HTML

(Hyper Text Markup Language)

HTML History: -
HTML developed a few years ago as a subset of SGML (Standard Generalized
Mark-up Language), which is a higher-level ark-up language that has long been a
favorite of the !epartent of !efense" Like HTML, it describes foratting and hypertext
links, and it defines different coponents of a docuent" HTML was conceived for
transission over the #nternet (in the for of $eb pages), it is uch sipler than %&ML,
which is ore of an application-oriented docuent forat" %&ML is not exactly ideal for
transission across the #nternet to any different types of coputers, users, and browser
applications"
HTML is ore suited to this task" !esigned with these considerations in ind,
HTML lets you, the designer, create pages that you are reasonably sure can be read by the
entire population of the $eb" 'ven users who are unable to view your graphics, for
instance, can experience the bulk of what you(re counicating if you design your
HTML pages properly"
HTML is a public standard, and siple enough that you can get through a book
like this one and have a very strong ability to create HTML docuents fro scratch" This
siplicity is part of a trade-off, as HTML-forat docuents don(t offer nearly the
precision of control or depth of foratting options that a $ord)erfect- or *dobe
)ageMaker-foratted docuent would"
Definition of HTML: -
Hypertext Mark-up Language" #n HTML itself, there is no prograing-+ust the
,arking up, of regular text for ephasis and organi-ation"
HTML is not a prograing Language" The basics of HTML are not
prograing, and, for the uninitiated in both reals, HTML is uch ore easily grasped
than are ost prograing languages" #f you(re failiar with the $orld $ide $eb,
you(ve used a $eb browser like .etscape, Mosaic, or Lynx/ and if you have any
experience with a word processor or text editor like $ord)ad, .otepad, %iple Text, or
'acs, then you(re failiar with the basic tools re0uired for learning HTML"
About World Wide Web: -
Ti 1erners-Lee first created the $eb protocols when he was with the 'uropean
Laboratory for )article )hysics (also know as 2'3.)" His initial goal was to allow other
physics groups and labs to collaborate over the #nternet, but others soon began
ipleenting the protocols for their own uses" Mosaic, the first graphical browser for the
$eb, appeared in 4556, at a tie when there were not any ore than 78 HTT) ($eb)
server coputers running in the world" The arrival of Mosaic and siilar browsers
caused an explosion in the popularity of the $eb (and arguably, of the entire #nternet)
because of their ability to display graphics and other ultiedia eleents" $ithin nine
onths, the nuber of $eb servers had +uped to over 688" #n 4559, the $orld $ide
$eb 2onsortiu ($62) was fored by interested corporate and educational entities to
cobine their resources and continue creating standards for the $eb" The $62 continues
to be largely responsible for negotiating standards and creating technology to enhance
data transfer on the $eb"
Link: - Links can point to another part of the sae docuent, in which case clicking the
link will cause the browser to ove to a new part of the currently displayed
docuent"
When is a Host a Server?
The #nternet counity uses the words host and server when talking about the
type of coputers you(ll encounter" 1ut what do these naes ean:
# like to use the analogy of a party" *t a party, a host or hostess will welcoe you
into his or her hoe and point you to the various things you can do at the party" He or she
will show you where to put your coat, point you to the refreshents, and tell you about
their hoe"
.ow, depending on how large or lavish the party is, you ay also have servers"
%ervers will perfor ore specific tasks, like bringing you beverages or food, opening
the door, taking your coat, or oving furniture around" *t a sall party, the host ay act
as a server" *t a larger party, the host will coordinate the servers"
That(s how hosts and servers work on the #nternet" * host coputer is generally a
coputer that allows its local users to gain access to #nternet services" #t ay also allow
other users to gain access to inforation in its organi-ation"
!epending on the si-e of the organi-ation(s #nternet site, however, the host often
doesn(t serve that inforation itself" #nstead, it relies on server coputers that have
ore specific functions, like serving HTML docuents, serving shareware progras, or
serving ;se.et news" These servers will be accessed through the host, though, so it(s
really only iportant to know the host(s address on the #nternet-+ust like in the real world"
How Web Browsers Aess HTML Dou!ents
$hen you enter an ;3L in the ;3L field on your browser, the browser goes
through the following three basic steps<
The browser deterines what protocol to use"
#t looks up and contacts the server at the address specified"
The browser re0uests the specific docuent (including its path stateent)
fro the server coputer"
;sing all of this inforation, your browser was able to access the variety of #nternet
services"
TA"S
#n creating your HTML teplate, you(ve to deal with tags" The first thing you
should notice about these HTML tags is that all tags include < and > on either side of
the tags coand" This is how HTML recogni-es tags" #f you don(t use the brackets, then
a $eb browser will assue your coands are text that you want displayed-even if that
text is the sae as an HTML coand" *lso ostly all tags contain an on-tag and off-
tag" The off-tag is the sae as the on-tag, except for the / after the <"
Tags are not case-sensitive, so they don(t have to be in uppercase" Tags aren(t
considered text by the docuent/ they also don(t show up in the docuent" #f the browser
interprets soething as a tag, it won(t appear in the browser window"
Ty#es of Ta$s: -
4) 2ontainer Tag< -
=ou ay have noticed that for every tag, such as the title tag, you actually
entered two different HTML coands-an ,on, tag and an ,off, tag" The off tag is
the sae as the on tag, except for the / after the <" #n HTML, tags that include both
an on and an off tag are called container tags" These tags wrap around text in your
docuent and perfor soe sort of foratting on the text" They hold, or contain, the
text between the two tags" The title, HTML, head, and body tags are all container
tags-the relevant text goes between the on and off tags"
%& Dou!ent Ta$: - (>H'*!? >@H'*!?)
HTML docuent has two distinct parts-a head and a body" The head of the HTML
docuent is where you enter the title of the page" To create the head portion of your
HTML docuent and to give the docuent a title, type the following in your text editor<
<HEAD>
<TITLE>My First Page</TITLE>
</HEAD>
This tells a $eb browser what inforation should be considered to be in the head portion
of the docuent, and what it should call the docuent in the title bar of the browser
window" To add the body section, start after the </HEAD> tag, and enter the
following<
<BODY>
</BODY>
1etween these two tags, you(ll eventually enter the rest of the text and graphics for your
$eb page"
HTML Teplate< -
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Enter Title Here</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
Hello World!
</BODY>
</HTML>
%ave this as an *%2## text file called template.html or template.htm