Introduction: Hyper Text Markup Language or “HTML” is an official web standard. It’s a computer language that currently makes up most of the web pages and applications in existence. A “hypertext” is a text used to refer to other pieces of text. A “markup language” is a collection of markings that inform web servers about the structures and styles of different documents.
Updated on: 28 January 2021 (HTML 5.3)
Name: Hyper Text Markup Language
Referred to as: HTML
Category: Web standard, computing language
Correct Use: n/a
Description:
HTML is the computing language people use to “mark-up” and display web pages. It’s not a programming language or a code. It’s a markup language that can’t create dynamic functionality. It can only tell web browsers how to interpret and load web pages.
But, that’s all that web users need to create sections, paragraphs, & links and structure them on web pages. It allows web users to add elements, tags and attributes to web pages. It’s an official web standard that’s been in use since 1993.
Currently, the World-Wide-Web Consortium (W3C) is in charge of maintaining and developing HTML specifications. In 2021, the W3C launched HTML 5.3, the latest updated version of this computing language.
Our take:
Want to learn how to create and design web pages? Then, you’ll have to learn it. Learning HTML is relatively easy. The term “hyper-text” refers to the link between two or more web pages. A markup language is a language that’s used to define the text documents which define the structures of web pages.
The markup language is the language in which notes are created for the computer. Computers can read these notes to understand the text on web pages. The machine can then understand what text and other content are present on the web page and manipulate them accordingly.
Unlike many markup languages, it is human-readable. So, programmers can easily understand and alter HTML. They can add tags to define how browsers should manipulate the text and other content on web pages.
Want a web browser to present your web page content in a specific format? Just create an HTML document with the right tags using any text editor. Save the HTML document (i.e., the text file) using .htm or .html.
This document (now an HTML file) can now be launched as a webpage in your computer’s browser. The average website will feature hundreds if not thousands of different HTML pages. Every home page, “about us” page, or “contact us” page on a website will have separate HTML files.
Each file will have a separate series of HTML elements i.e., the building blocks of the web page. These files also contain sets of tags and attributes. Tags tell web browsers where specific elements begin/end. Attributes describe the features of each element. Every element will have three parts – opening tag, content, and closing tag.
· Opening tags tell web browsers where different elements start to take effect. For instance, if you want to create a new paragraph on your web page, use the start tag <p>.
· The content of your elements will feature the output that you want your users to see. For example, the content part of your element will actually describe what’s in the new paragraph.
· Lastly, the closing tag is almost the same as an opening tag. There’s just a forward slash right before the name of the element. For instance, use the closing tag “</p>” to end a paragraph on your web page.
Combine these three parts to create one HTML element. Overall, this computing language is easy to learn. It’s easy to use even for beginners. It’s platform-independent so it’s widely accessible in all parts of the world.
Anyone who knows HTML can add images, videos, audio, and other multimedia to web pages. Plus, it’s the simplest of markup languages that programming students can learn. They can use it to create amateur websites and learn about the fundamentals of web programming.
HTML is used to build so many websites and is supported by all browsers. Hence, the demand for HTML experts is extremely high in most emerging economies. Programmers can integrate HTML with other programming languages like JavaScript or CSS.
Of course, HTML can only be used to create static web pages. Programmers will need to learn other programming languages to create dynamic web pages, But, learning this fundamental web standard is a must for aspiring programmers.
Extra reading:
Do:
HTML serves as the foundation of all web pages currently in existence. So, learning HTML from the ground up is vital for anyone who wants to pursue programming. For starters, basic text editors like Notepad or TextEdit are enough to learn HTML. But, for greater function and flexibility, top HTML developers use feature-rich text editors.
Don’t:
You can’t build professional-grade, mobile-responsive websites with HTML. You’ll need JavaScript and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to do that. So, do plan to learn these languages once you master HTML.
Tip:
Learning about HTML is often the first step professionals in the web development world take. Thanks to free online courses, taking this step is now easier than ever for aspiring HTML experts. Use online courses to learn, practice, and master HTML.
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