HTML - HyperText Markup Language

HTML is not a programming language, but rather a markup language. If you already know XML, HTML will be a snap for you to learn. We urge you not to attempt to blow through this tutorial in one sitting. Instead, we recommend that you spend 15 minutes to an hour a day practicing HTML and then take a break to let the information settle in. We aren't going anywhere!

Preparation for HTML

If you are new to HTML and haven't read through our Beginner's Tutorial, please take a few minutes to complete that tutorial before moving on.

Creating an HTML document is easy. To begin coding HTML, you need only two things: a simple-text editor, such as Notepad, and the dedication to follow this tutorial! Notepad is the most basic of simple-text editors, and you will probably code a fair amount of HTML with it in your early stages. Notepad++ is another popular favorite among web developers. These innovative text editors are specialized for writing simple code and they utilize color coding to help you write concise code.

Brief HTML Background

HTML hasn't been around for many years. The first web pages began in November 1990, and back then, there were little to no HTML standards to follow. As a result, a group called the World Wide Web Consortium formed to set standards for coding HTML. We will base our teachings around these widely-accepted coding standards.

Web Pages

Here are some important facts about why web pages are so useful!

• They are a low-cost and easy way to spread information to a large audience.
• The provide yet another medium you can use to market your business!
• They serve as a platform to let the world know about you!

Words to Know

Throughout this tutorial, we will be using several terms that are unique to HTML. It is important for you to understand what these words mean, in the context of HTML.

• Tag - Used to tag or "mark-up" pieces of text. Once tagged, the text becomes HTML code to be interpreted by a web browser. Tags look like this: <tag>
• Element - A complete tag, having an opening <tag> and a closing </tag>.
• Attribute - Used to modify the value of the HTML element. Elements will often have multiple attributes.

For now, just understand that a tag a piece of code that acts as a label that a web browser interprets, an element is a complete tag with an opening and closing tag, and an attribute is a property value that customizes or modifies an HTML element.