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What Is HTML Programming?

HTML Programming (Hypertext Markup Language) is the code that is used to structure a web page and its content. For example, content could be structured within a set of paragraphs, a list of bulleted points, or using images and data tables. As the title suggests, this article will give you a basic understanding of HTML and its functions.

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is a computer language that makes up most web pages and online applications. A hypertext is a text that is used to reference other pieces of text, while a markup language is a series of markings that tells web servers the style and structure of a document.

HTML is not considered a programming language as it can’t create dynamic functionality. Instead, with HTML, web users can create and structure sections, paragraphs, and links using elements, tags, and attributes.

Here are some of the most common uses for HTML Programming:

• Web development. Developers use HTML code to design how a browser displays web page elements, such as text, hyperlinks, and media files.
• Internet navigation. Users can easily navigate and insert links between related pages and websites as HTML is heavily used to embed hyperlinks.
• Web documentation. HTML makes it possible to organize and format documents, similarly to Microsoft Word.

It’s also worth noting that HTML is now considered an official web standard. Also The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) maintains and develops HTML specifications, along with providing regular updates.

This article will go over the basics of HTML, including how it works, its pros and cons, and how it relates to CSS and JavaScript.

What’s HTML Programming Used For? 

HTML is the default language of websites and web-based documents. It helps a browser understand the structure and style of a document or files for viewing over the internet.  And It allows your web pages to host audio, videos, spreadsheets, and other applications. It also facilitates navigation within web pages or between websites through hypertext.

Moreover, website makers can use HTML to design forms for ordering products, making reservations, or searching for information. HTML is, therefore, the basic building block for building your brand and running an e-commerce site or an online subscription-based business.

How Does HTML Work

The average website includes several different HTML pages. For instance, a home page, an about page, and a contact page would all have separate HTML files.

HTML documents are files that end with a .html or .htm extension. A web browser reads the HTML file and renders its content so that internet users can view it.

All HTML pages have a series of HTML elements, consisting of a set of tags and attributes. HTML elements are the building blocks of a web page. A tag tells the web browser where an element begins and ends, whereas an attribute describes the characteristics of an element.

The three main parts of an element are:

• Opening tag – used to state where an element starts to take effect. The tag is wrapped with opening and closing angle brackets. For example, use the start tag <p> to create a paragraph.
• Content – this is the output that other users see.
• Closing tag – the same as the opening tag, but with a forward slash before the element name. For example, </p> to end a paragraph.

The combination of these three parts will create an HTML element:

Another critical part of an HTML element is its attribute, which has two sections – a name and attribute value. The name identifies the additional information that a user wants to add, while the attribute value gives further specifications.

For example, a style element adding the color purple and the font-family verdana will look like this:

Another attribute, the HTML class, is most important for development and programming. The class attribute adds style information that can work on different elements with the same class value.

For example, we will use the same style for a heading <h1> and a paragraph <p>. Also The style includes background color, text color, border, margin, and padding, under the class .important. To achieve the same style between <h1> and <p>, add class=”important” after each start tag:

Most elements have an opening and a closing tag, but some elements do not need closing tags to work, such as empty elements. These elements do not use an end tag because they do not have content:

This image tag has two attributes – an src attribute, the image path, and an alt attribute, the descriptive text. However, it does not have content nor an end tag.

Lastly, every HTML document must start with a <!DOCTYPE> declaration to inform the web browser about the document type. With HTML5, the doctype HTML public declaration will be:

Most Used HTML Tags and HTML ProgrammingElements

Currently, there are 142 HTML tags available that allow for the creation of various elements. Even though modern browsers no longer support some of these tags, learning all the different elements available is still beneficial.

So This section will discuss the most-used HTML tags and two main elements – block-level elements and inline elements.

Block-Level Elements

A block-level element takes up the entire width of a page. It always starts a new line in the document. For example, a heading element will be in a separate line from a paragraph element.

Every HTML page uses these three tags:

• <html> tag is the root element that defines the whole HTML document.
• <head> tag holds meta information such as the page’s title and charset.
• <body> tag encloses all the content that appears on the page.

Other popular block-level tags include:

• Heading tags – these range from <h1> to <h6>, where heading h1 is largest in size, getting smaller as they move up to h6.
• Paragraph tags – are all enclosed by using the <p> tag.
• List tags – have different variations. Use the <ol> tag for an ordered list, and use <ul> for an unordered list. Then, enclose individual list items using the <li> tag.

Inline Elements

An inline element formats the inner content of block-level elements, such as adding links and emphasized strings. Inline elements are most commonly used to format text without breaking the flow of the content.

For example, a <strong> tag would render an element in bold, whereas the <em> tag would show it in italics. Hyperlinks are also inline elements that use an <a> tag and an href attribute to indicate the link’s destination: