Learning HTML
In order to use the Web for publishing, you will probably need to
learn more about the structure of the Web and the HyperText Markup Language (HTML). HTML
is the laguage used to create Web pages and is a subset of a more powerful language, the
Standard Markup Generalized Language (SMGL). See the Internet Resources for more on SMGL.
All HTML tags are placed within "<>" and are used in pairs, with the initial tag
specifying the start of the command and an ending tag signifying that the tag is no
longer in effect. There are five basic HTML tags that almost any Web document includes:
- Header tags - H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, etc. - provide formating for document headers and
subheaders. Example: <H1>
HTML is Easy To Learn
</H1>
- Text formatting tags - b, i, and u - specify bold, italic, and underline
(respectively).
Example: <i>This text should be in italics</i>
- Table formatting tags - ul or ol - specify unordered lists and ordered lists, where the
ordered lists have numbers and unordered don't. Example: <ul><li>
-
Item #1<li>
- Item #2<li>
- Item #3</ul>
- Anchor tags (also called references) - a href= - that specify hyperlinks to other web
documents or sections of the current document. Example: <
a href="http://www.yahoo.com">YAHOO Website</a>
- Paragraph formatting tags - p, br, etc. - that signify line feeds or carriage returns
in text. Example: This text would end in a line feed<br>
There are a variety of helpful resources available that you can use to learn more about
the Web and publishing. The list below is by no means complete, but is a small sample of
the resources available. Some of these are self-paced tutorials that are available on-line,
while others require you to register and take the "class" on-line over a set period of time.
- HTML Creation Assistant (see Internet Resources below) is a set of resources
(references to places where you can download HTML editors, etc.) as well as tips and
suggestions for creating your own HTML files.
- Visit the Everything You Need to Surf the Net - For FREE! Website, where you can
find all kinds of Web stuff for PC folks!! Macintosh folks visit Charles Boley's Macintosh
Internet Software Archive for similar resources.
- Visit A Beginner's Guide to HTML at the National Center for Supercomputer Applications
(NCSA) to start learning about HTML or A Beginner's Guide to HTML Programming by Gregory
Nussberger which is an interactive tutorial on HTML programming. These (and other) sites
include sections on creating a homepage, a homepage template, publishing a homepage, and
a list of HTML terms and definitions.
- Another excellent starting point is John December's Internet site, which has lots of
information about the Internet and the World Wide Web. The section on Guides to the
Internet/Using the World Wide Web offers information about HTML and how to do HTML programming.
- Creating HTML: A Simple Guide by Jason Borneman, is a short, but complete, tutorial
on HTML, with everything from HTML tags and editors, to links and HTML 3.0.
- Special Edition using HTML, which is based on the book published by Que, is a tutorial
that covers everything about HTML, from it's history to current versions.
Tip: When you are browsing the Web and you find a Web document that looks interesting
or attractive to you, use the Document Source option off the View menu in
Netscape Navigator to examine the HTML tags.
Internet Resources
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