HTML is a text-based language used to write web pages, with tags providing coding instructions for web browsers to render pages graphically. Tags can change fonts, create hyperlinks, embed graphics and more. CSS allows for consistent styling across multiple pages. HTML editors make website creation accessible to anyone.
HTML is short for Hypertext Markup Language, the text-based language used to write web pages. HTML tags are coding instructions embedded in the HTML document. A web browser is designed to read instructions, or tags, in order to render the page graphically. In other words, a web browser translates these tags into visual effects that shape how an HTML document appears to the viewer.
The simplest HTML tags organize text into blocks, designate the font or style of letters, and size of type. Bold, italic, and underline are each identified within a tag that precedes the letter or word or words to be effected. The tag appears again at the end of the chosen text with a slash to indicate that the effect ends there. For example, see what the following sentence looks like in HTML:
HTML tags are the heart of Hypertext Markup Language.
HTML tags are the heart of Hypertext Markup Language.
The “b” stands for bold, and HTML tags are always enclosed in angle brackets, with the closing tag starting with a slash. If the slash is left out, the rest of the page will take effect.
In addition to changing fonts, tags also create hyperlinks or clickable text. The hyperlink tag includes the address of an embedded website (URL or Uniform Resource Locator). By placing a hyperlink tag around a phrase or name, clicking on it will take the surfer to the desired address. This can be a remote website or another page within the same website.
HTML tags can also be used to take a surfer to another place within the same page. This is useful for frequently asked questions (FAQs) or indexes that reside on a single page. By clicking on a question or indexed topic, the visitor can reach the exact information he needs without having to browse the entire document.
Other tags embed graphics, movies, sound effects, animations, or Flash scripts into web pages. Frames, borders, background and page layout are also designated by HTML.
On websites with multiple pages there are often features that the webmaster wants to repeat on every page. These could include the font, website colours, background and text block or layout. Rather than repeating these tags on every page, HTML allows for a little bit of code at the top of every page that directs the browser to a master stylesheet containing the HTML tags that apply. A master style sheet is known as a cascading style sheet (CSS) because its effects can cascade across multiple pages.
In the mid-1990s, when the Internet went from a text-based environment to a graphical one, thanks to HTML and web browsers interpreting the language, the only way to build a website was to hand-code pages using HTML tags and a text-based editor. Before long, HTML editors became available that did much of the coding for the user, making it easy for anyone to create a basic website. Today, ready-made scripts and forms can be embedded with one click, allowing anyone with basic needs to be their own webmaster.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
