HTML
COMP1260 > Understanding the Internet
IntroductionHTML is the language of the Internet. The key features of HTML allow documents shared over the Internet to refer to other documents. This ‘web’ of documents is what we refer to as the Internet. HTML is the markup language used to describe where elements appear on a page and what they look like. The browser will interpret the HTML code, and construct the web page accordingly.
|
...by studentsBeing a fresh face to HTML, I had my doubts about it. I was able to quickly gather more than enough resources from our good friend the Internet to better understand the root of all web pages, HTML. Through my research I found a number of terms that were used synonymously, such as The Internet and the web, have been used incorrectly. The Internet and the web are different, though they both contribute to the same end result. How is this relevant in the slightest? Because HTML makes it happen. |
What Is HTML?
HTML stands for “HyperText Mark-up Language”. A mark-up language refers to a collection of tags, or “mark-ups”, that are inserted into pieces of text, usually at the beginning and end of a particular segment. Different mark-ups have different features. For example, font changes such as color, style, bold, underline, and other such changes akin to those available in most text editing applications.
How is HTML Related to the Internet?
The HyperText component is what makes HTML so special. HyperText is an extension to the existing set of mark-ups that can embed a link to another document or file in a piece of text. The ability to link between documents over a network of computers is the basis upon which the Internet was created. The Internet is the connection that allows all of the HTML documents to link to one another in some way or another. This forms an interconnected web of pages. In short, the use of a HyperText Mark-up Language largely contributes to making the internet work the way it does.
Examples of HTML Commands [1]
NOTE: '...' is where you would put your text.
Mark the beginning and end of the HTML document:
<html>...</html>
Denotes a heading. Replace ‘#’ with a value from 1 to 6, with 6 resulting in the smallest heading size:
<h#>...</h#>
Denotes a new paragraph:
<p>...</p>
Change the font:
<FONT FACE="fontname">...</FONT> eg. arial font
Apply bold format:
<b>...</b> eg. bold text
Center align text:
<center>...</center>eg.
Embed a link in a piece of text:
<a href="URL">... </a> Go to wikipedia for more information.
Denotes the head or body of a page:
<head>...</head> <body>...</body>
Add an image:
<img src="URL" />
or
<img src="filename.ext" />
eg. <img src="cookie_monster-hp.gif" /> gives you:
Add a comment that will not be visible on the page:
<!--...-->
Behind the Scenes
Every page on the internet is backed by HTML code. You can see this for yourself by clicking "View", then click "Source" or "Page Source". The exact name of this tag will differ between browsers, but the keyword here is "source". This will open a new window, displaying the HTML code for that web page.
A sample web page: www.romulation.net [2]
A sample of the source text from www.romulation.net
Overshadowing HTML
People do not often work with raw HTML. Instead, they use different programs that translate a different style of commands into HTML.
A few web page design alternatives to raw HTML:
Overall Conclusion
Any material on the web works, or is backed by HTML code at some point or another. No matter how it was developed, whatever tools were used, however deep and complex it may be, any page can be translated back to an HTML code format.
HTML is what makes the Internet function in the way we perceive it. The Internet is not a collection of documents. It is the public network across which we share documents that we call ‘pages’. These documents link to other documents to form a ‘web’ of interconnected documents. This 'web' is not an entity. It is an idea, represented by the collective connections between each and every HTML document made available through the Internet. Using the internet, HTML is what makes the idea of the web possible.
Further Readings
- W3schools Try it yourself. Enter some HTML code, and see what it does.
- HTML goodies Some extra tutorials with HTML.
- lmgtfy More HTML tutorials.
- CSS CSS introduction and designing.
References
- ↑ A list of HTML commands http://www.transaction.net/web/tutor/cmdtable.html
- ↑ A sample web page (and its HTML source) http://www.romulation.net
- ↑ Web Studio homepage http://www.webstudio.com/
- ↑ Adobe Dreamweaver homepage http://www.adobe.com/products/dreamweaver/
- ↑ Download WebPlus http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/software/webplus/index.asp
|
Previous Page: FTP |
Next Page: ISPs in Manitoba |
