HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the standard markup language used to create web pages and web applications. It forms the structural foundation of web content, enabling the creation of elements such as text, images, links, lists, and more.
Definition
HTML is a programming language that tells web browsers how to structure the web pages you visit. Originally created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1991, HTML is now maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and WHATWG.
Key Components
Elements and Tags
HTML documents are made up of a series of elements, which are defined by tags. Tags generally come in pairs: an opening tag <tagname> and a closing tag </tagname>.
1<p>This is a paragraph.</p>
2<img src="image.jpg" alt="Description of image">
3<a href="https://example.com">This is a link</a>
Attributes
Attributes provide additional information about HTML elements. They are included in the opening tag and usually come in name/value pairs.
1<a href="https://example.com" target="_blank">Visit Example</a>
Structural Elements
HTML documents have a hierarchical structure that includes the following major parts:
<!DOCTYPE html>: Declaration to ensure the document is parsed correctly by the browser.<html>: Root element that contains the entire HTML document.<head>: Contains meta-information about the document (e.g.,<title>,<meta>,<link>).<body>: Contains the document’s actual content (e.g., text, images).
1<!DOCTYPE html>
2<html>
3 <head>
4 <title>Page Title</title>
5 </head>
6 <body>
7 <h1>My First Heading</h1>
8 <p>My first paragraph.</p>
9 </body>
10</html>
Historical Context
HTML was developed in 1991 with a simple structure, including just 18 tags. Over time, it has evolved significantly with the release of HTML2.0 in 1995, HTML4.01 in 1999, and the comprehensive HTML5 in 2014, which included new features like native audio and video elements and more semantic tags.
Frequently Used Tags
- Headings (
<h1>to<h6>) - Paragraphs (
<p>) - Links (
<a>) - Lists (
<ul>,<ol>,<li>) - Images (
<img>) - Tables (
<table>,<tr>,<td>)
Special Considerations
HTML should be used in conjunction with CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) for presentation and JavaScript for interactive behavior. Modern web applications often use frameworks and libraries (like React, Angular, and Vue.js) that integrate these technologies.
Examples
Basic HTML Page
1<!DOCTYPE html>
2<html>
3 <head>
4 <title>My Web Page</title>
5 </head>
6 <body>
7 <h1>Welcome to My Web Page</h1>
8 <p>This is a simple HTML document.</p>
9 </body>
10</html>
Links and Images
1<p>Visit <a href="https://www.example.com">Example</a> for more info.</p>
2<img src="image.jpg" alt="An example image">
Related Terms
- CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): A language used to describe the presentation of a document written in HTML or XML.
- JavaScript: A programming language that enables interactive web pages and is an essential part of web applications.
- DOM (Document Object Model): A programming interface for HTML and XML documents.
FAQs
What is the latest version of HTML?
<audio> and <video>.Is HTML a programming language?
Can I create a web page with only HTML?
References
- “HTML & CSS: Design and Build Websites” by Jon Duckett
- W3C HTML Specification: https://www.w3.org/html/
- Mozilla Developer Network (MDN) Web Docs: https://developer.mozilla.org/
Summary
HTML is an essential technology for anyone involved in web development. It forms the foundation of web pages by providing the necessary structure and elements, which can then be styled with CSS and made interactive with JavaScript. Understanding HTML is the first step in creating websites and web applications, and it serves as a crucial skill in the digital age.
