HTML
What is HTML?
HTML, short for Hyper Text Markup Language, is a language used to develop web pages and web applications. Let’s explore the meaning of Hypertext Markup Language and web pages.
Hypertext: Hypertext refers to text that contains links within it. When you click on a link that takes you to another webpage, you are interacting with hypertext. Hypertext allows for the connection of multiple web pages (HTML documents).
Markup language: A markup language is a computer language used to apply formatting and layout conventions to a text document. It enables text to be transformed into images, tables, links, and more, making it interactive and dynamic.
Web page: A web page is a document typically written in HTML and rendered by a web browser. You can access a web page by entering its URL. Web pages can be static or dynamic, and HTML is used to create static web pages.
Therefore, HTML is a markup language utilized for creating visually appealing web pages that are presented in an attractive format by web browsers. An HTML document consists of various HTML tags, each containing different content.
Let’s see a simple example of HTML.
- <!DOCTYPE>
- <html>
- <head>
- <title>Web page title</title>
- </head>
- <body>
- <h1>Write Your First Heading</h1>
- <p>Write Your First Paragraph.</p>
- </body>
- </html>
Description of HTML Example
<!DOCTYPE>:The <!DOCTYPE> declaration defines the type of document or provides instructions to the browser regarding the HTML version.
<html>: This tag notifies the browser that the document is an HTML document. The content within the html tag represents the web document and serves as a container for all other HTML elements, excluding <!DOCTYPE>.
<head>: The head element should be the first element within the <html> element and contains metadata about the document. It must be closed before the opening of the body tag.
<title>: The title tag is used to specify the title of the HTML page, which is displayed at the top of the browser window. It should be placed within the head tag and should be closed immediately.
<body>: The content between the body tags describes the visible body content of the page for the end user. This tag contains the main content of the HTML document.
<h1>: The content between the <h1> tags represents the main heading or the highest level heading of the webpage.
<p>: The content between the <p> tags represents a paragraph of the webpage.
History of HTML
During the late 1980s, Tim Berners-Lee, a physicist working as a contractor at CERN, introduced a system for researchers at CERN. In 1989, he authored a memo outlining his proposal for an internet-based hypertext system.
Tim Berners-Lee is widely recognized as the individual credited with pioneering HTML. The initial documentation of HTML, titled “HTML Tags,” was put forth by Tim in the latter part of 1991. In this tutorial, we will cover HTML5, the most recent version of HTML.
HTML Versions
Since the inception of HTML, numerous versions have been introduced. Here is a brief overview of each version:
HTML 1.0: The initial release in 1991, HTML 1.0 served as the basic version of the language.
HTML 2.0: Released in 1995, HTML 2.0 became the standard language for website design. It included additional features like form-based file upload and various form elements.
HTML 3.2: Published by W3C in early 1997, HTML 3.2 allowed for table creation, enhanced form element options, and support for complex mathematical equations. It served as the official standard for most browsers until January 1997 and continues to be supported by many browsers today.
HTML 4.01: Released in December 1999, HTML 4.01 is a highly stable version of the language. It introduced support for stylesheets (CSS) and scripting capabilities for multimedia elements.
HTML5: HTML5 is the most recent version of the Hypertext Markup Language. The first draft was announced in January 2008. Its development involves two major organizations, namely W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) and WHATWG (Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group). HTML5 is still under development and represents the latest advancements in the language.
Features of HTML
- HTML is a language that is both straightforward and uncomplicated. It can be easily comprehended and modified.
- Creating impactful presentations is effortless with HTML due to its wide range of formatting tags.
- Being a markup language, HTML offers a flexible approach to designing web pages in addition to incorporating text.
- HTML enables programmers to incorporate links on web pages using the HTML anchor tag, thereby enhancing the user’s browsing experience.
- HTML is platform-independent, meaning it can be displayed on various platforms such as Windows, Linux, and Macintosh.
- HTML empowers programmers to integrate graphics, videos, and sound into web pages, making them visually appealing and interactive.
- HTML is case-insensitive, allowing for the usage of tags in either lowercase or uppercase.
