Transcript Getting started with HTML

Getting started with HTML
Authoring on the Web
HTML: What is it?
• HTML is a document layout and hyperlink
specification language
• HTML defines the syntax and placement of
special, embedded directions (called “tags”)
that are not displayed by the client browser
• HTML is concerned with the STRUCTURE
of a document, not so much the
APPEARANCE of that document
HTML files and tags
• HTML files are simple ASCII files (aka “text
files”) containing rudimentary “tags” describing
the document layout of content authored by you
• HTML embedded tags are directions to the
browser (e.g. Netscape or Internet Explorer) The
browser uses the information inside the HTML
tags to decide how to display or treat that content
• Ex: the <TITLE> tag specifies the title you
choose to use for the document
What HTML is not
• Not a word processing tool
• Not a desktop publishing solution
• Not a programming language
Its fundamental purpose is to “mark up” the structure
and appearance of documents and document
families so that they may be delivered efficiently
and effectively over a distributed network (usually
the Internet, but not required)
Who Governs HTML
Development?
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Started as an informal specification
Now used by millions (even Ebay ads!)
Needed formal organizational blessing
Enter the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
http://www.w3c.org
• W3C manages the HTTP standard and markup
languages that address that standard
• The IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) also
defines the technology behind the Internet, and the
WWW is but one small part of its purview
http://www.ietf.org
Tools for Web Authors
• The minimum: an editor, a browser and if
possible an Internet connection
• HTML editor or word processor? Your
decision (both have advantages):
– Editors (pure ASCII) support “raw HTML
coding” (aka “markup”)
– WP supports content development – the most
important step!!! (esp. spell check, thesaurus
lookup, outlining)
Why not use a
Web Authoring Toolkit?
MS FrontPage, Netscape Composer, even MS-Word
(and many others) automatically translate your
text into HTML. Why not take the easy road?
• Not all adhere to latest W3C standards
• Some may not render well across different
browsers
• Most WYSIWYG HTML editors don’t have upto-date built in browsers (so they may give
misleading displays)
• You can lose control over your document space…
Enough already!
Let’s get started 
Basic HTML structures
(Punch ‘n Run)
• From editor to browser (desktop review)
• From editor to web space on ISIS to
browser (FTP required)