HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language and is a core part of the World Wide Web. It’s used to create websites and webpages, and is often considered the first step towards learning how to code. Learning HTML can be easy to learn and doesn’t take a long time.
This article will introduce the basics of HTML and provide an overview of the language:
What is HTML?
HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is a computer language used for creating and formatting webpages. It’s the language behind the visual content you see in a website, allowing for structure and presentation of information on the internet by using “markup” tags.
HTML documents form the basis of all websites on the World Wide Web, which is why it is an important language to learn for web developers.
HTML defines how website elements are formatted and how content should be organized within an HTML document. Using HTML tags helps determine where graphics, different fonts, tables, links, and other items appear on your webpage. Knowing how to write valid HTML code will help build your foundation as a front-end web developer or designer as you continue to learn more languages such as CSS and JavaScript.
How long does it take to learn html
Learning HTML has numerous benefits for both individuals who are just getting started in web development and professionals who have been in the game for a while. For starters, coding in HTML gives you the ultimate control over your website’s look and functionality. You can create visually compelling sites with more intricate designs, more advanced functions, and faster loading pages that rank higher in search engines.
Another advantage of knowing HTML is the enhanced ability to maintain websites. With some HTML knowledge, you can debug any code errors that arise on the website or even add additional features when needed. This can be a huge boon in terms of site maintenance costs or even preventing costly lost business due to a malfunctioning site.
Third, HTML gives you immense flexibility when it comes to interacting with sites such as emails or audio/video applications. It provides features such as forms which allow users to interact with your site directly, provides a basis for developing Graphical User Interfaces (GUI), and allows site elements such as:
- audio/video streaming
- animations
- social media integration etc.
With HTML you can create interactive applications that generate dynamic content customized to each user’s needs and interests. All of these advantages make learning HTML an important step in web development proficiency no matter what level you are at—beginner or professional!
Basic HTML Syntax
HTML syntax is a fundamental part of coding and is an important part to understand if you want to learn HTML. HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language, and its syntax is used to create webpages and web applications. Knowing the basics of HTML syntax can allow you to create basic websites, and it should not take too much longer than a few days to learn the basics. Let’s look into some of the basics of HTML syntax:
HTML Tags
HTML tags are elements used in HTML code to specify how documents should be formatted and displayed when viewed with a web browser. HTML tags are included in the beginning and end of each HTML element. The beginning tag contains an element name, as well as attributes which allows you to customize the behavior of a particular element. The ending tag can also contain additional attributes, but it usually contains only the same element name found on the first line.
You should be familiar with common HTML tags, such as “p” (paragraphs), “h” (headings) and “img” (images). Other popular tags include “div”, used for creating divisions or sections on a page; “table”, for tabular formatting of data; and various list tags such as “ul” (unordered list) and “ol” (ordered list). There are also numerous other tags which may be less familiar, but certainly helpful when developing webpages.
It is important to use proper syntax when including these elements in your documents. For example:
This is a paragraph
. Note that all of the opening tag’s attributes precede the closing angle bracket (>), whereas all of the closing tag’s attributes follow it (<). It is also commonplace to indent each nested HTML elements one tab away from preceding elements – so that their structure can easily be seen when working on large documents.
HTML Attributes
HTML attributes provide additional information about HTML elements and are usually specified within the opening tag of an element. Attributes generally come in name/value pairs like: name=”value” An example would be attributeid, with a value of “myid”.
Attributes provide additional information about our HTML elements and can be used for a range of purposes, including defining the behavior or styling for an element. All attributes are made up of two parts – a name and a value, which are separated by an equals sign (=). We always need to specify the type of quotation marks (either single or double) that surrounds the value – as long as they’re consistent, both will work fine.
Common attributes include:
- src, which denotes the source path location for images and iframes;
- alt indicates alternative text when an image is not able to be displayed;
- href links text or images to another web page, email address or file;
- title provides extra information when you hover over a link; and
- class conveys different styling to different elements on your page (many classes may apply to one element).
HTML Elements
HTML elements are the basic building blocks of any web page. They are used to add structure and content to a web page. An HTML element is composed of two tags, an opening tag and a closing tag, along with the content in between them.
For example, if you want to create a paragraph element in HTML, you would use the opening
tag followed by whatever text you want to include and then finish with a closing
tag. The same concept applies for most HTML elements—simply specify the opening tag, add your content and close it with a closing tag.
The most common HTML elements used for structuring content include:
- Images ()
- Lists (
- ,
- )
- Tables ()
- Divisions (
)- For example, if you wanted to create an unordered list on your site it would look like this:
- Item 1
- Item 2
- Item 3
- Item 4
- Item 5
- Item 6
-
HTML Document Structure
HTML is the cornerstone of most webpages and its structure is the key to understanding how webpages work. HTML is relatively easy to learn as long as you have the right information and resources.
This section will provide an overview of HTML document structure and the various elements that make up the foundation of any web page:Head Section
The head of an HTML document is placed between the opening
tag and the opening tag. It is used as a container for data which is not visible in the browser but provides information about the document. This section usually includes information such as titles, author, keywords, and stylesheets. Other elements, such as scripts and meta tags can also be included in this section of an HTML document.
The title element (
) is required within the head element and it provides a title for the document, which should reflect its content. This title will appear in search engine results and within tab labels as a guide to what your page contains.
The meta tags () provide different kinds of information that help inform web browsers and search engines what kind of page they are looking at. There are many different types of meta tags which can provide helpful information such as character encodings or author contact details.
Scripts (
-
- For example, if you wanted to create an unordered list on your site it would look like this:
- Divisions (
- Tables ()
- )
- ,