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Hey there! Want to build websites? You'll need HTML – it's the foundation of everything you see online. Think of it as the skeleton of a website; it gives everything structure.
Getting Started with HTML
HTML uses tags – little bits of code inside angle brackets, like this: <p>
. These tags tell the computer what to do with the text. For example, <p>This is a paragraph</p>
makes a paragraph. Easy peasy!
Key HTML Tags: Your New Best Friends
<p>
: Makes a paragraph. Like this one!<h1>
to <h6>
: Headings! <h1>
is the biggest, <h6>
the smallest.<br>
: Makes a line break. Hitting "Enter" in your word processor, basically.<img>
: Adds pictures! You'll need a src
(the picture's location) and alt
(a description for screen readers).<a>
: Makes links! Use href
to tell it where to go.<ul>
and <ol>
: Unordered (bullet points) and ordered (numbered) lists. Use <li>
for each item.<div>
: A container to group things. Like a box to hold your stuff.<span>
: A smaller container, for specific parts of text.
Building Your First Webpage: It's Easier Than You Think
Let's make a webpage! Use Notepad or TextEdit (or any plain text editor). Save your file as .html
(like mypage.html
).
Here's a simple example:
<!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <title>My First Page!</title> </head> <body> <h1>Hello, World!</h1> <p>This is my page!</p> <img src="mypic.jpg" alt="My Awesome Pic"> </body> </html>
Remember to replace "mypic.jpg" with the actual filename!
HTML Attributes: Adding Extra Info
Attributes give tags extra details. They look like this: <img src="picture.jpg" alt="A picture">
. src
and alt
are attributes.
- src: The source (for images and links).
- href: Where a link goes.
- alt: Description for images (important for accessibility!).
- style: For quick styling (CSS is better for big projects!).
- class and id: For styling with CSS and using JavaScript.
Semantic HTML: Giving Your Code Meaning
Semantic HTML uses tags that describe what the content is. Instead of just <div>
everywhere, use <header>
, <nav>
, <main>
, <article>
, <footer>
, etc. It makes your code clearer and better for search engines.
Forms: Getting User Input
Want to let people type stuff into your website? Use <form>
. Inside, you'll find <input>
(text boxes, etc.), <textarea>
(big text boxes), <select>
(dropdowns), and <button>
. The 'name' attribute is super important!
CSS and JavaScript: Making it Look Good and Interactive
HTML is the structure, CSS is the style, and JavaScript makes things interactive. You link CSS files using <link>
and add JavaScript with <script>
.
More Advanced Stuff
Once you're comfortable with the basics, check out HTML5 APIs (for things like location and video), and web storage (localStorage
and sessionStorage
).
HTML Best Practices
- Indent your code neatly.
- Always close your tags!
- Use semantic HTML.
- Keep it simple and clean.
- Use descriptive attribute values.
- Validate your HTML!
Learning HTML takes time. Practice regularly, and you'll be building awesome websites in no time! Good luck!