What is HTML?

HTML is an acronym which stands for Hypertext Markup Language. Essentially, it is a type of computer language designed to describe the structure of the content in a document on the World Wide Web. These documents are known as websites, which can be accessed by anyone with an Internet connection. While it may be easy to learn the basics of HTML from books, it is a very powerful language which can take several years to fully master.

If you were to look at the syntax of an HTML document, you will notice that it contains text interspersed with short codes. These codes are known as tags, and describe to web browsers how to display the page. Common web browsers on the Internet today are Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. Once these browsers have read, or parsed through the HTML code, the document is then displayed in the browser window. If you are familiar with HTML code, you will be able to use even a basic text editor to come up with an HTML document. However, there exist many programs, such as Microsoft FrontPage which can be used to create compelling websites without having a full understanding of the underlying code.

As briefly mentioned, the short codes present in the HTML code, or tags describe to the browser how to display the content of the webpage. These tags are typically contained within triangle brackets, such as <this>.

There are several hundred different tags which have been endorsed by the W3C which is responsible for the HTML standard. Naturally, each one of these tags performs a different function. Since these tags are used to describe the document, they do not appear in the webpage once the browser has parsed the HTML code.

An example of a simple tag is the <b> tag, which tells the browser to bold the text contained within it. For example, if you were to type <b>Sample bold text</b> in your HTML code, you will notice that the browser will display the words “Sample bold text”, in bold. There are many reference sources available on the Internet which will describe the different tags in HTML and which what their respective functions are.

Obviously, just having knowledge of the various tags does not necessarily mean you will be able to come up with well designed web pages. Developing a good website takes talent in addition to the necessary skills and knowledge. The quality of your work will improve tremendously with the right knowledge of the proper use of tags in HTML.

Additionally, it is also important to have a good understanding on the basics of design and layout and how to match this with the contents or theme of the website you are trying to build. The good news is however, these things can be learned over time, and through research.

When you learn HTML, you will also be learning many other aspects of publishing, including graphic design, typography and basic computer programming. While it may sound daunting in the beginning, you will be learning these things without realizing, and you will notice that the efficiency with which you work with computers will increase tremendously as you will be better able to understand some of the inner workings of computers. Additionally, you will be able to improve your writing skills and will develop a flair for writing at different levels to cater for different users and needs.

One of the questions beginners ask about creating HTML documents is whether they will have to be online for the website to display, or for others to be able to see their website. The answer is no, since the web pages themselves are usually stored on servers, or large computers which are online all the time. All you have to do is send, or upload your content to these servers, and update it from time to time.

While there are some things which cannot be accomplished with HTML presently, there are many more features being added to this powerful language every couple of years to make it better able to cater to demand from web users. Some of these improvements in recent years include CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, which improve the way websites are created, by providing a model which separates the content of a webpage from its style, or layout.

Technologies such as JavaScript and other scripting languages allow web pages to offer a higher level of interactivity, creating a better user experience. While some of these are advanced topics, you will discover that along the way, once you master these, you will be able to create powerful websites to fulfill practically any need.