HTML is basically the language that is used for publishing and transmission
of text and images on the Internet.
Whatis.com describes: "HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is
the set of markup symbols or codes inserted in a file intended for display on a
World Wide Web browser page".
WEB RESOURCES:
A good place to start your lesson is W3C's
home page for HTML where you will find guidelines, tutorials and news
about the latest developments. Newcomers can also use this 10 minute guide to get familiar
with the topic.
To create a Web page, you will need to learn basic HTML tags. Joe Burns
maintains the site HTML Goodies
that has tutorials for a newcomer (I picked up most of my skills there). He
takes your through creating tables and backgrounds, adding forms and frames,
image mapping, inserting images, colours and buttons.
The newest version HTML 4.0 includes
a host of new commands which have been incorporated to make the language
better and more efficient.
You can code your HTML Web page using a software application such as
Wordpad. However, a number of HTML editors available makes the task much
simpler. All you need to do is feed in the text, while the software inserts
the code. Through my efforts, Bubbles can now code a page in less than 10
minutes, compared to the hour or two he would take earlier.
A list of editors can be found in Web Developer'
s
Virtual Library and in the World Wide Consortium page.
Macromedia
Dreamweaver,Sausage Software's HotDog and EditPad are a few
that I have used in my coding attempts.
These sites are a favourite with Bubbles. Color Schemer allows you to
choose the colour you want and then displays the HTML code for it. This is a
great FAQ page on HTML and
answers questions like: 'How can I put pictures and sound?' and 'Is there a
site that shows which tags work on which browsers'. Sites which have tips
for Web writers and designers are Web
Wonk and Web Source.
Unfortunately, the downside to HTML is that it does not allow you to do many
things, for example create animated and interactive Web pages. This is
possible with DHTML and XML, but of course, that will be a topic for another
day. Meanwhile, Bubbles refuses to use HTML editors and has goofed up on his
code again. Last time we stayed up the whole night fixing his mistakes. Let
me tell you, parrots can be really stubborn..
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Historical Perspective | First HTML version | HTML
Editors | Bare Bones Guide to
HTML | Dave's Site
| Web Publishing Made Easy |
Cnet Tips and Tricks
| Tips, Tricks and Beyond