What is HTML?
The organization of a website is established and structured through the widely-used markup language called HTML, standing for Hyper Text Markup Language. HTML employs a variety of elements or tags to specify the various elements and information present on a webpage, serving as the core of web development. By integrating HTML with other web technologies such as JavaScript and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), a rich and interactive online environment is formed.
What Activities Beginners can do in HTML?
- Make a Simple Webpage
To get started with HTML, make a simple webpage. Start a text editor and write the basic HTML structure using Notepad or Visual Studio Code. Start with <html> and add <head> and <body> for the content and metadata, respectively. Include components such as <p> for paragraphs, <img> for images, and <h1> for main headings. To see your first webpage appear, save your file with a.html extension and open it in a web browser.
- Create a Personal Portfolio Page
This is an excellent way to demonstrate your advanced HTML skills. You can introduce yourself, your projects, a list of your skills and a brief biography in different sections of this project. To organize these elements, use the proper HTML tags (<ul> for lists, <h2> for subheadings). This exercise not only helps you practice HTML but it also gives you an artistic way to present your accomplishments.
- Linking Pages
Construct several HTML pages and connect them to explore the nuances of webpage navigation. To create these links, use the <a> (anchor) tag with the href attribute. Understand relative and absolute paths to make sure your connections function properly. Taking <a href="page2.html"> as an example, Go to Page 2</a> links to "page2.html," another HTML file.
- Embed Videos and Images
Enhancing the visual appeal of your webpage can be achieved by incorporating videos and images. Experiment with the <img> tag to observe how it renders images, modifying attributes such as alt (alternative text) and src (source). Likewise, for video embedding, utilize the <video> tag. This hands-on activity will provide you with insight into handling multimedia content within your HTML files.
These practice tasks offer the essential groundwork required for a beginner to acquire practical experience with HTML. Each task enhances understanding of HTML components, the organization of documents, and the overall creation of webpages. By completing these tasks, you will develop technical skills and a innovative approach to web development.
HTML5 Features
- Semantic elements
Semantic elements like <header>, <footer>, <nav>, and <article> were introduced with HTML5. These components give web documents a more logical structure, which facilitates developers in communicating the hierarchy and meaning of the content.
- Support for Audio and Video
HTML5 made it easier to embed audio and video content straight into webpages without using third-party plugins by introducing the <audio> and <video> elements. This feature improves the multimedia capabilities of web development.
- New Types of Form Input
With HTML5, new form input types like <input type="date">, <input type="email">, and <input type="url"> were introduced. These input formats improve user experience and facilitate the collection of particular kinds of user data.
- Canvas Element
Utilizing the <canvas> element enables the rendering and generation of visuals directly in the web browser, simplifying the process of producing dynamic and engaging graphical content. Applications such as data representation and online gaming experience significant advantages through the utilization of this functionality.
- Local Storage
The local Storage and session Storage APIs were introduced with the advent of HTML5. These APIs empower developers to locally store data on users' devices, enhancing performance and enabling the development of offline web applications.
- Website Managers
Web Workers enable developers to execute scripts in separate threads from the main browser thread, allowing for the independent operation of background tasks. By offloading demanding computations to these background threads, overall web application performance is enhanced.
Collectively, these characteristics of HTML5 enhance the versatility and power of the web development ecosystem, empowering developers to craft advanced, engaging, and functionality-laden web applications.
Example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>User Information Form</title>
</head>
<body>
<header>
<h1>User Information Form</h1>
</header>
<section>
<form action="/submit" method="post">
<label for="fullName">Full Name:</label>
<input type="text" id="fullName" name="fullName" required>
<label for="email">Email:</label>
<input type="email" id="email" name="email" required>
<label for="age">Age:</label>
<input type="number" id="age" name="age" required>
<label for="gender">Gender:</label>
<select id="gender" name="gender" required>
<option value="male">Male</option>
<option value="female">Female</option>
<option value="other">Other</option>
</select>
<button type="submit">Submit</button>
</form>
</section>
<footer>
<p>Created with <span style="color: #007BFF;">♥</span> by a beginner in HTML</p>
</footer>
</body>
</html>
Output: