Getting startedstarted with HTML

AuthoringAuthoring 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?

• 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 up-to-

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)