual Studio Code or Atom. Once you have written your code, you can view it in a web browser to see how it looks.
In conclusion, HTML is the foundation of the internet and understanding its basics is essential for anyone looking to create their own website. It is used to create the structure and layout of websites and uses tags and attributes to define the elements on a web page
Here is a list of some commonly used HTML tags:
- <html> - Defines the start and end of an HTML document
- <head> - Defines the top of the page and contains information such as the page title and meta data
- <body> - Defines the main content of the page and contains all of the text, images, and other elements that make up the website
- <div> - Creates a container for other elements and is often used to create sections or columns on a web page
- <p> - Defines a paragraph
- <h1> - Defines a heading (there are also h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 tags)
- <a> - Defines a hyperlink
- <img> - Defines an image
- <ul> - Defines an unordered list
- <ol> - Defines an ordered list
- <li> - Defines a list item
- <table> - Defines a table
- <tr> - Defines a table row
- <td> - Defines a table cell
- <form> - Defines a form for user input
- <input> - Defines an input field where the user can enter data
- <label> - Defines a label for an input element
- <select> - Defines a drop-down list
- <option> - Defines an option in a drop-down list
- <textarea> - Defines a multi-line input field
- <button> - Defines a clickable button
An example html boilerplate page:
This list is not exhaustive but it contains the most commonly used tags, there are many more tags available in HTML, but these are the ones that are mostly used.
