What is HTML?

HTML is a language for describing web pages.

HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language
HTML is not a programming language, it is a markup language
A markup language is a set of markup tags
The purpose of the tags are to describe page content

HTML Tags

HTML markup tags are usually called HTML tags

HTML tags are keywords (tag names) surrounded by angle brackets like <html>
HTML tags normally come in pairs like <b> and </b>
The first tag in a pair is the start tag, the second tag is the end tag
The end tag is written like the start tag, with a forward slash before the tag name
Start and end tags are also called opening tags and closing tags

<tagname>content</tagname>

HTML Elements

"HTML tags" and "HTML elements" are often used to describe the same thing.

But strictly speaking, an HTML element is everything between the start tag and the end tag, including the tags:

HTML Element:

<p>This is a paragraph.</p>

HTML Documents = Web Pages

HTML documents describe web pages
HTML documents contain HTML tags and plain text
HTML documents are also called web pages

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>

<h1>My First Heading</h1>

<p>My first paragraph.</p>

</body>
</html>

HTML Headings

HTML headings are defined with the <h1> to <h6> tags.

Example

<h1>This is a heading</h1>
<h2>This is a heading</h2>
<h3>This is a heading</h3>

HTML Paragraphs

HTML paragraphs are defined with the <p> tag.

Example

<p>This is a paragraph.</p>
<p>This is another paragraph.</p>

HTML Links

HTML links are defined with the <a> tag.

Example

Note: The link address is specified in the href attribute.

(You will learn about attributes in a later chapter of this tutorial).

HTML Images

HTML images are defined with the <img> tag.

Example

<img src="imagename.jpg" width="104" height="142" /> d

HTML documents are defined by HTML elements.

HTML Elements

An HTML element is everything from the start tag to the end tag:

Start tag *	Element content	End tag *
<p>	This is a paragraph	</p>
<a href="default.htm">	This is a link	</a>
<br />

* The start tag is often called the opening tag. The end tag is often called the closing tag.

HTML Element Syntax

An HTML element starts with a start tag / opening tag
An HTML element ends with an end tag / closing tag
The element content is everything between the start and the end tag
Some HTML elements have empty content
Empty elements are closed in the start tag
Most HTML elements can have attributes

Tip: You will learn about attributes in the next chapter of this tutorial.

Nested HTML Elements

Most HTML elements can be nested (can contain other HTML elements).

HTML documents consist of nested HTML elements.

HTML Document Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<body>
<p>This is my first paragraph.</p>
</body>

</html>

The example above contains 3 HTML elements.

HTML Example Explained

The <p> element:

<p>This is my first paragraph.</p>

The <p> element defines a paragraph in the HTML document.
The element has a start tag <p> and an end tag </p>.
The element content is: This is my first paragraph.

The <body> element:

<body>
<p>This is my first paragraph.</p>
</body>

The <body> element defines the body of the HTML document.
The element has a start tag <body> and an end tag </body>.
The element content is another HTML element (a p element).

The <html> element:

<html>

<body>
<p>This is my first paragraph.</p>
</body>

</html>

The <html> element defines the whole HTML document.
The element has a start tag <html> and an end tag </html>.
The element content is another HTML element (the body element).

Don't Forget the End Tag

Some HTML elements might display correctly even if you forget the end tag:

<p>This is a paragraph
<p>This is a paragraph

The example above works in most browsers, because the closing tag is considered optional.

Never rely on this. Many HTML elements will produce unexpected results and/or errors if you forget the end tag .

Empty HTML Elements

HTML elements with no content are called empty elements.

<br> is an empty element without a closing tag (the <br> tag defines a line break).

Tip: In XHTML, all elements must be closed. Adding a slash inside the start tag, like <br />, is the proper way of closing empty elements in XHTML (and XML).

HTML Tip: Use Lowercase Tags

HTML tags are not case sensitive: <P> means the same as <p>. Many web sites use uppercase HTML tags.

HTML Attributes

HTML elements can have attributes
Attributes provide additional information about an element
Attributes are always specified in the start tag
Attributes come in name/value pairs like: name="value"

Attribute Example

HTML links are defined with the <a> tag. The link address is specified in the href attribute:

Example

Always Quote Attribute Values

Attribute values should always be enclosed in quotes.

Double style quotes are the most common, but single style quotes are also allowed.

Tip: In some rare situations, when the attribute value itself contains quotes, it is necessary to use single quotes: name='John "ShotGun" Nelson'

HTML Tip: Use Lowercase Attributes

Attribute names and attribute values are case-insensitive.

However, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommends lowercase attributes/attribute values in their HTML 4 recommendation.

Newer versions of (X)HTML will demand lowercase attributes.

HTML Attributes Reference

A complete list of legal attributes for each HTML element is listed in our:

Below is a list of some attributes that are standard for most HTML elements:

Attribute	Value	Description
class	classname	Specifies a classname for an element
id	id	Specifies a unique id for an element
style	style_definition	Specifies an inline style for an element
title	tooltip_text	Specifies extra information about an element (displayed as a tool tip)

HTML Text Formatting

This text is bold

This text is big

This text is italic

This is computer output

This is_subscript and ^superscript

HTML Formatting Tags

HTML uses tags like <b> and <i> for formatting output, like bold or italic text.

These HTML tags are called formatting tags (look at the bottom of this page for a complete reference).

Often <strong> renders as <b>, and <em> renders as <i>.

However, there is a difference in the meaning of these tags:

<b> or <i> defines bold or italic text only.

<strong> or <em> means that you want the text to be rendered in a way that the user understands as "important". Today, all major browsers render strong as bold and em as italics. However, if a browser one day wants to make a text highlighted with the strong feature, it might be cursive for example and not bold!

Writing HTML Using Notepad or TextEdit

HTML can be edited by using a professional HTML editor like:

Adobe Dreamweaver (Free download)
Microsoft Expression Web
CoffeeCup HTML Editor

However, for learning HTML we recommend a text editor like Notepad (PC) or TextEdit (Mac). We believe using a simple text editor is a good way to learn HTML.

Follow the 4 steps below to create your first web page with Notepad.

Step 1: Start Notepad

To start Notepad go to:

Start
    All Programs
        Accessories
            Notepad

Step 2: Edit Your HTML with Notepad

Type your HTML code into your Notepad:

Step 3: Save Your HTML

Select Save as.. in Notepad's file menu.

When you save an HTML file, you can use either the .htm or the .html file extension. There is no difference, it is entirely up to you.

Save the file in a folder that is easy to remember, like w3schools.

Step 4: Run the HTML in Your Browser

Start your web browser and open your html file from the File, Open menu, or just browse the folder and double-click your HTML file.

The result should look much like this:

HTML Styles - CSS

Look! Styles and colors

This text is in Verdana and red

This text is in Times and blue

This text is 30 pixels high

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is used to style HTML elements.

HTML Hyperlinks (Links)

A hyperlink (or link) is a word, group of words, or image that you can click on to jump to a new document or a new section within the current document.

When you move the cursor over a link in a Web page, the arrow will turn into a little hand.

Links are specified in HTML using the <a> tag.

The <a> tag can be used in two ways:

To create a link to another document, by using the href attribute
To create a bookmark inside a document, by using the name attribute

HTML Link Syntax

The HTML code for a link is simple. It looks like this:

The href attribute specifies the destination of a link.

Example

<a href="http://www.pksolutions.zxq.net/">Visit Pak Solutions</a>

HTML Images - The <img> Tag and the Src Attribute

In HTML, images are defined with the <img> tag.

The <img> tag is empty, which means that it contains attributes only, and has no closing tag.

To display an image on a page, you need to use the src attribute. Src stands for "source". The value of the src attribute is the URL of the image you want to display.

Syntax for defining an image:

The URL points to the location where the image is stored. An image named "boat.gif", located in the "images" directory on "www.w3schools.com" has the URL: http://www.w3schools.com/images/boat.gif.

The browser displays the image where the <img> tag occurs in the document. If you put an image tag between two paragraphs, the browser shows the first paragraph, then the image, and then the second paragraph.

HTML Images - The Alt Attribute

The required alt attribute specifies an alternate text for an image, if the image cannot be displayed.

The value of the alt attribute is an author-defined text:

The alt attribute provides alternative information for an image if a user for some reason cannot view it (because of slow connection, an error in the src attribute, or if the user uses a screen reader).

HTML Images - Set Height and Width of an Image

The height and width attributes are used to specify the height and width of an image.

The attribute values are specified in pixels by default:

Tip: It is a good practice to specify both the height and width attributes for an image. If these attributes are set, the space required for the image is reserved when the page is loaded. However, without these attributes, the browser does not know the size of the image. The effect will be that the page layout will change during loading (while the images load).

Basic Notes - Useful Tips

Note: If an HTML file contains ten images - eleven files are required to display the page right. Loading images takes time, so my best advice is: Use images carefully.

Note: When a web page is loaded, it is the browser, at that moment, that actually gets the image from a web server and inserts it into the page. Therefore, make sure that the images actually stay in the same spot in relation to the web page, otherwise your visitors will get a broken link icon. The broken link icon is shown if the browser cannot find the image.

HTML Tables

Tables are defined with the <table> tag.

A table is divided into rows (with the <tr> tag), and each row is divided into data cells (with the <td> tag). td stands for "table data," and holds the content of a data cell. A <td> tag can contain text, links, images, lists, forms, other tables, etc.

Table Example

How the HTML code above looks in a browser:

row 1, cell 1	row 1, cell 2
row 2, cell 1	row 2, cell 2

HTML Tables and the Border Attribute

If you do not specify a border attribute, the table will be displayed without borders. Sometimes this can be useful, but most of the time, we want the borders to show.

To display a table with borders, specify the border attribute:

HTML Table Headers

Header information in a table are defined with the <th> tag.

All major browsers display the text in the <th> element as bold and centered.

<table border="1">
<tr>
<th>Header 1</th>
<th>Header 2</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>row 1, cell 1</td>
<td>row 1, cell 2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>row 2, cell 1</td>
<td>row 2, cell 2</td>
</tr>
</table>

How the HTML code above looks in your browser:

Header 1	Header 2
row 1, cell 1	row 1, cell 2
row 2, cell 1	row 2, cell 2

HTML Unordered Lists

An unordered list starts with the <ul> tag. Each list item starts with the <li> tag.

The list items are marked with bullets (typically small black circles).

<ul>
<li>Coffee</li>
<li>Milk</li>
</ul>

How the HTML code above looks in a browser:

Coffee
Milk

HTML Ordered Lists

An ordered list starts with the <ol> tag. Each list item starts with the <li> tag.

The list items are marked with numbers.

<ol>
<li>Coffee</li>
<li>Milk</li>
</ol>

How the HTML code above looks in a browser:

Coffee
Milk

HTML Definition Lists

A definition list is a list of items, with a description of each item.

The <dl> tag defines a definition list.

The <dl> tag is used in conjunction with <dt> (defines the item in the list) and <dd> (describes the item in the list):

<dl>
<dt>Coffee</dt>
<dd>- black hot drink</dd>
<dt>Milk</dt>
<dd>- white cold drink</dd>
</dl>

How the HTML code above looks in a browser:

Coffee

- black hot drink

Milk

- white cold drink

Basic Notes - Useful Tips

Tip: Inside a list item you can put text, line breaks, images, links, other lists, etc.

HTML <div> and <span>

HTML elements can be grouped together with <div> and <span>

HTML Block Elements

Most HTML elements are defined as block level elements or as inline elements.

Block level elements normally start (and end) with a new line when displayed in a browser.

Examples: <h1>, <p>, <ul>, <table>

HTML Inline Elements

Inline elements are normally displayed without starting a new line.

Examples: <b>, <td>, <a>, <img>

The HTML <div> Element

The HTML <div> element is a block level element that can be used as a container for grouping other HTML elements.

The <div> element has no special meaning. Except that, because it is a block level element, the browser will display a line break before and after it.

When used together with CSS, the <div> element can be used to set style attributes to large blocks of content.

Another common use of the <div> element, is for document layout. It replaces the "old way" of defining layout using tables. Using tables is not the correct use of the <table> element. The purpose of the <table> element is to display tabular data.

The HTML <span> Element

The HTML <span> element is an inline element that can be used as a container for text.

The <span> element has no special meaning.

When used together with CSS, the <span> element can be used to set style attributes to parts of the text.

HTML Grouping Tags

Tag	Description
<div>	Defines a div
<span>	Defines a span

HTML Layouts - Using <div> Elements

The div element is a block level element used for grouping HTML elements.

The following example uses five div elements to create a multiple column layout, creating the same result as in the previous example:

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>

<div id="container" style="width:500px">

<div id="header" style="background-color:#FFA500;">
<h1 style="margin-bottom:0;">Main Title of Web Page</h1></div>

<div id="menu" style="background-color:#FFD700;height:200px;width:100px;float:left;">
<b>Menu</b><br />
HTML<br />
CSS<br />
JavaScript</div>

<div id="content" style="background-color:#EEEEEE;height:200px;width:400px;float:left;">
Content goes here</div>

<div id="footer" style="background-color:#FFA500;clear:both;text-align:center;">
Copyright © W3Schools.com</div>

</div>

</body>
</html>

HTML Forms

HTML forms are used to pass data to a server.

A form can contain input elements like text fields, checkboxes, radio-buttons, submit buttons and more. A form can also contain select lists, textarea, fieldset, legend, and label elements.

The <form> tag is used to create an HTML form:

<form>
.
input elements
.
</form>

HTML Forms - The Input Element

The most important form element is the input element.

The input element is used to select user information.

An input element can vary in many ways, depending on the type attribute. An input element can be of type text field, checkbox, password, radio button, submit button, and more.

The most used input types are described below.

Text Fields

<input type="text" /> defines a one-line input field that a user can enter text into:

<form>
First name: <input type="text" name="firstname" /><br />
Last name: <input type="text" name="lastname" />
</form>

How the HTML code above looks in a browser:

First name:
Last name:

Note: The form itself is not visible. Also note that the default width of a text field is 20 characters.

Password Field

<input type="password" /> defines a password field:

<form>
Password: <input type="password" name="pwd" />
</form>

How the HTML code above looks in a browser:

Password:

Note: The characters in a password field are masked (shown as asterisks or circles).

Radio Buttons

<input type="radio" /> defines a radio button. Radio buttons let a user select ONLY ONE of a limited number of choices:

<form>
<input type="radio" name="sex" value="male" /> Male<br />
<input type="radio" name="sex" value="female" /> Female
</form>

How the HTML code above looks in a browser:

Male
Female

Checkboxes

<input type="checkbox" /> defines a checkbox. Checkboxes let a user select ONE or MORE options of a limited number of choices.

How the HTML code above looks in a browser:

I have a bike
I have a car

Submit Button

<input type="submit" /> defines a submit button.

A submit button is used to send form data to a server. The data is sent to the page specified in the form's action attribute. The file defined in the action attribute usually does something with the received input:

<form name="input" action="html_form_action.asp" method="get">
Username: <input type="text" name="user" />
<input type="submit" value="Submit" />
</form>

How the HTML code above looks in a browser:

Username:

If you type some characters in the text field above, and click the "Submit" button, the browser will send your input to a page called "html_form_action.asp". The page will show you the received input.

HTML Form Tags

Tag	Description
<form>	Defines an HTML form for user input
<input />	Defines an input control
<textarea>	Defines a multi-line text input control
<label>	Defines a label for an input element
<fieldset>	Defines a border around elements in a form
<legend>	Defines a caption for a fieldset element
<select>	Defines a select list (drop-down list)
<optgroup>	Defines a group of related options in a select list
<option>	Defines an option in a select list
<button>	Defines a push button

Web Safe Colors?

Some years ago, when computers supported max 256 different colors, a list of 216 "Web Safe Colors" was suggested as a Web standard, reserving 40 fixed system colors.

The 216 cross-browser color palette was created to ensure that all computers would display the colors correctly when running a 256 color palette.

This is not important today, since most computers can display millions of different colors. Anyway, here is the list:

HTML 4.01 Quick List

HTML Quick List from umairlodhi. Print it, fold it, and put it in your pocket.

HTML Basic Document

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Title of document goes here</title>
</head>

<body>
Visible text goes here...
</body>

</html>

Heading Elements

<h1>Largest Heading</h1>

<h6>Smallest Heading</h6>

Text Elements

<p>This is a paragraph</p>
<br /> (line break)
<hr /> (horizontal rule)
<pre>This text is preformatted</pre>

Logical Styles

<em>This text is emphasized</em>
<strong>This text is strong</strong>
<code>This is some computer code</code>

Physical Styles

<b>This text is bold</b>
<i>This text is italic</i>

Links

Ordinary link: <a href="http://www.example.com/">Link-text goes here</a>
Image-link: <a href="http://www.example.com/"><img src="URL" alt="Alternate Text" /></a>
Mailto link: <a href="mailto:webmaster@example.com">Send e-mail</a>

A named anchor:
<a name="tips">Tips Section</a>
<a href="#tips">Jump to the Tips Section</a>

Unordered list

Ordered list

<ol>
<li>First item</li>
<li>Second item</li>
</ol>

Definition list

<dl>
<dt>First term</dt>
<dd>Definition</dd>
<dt>Next term</dt>
<dd>Definition</dd>
</dl>

Tables

<table border="1">
<tr>
    <th>Tableheader</th>
    <th>Tableheader</th>
</tr>
<tr>
    <td>sometext</td>
    <td>sometext</td>
</tr>
</table>

Iframe

Forms

<input type="text" name="email" size="40" maxlength="50" />
<input type="password" />
<input type="checkbox" checked="checked" />
<input type="radio" checked="checked" />
<input type="submit" value="Send" />
<input type="reset" />
<input type="hidden" />

<select>
<option>Apples</option>
<option selected="selected">Bananas</option>
<option>Cherries</option>
</select>

Entities

Other Elements

<blockquote>
Text quoted from a source.
</blockquote>

<address>
Written by W3Schools.com<br />
<a href="mailto:us@example.org">Email us</a><br />
Address: Box 564, Disneyland<br />
Phone: +12 34 56 78
</address>

Pages

HTML

Example

Writing HTML Using Notepad or TextEdit

Step 1: Start Notepad

Step 2: Edit Your HTML with Notepad

Step 3: Save Your HTML

Step 4: Run the HTML in Your Browser

HTML Styles - CSS

Look! Styles and colors

HTML <div> and <span>

HTML Block Elements

HTML Inline Elements

The HTML <div> Element

The HTML <span> Element

HTML Grouping Tags

Web Safe Colors?

HTML 4.01 Quick List

HTML Basic Document

Heading Elements

Text Elements

Logical Styles

Physical Styles

Links

Unordered list

Ordered list

Definition list

Tables

Iframe

Forms

Entities

Other Elements

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