iCanCode/Tutorials/Understanding
HTML
Understanding HTML
Learn how webpages are built
Now then if you are reading this you are probably new to HTML and possibly the
internet too. No need to worry you will understand everything soon. Just sit back
and read this short article.
Now, what you first need to understand is that websites are hosted on servers that your computer can access through your ISP (Internet Service Provider). If you made a site you would most probably find a company to host in for you on their servers, but large companies use their own.
Now for some HTML. HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. It is the language which your web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox etc.) interprets. They also interpret many different versions of HTML such as XHTML, DHTML and XML. HTML is the basis of all websites and lets you control the finer points of site more than any Website creating program.
The code behind HTML is hilariously simple. It only takes a day to understand the grammar of it. Here is some HTML code try to decipher it:
<html>
<head>
<title>My First Webpage</title>
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>
Okay, don't be intimidated. Each of the words between <> are called tags they are used to create different elements of a website such as forms, links and images. The html tag starts off our html document. The head tag is used to define everything that isn't actually seen by the user such as script languages, stylesheets and keywords for the page. The only thing you should worry about though is the title tag. This sets the title that will be seen at the top of your browser eg. Star Web Hosting - Domains, Space , No-Ads! or Random Media Site Games-Movies-Animation. then we have the body in there goes everything (I mean everything) that the user of your website sees. Have you noticed how the tags are all closed off by a similar tag? This is so the browser knows when to end the head and start the body. They have a / before them.
Right, now you know how HTML works, and if really do know how it works then very well done. If you don't then I recommend that instead of re-reading the first part just continue and you'll pick it up as we go. Lets start by explaining how the tags work. Here is a tag for a textbox:
<input type="text" name="textbox1" value="write here" size="40">
Notice how there is no closing tag and that there is quite a lot inside the tag. Some tags in HTML require closing tags others don't, this is because are designed to have other tags inside them, like the form tag is designed to have a form in it and so has the closing tag /form. Others like br which is like pressing enter won't have anything else in between them and so won't need one.
The different things inside the input tag are settings (parameters) that tell the browser how to form the text box. They always use the = sign the set them not : or - or > or <. They also always use the "" even if it is a number.
So there you have it hopefully now you understand enough about HTML works to go onto my tutorial on the very bare basic of the language. Once you know the basics you will be able to make your first very own website!
Now, what you first need to understand is that websites are hosted on servers that your computer can access through your ISP (Internet Service Provider). If you made a site you would most probably find a company to host in for you on their servers, but large companies use their own.
Now for some HTML. HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. It is the language which your web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox etc.) interprets. They also interpret many different versions of HTML such as XHTML, DHTML and XML. HTML is the basis of all websites and lets you control the finer points of site more than any Website creating program.
The code behind HTML is hilariously simple. It only takes a day to understand the grammar of it. Here is some HTML code try to decipher it:
<html>
<head>
<title>My First Webpage</title>
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>
Okay, don't be intimidated. Each of the words between <> are called tags they are used to create different elements of a website such as forms, links and images. The html tag starts off our html document. The head tag is used to define everything that isn't actually seen by the user such as script languages, stylesheets and keywords for the page. The only thing you should worry about though is the title tag. This sets the title that will be seen at the top of your browser eg. Star Web Hosting - Domains, Space , No-Ads! or Random Media Site Games-Movies-Animation. then we have the body in there goes everything (I mean everything) that the user of your website sees. Have you noticed how the tags are all closed off by a similar tag? This is so the browser knows when to end the head and start the body. They have a / before them.
Right, now you know how HTML works, and if really do know how it works then very well done. If you don't then I recommend that instead of re-reading the first part just continue and you'll pick it up as we go. Lets start by explaining how the tags work. Here is a tag for a textbox:
<input type="text" name="textbox1" value="write here" size="40">
Notice how there is no closing tag and that there is quite a lot inside the tag. Some tags in HTML require closing tags others don't, this is because are designed to have other tags inside them, like the form tag is designed to have a form in it and so has the closing tag /form. Others like br which is like pressing enter won't have anything else in between them and so won't need one.
The different things inside the input tag are settings (parameters) that tell the browser how to form the text box. They always use the = sign the set them not : or - or > or <. They also always use the "" even if it is a number.
So there you have it hopefully now you understand enough about HTML works to go onto my tutorial on the very bare basic of the language. Once you know the basics you will be able to make your first very own website!