HTML Introduction

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. It’s the core language used to create and structure web pages. It’s like the underlying blueprint that tells your web browser what content to display and how to organize it in order to build websites and web apps!

Here’s a breakdown of key HTML concepts:

• Tags: These are the building blocks of HTML, written within angle brackets like this: <tagname>. Each tag has a specific meaning and purpose.
• Elements: An element consists of an opening tag, content, and a closing tag (usually ending with a forward slash, like </tagname>). For example, <p>This is a paragraph.</p> is a paragraph element.
• Nesting: Elements can be nested within each other to create a hierarchical structure. This forms sections, headings, paragraphs, lists, and more, giving shape to the web page.
• Content: The text, images, videos, and other multimedia content that make up the actual information on a web page are placed within appropriate HTML elements.

Common HTML tags:

• Headings: <h1>, <h2>, <h3>, etc. define different levels of headings, helping to organize content and create visual hierarchy.
• Paragraphs: <p> defines a paragraph of text.
• Images: <img> embeds an image into the web page.
• Links: <a> creates a hyperlink, allowing users to navigate to other pages or websites.
• Lists: <ul> (unordered lists) and <ol> (ordered lists) create bulleted or numbered lists, respectively.
• Tables: <table>, <tr>, <td>, and other table tags are used to structure tabular data.
• Forms: <form>, <input>, <button>, and other form tags allow users to input information and submit it to the server.

Why is HTML Important?

• It’s the foundation for building web pages.
• It’s relatively easy to learn, even for beginners.
• It’s a stepping stone to learning other web technologies like CSS (for styling) and JavaScript (for interactivity).
• It’s essential for creating personal websites, blogs, landing pages, and more.
• It’s used in various web development fields, including front-end development, content management, and email design.

HTML’s evolution has mirrored the web’s growth, starting with simple text formatting in 1991. HTML5, released in 2014, ushered in a new era of web development with semantic elements, rich multimedia support, improved accessibility, and amazing web app capabilities. All websites are built on the foundation of HTML!