HTML and Web Page Design Presented by Frank H. Osborne, Ph. D. © 2005 ID 2950 Technology and the Young Child

Introduction to HTML HTML is hypertext markup language. It is the foundation on which all Web pages are built. HTML is a code that uses elements (called tags) that indicate how certain parts of the document are to be displayed on the computer screen by the browser.

HTML Tags HTML tags are containers. They are generally in pairs. The HTML tags determine what is done to the text they contain. A typical pair is and. The first tag begins boldface while the last tag ends boldface. The span of text contained in this pair of tags will appear in boldface type when displayed by the browser.

Properties of an HTML document The entire document begins with and ends with. The document has two major sections. The first is found within the pair of tags. The second section is found within the pair of tags.

Properties of an HTML document Special tags and properties of the document are placed in the head section. The document that will appear on the screen is placed in the body section.

Typical contents for the head section HTML and Web Page Design –indicates the title that the browser will display at the top of the screen. A place where special css (cascading style sheets) commands are placed Other types of contents are possible, such as which is used to indicate the program that created the document as well as key words used by search engines.

Typical contents for the body section Indicates each paragraph. Text appearance can be normal, bold, italics, underlined, small caps, or teletype style. You can add paragraph breaks with You can divide the screen with horizontal lines using the (horizontal rule) tag. Different sizes of type. Different sizes of headings. Colors for text or backgrounds.

Typical contents for the body section Objects can be included in the text. These include: Tables Lists (ordered, unordered, or definition lists) Images, including photographs, drawings, audio or video files. Links to other parts of the document Links to other documents in the same directory, Links to other computers.

Cascading Style Sheets (css) Once style attributes are defined, they cascade down through the entire web page. They can be used to change the appearance of a specific part of text in a or They can be defined at the top of the document and pertain to all of it. (For example you can make all instances of boldface appear blue by using only one command.) They can apply to more than one file across many Web pages.

Other Web Page Enhancements JavaScript allows programs to be run while the viewer is looking at the Web page. Web logs (aka blogs) –Create new Web pages that are visually consistent with the existing site –Link all pages together –Organize content based on the entry date and user-defined categories –Offer readers alternative methods of keeping track of what's new –Work within a Web browser.

References Taylor, Dave Creating cool web sites with HTML, XHTML and CSS. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Vandome, Nick Creating Web pages in easy steps, for Windows and Mac. New York: Barnes and Noble.

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