What is HTML - Basics of Hypertext Markup Language

We’ll also look at some of the language’s most recent advancements and how they’re affecting web development in the long run. So, whether you’re wanting to learn something new or brush up on existing skills, this is the ideal starting point. But first, have a look at the topics to be covered in this blog:

Points to Ponder

• What is HTML?
• History of HTML
• HTML Elements
• Basic HTML Tag
• HTML Structure
• HTML Code Example
• Uses of HTML
• Future of HTML

Learn everything about HTML in this video

Now, without beating around the bush, let us delve deeper into HTML.

What is HTML?

HTML is a very powerful language, which is considered a markup language because it is used to mark up the content on a webpage. It is widely known that HTML can be used to create complex web pages and web applications. It is also very versatile and can be used to create a wide range of content, from simple text to complex images and multimedia.

HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language. It consists of a set of elements and attributes that define the structure and content of a webpage. These elements are used to mark up the content of the webpage, such as headings, paragraphs, lists, images, links, and forms. Don’t worry, we will be discussing these elements in more detail ahead.

History of HTML

• HTML was developed by Tim Berners-Lee in the late 1980s, while he was working at CERN, to make sharing information easier and create a system that could be used to access information from multiple computers.
• In 1991, its first version was released. This version allowed basic formatting like headings, paragraphs, and images.
• It was in 1995 when version 2.0 was released, which supported tables, forms, and more complex formatting.
• In 1997 version 4.0 was released, adding support for style sheets and scripting.
• The 5.0 version supports audio, video, and other multimedia elements. Today,  it is the most widely used version and is the standard for web pages and applications.

Now, as promised, it’s time to discuss the elements HTML has to offer!

HTML Elements

HTML elements are the building blocks of documents. They are used to define the structure and content of web pages. They consist of tags, attributes, and content. Lets discuss them further.

• Attributes are used to provide additional information about HTML elements. They are always included in the opening tag and are written in the form of name=”value”.
  • For example, the <a> tag for links can include an attribute called href which specifies the URL of the link.
• Content is the information that is included between the beginning and ending tags of an element. It can be text, images, or other types of data
  • For example, the content of a <p> tag would be the text of the paragraph.

Basic HTML Tag

In layman’s  terms, an HTML tag is a piece of code (in the form of angle brackets) that is used to mark up a section of text. It tells the web browser how to display the text or other content.

For example, the paragraph tag <p> is used to indicate the start of a new paragraph. When the web browser sees this tag, it will display the text following the tag as a new paragraph.

The end of the paragraph is marked by a closing tag. This tag looks the same as the opening tag, but it has a forward slash in it.

For example, the closing tag would be </p>. This tells the web browser that the paragraph has ended and it should display the content differently.

Tags are used to create the structure of a web page and are the building blocks of any web page. They can be used to add text, images, videos, and forms.

It’s important to note that these tags are not visible to the user when they view the web page. They are simply the instructions that tell the browser how to display the content.

HTML Structure

The HTML structure is made up of different components that are used to organize and structure content on a web page. The structure is composed of HTML elements, which are the basic building blocks of a web page.

At the top level, the HTML structure consists of the HTML document itself, which contains the HTML tags that define the structure of the document. The tags are divided into two categories: block-level tags and inline tags. Block-level tags act as containers for content, such as paragraphs and headings, while inline tags are used to define the content within a container, such as text and images.

Within the HTML document, there are several components that are used to structure the content. These components include the head section, which contains meta tags and other information about the page; the body section, which contains the main content of the page; and the footer section, which contains the page’s copyright information.

The HTML structure also contains elements that are used to create links between web pages, such as the anchor element and the link element. Additionally, HTML elements are used to create forms and tables, which are used to collect and display data.

Finally, HTML also contains attributes, which are used to provide additional information about an element

HTML Code Example

Here is a basic HTML code example that displays a simple webpage with a heading and a paragraph:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>My Example</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h1>Welcome to my webpage</h1>
    <p>This is a simple webpage created with HTML.</p>
  </body>
</html>

• The <!DOCTYPE> declaration defines the document type and version of HTML used in the webpage.
• The <html> element is the container for all the other elements on the webpage.
• The <head> element contains meta-information about the webpage, such as the title that appears in the browser tab.
• The <title> element sets the title of the webpage, which is displayed in the browser tab or bookmark.
• The <body> element contains the visible content of the webpage.
• The <h1> element defines a heading. Heading elements range from <h1> to <h6>, with <h1> being the most important heading and <h6> being the least important.
• The <p> element defines a paragraph.
• This code will render as a webpage with “Welcome to my webpage” as the Heading and “This is a simple webpage created with HTML.” as the Paragraph.

Uses of HTML

There are a lot of uses of HTML, like:

• Creating the structure of a webpage: HTML is used to create the basic structure of a webpage, including the layout, headings, paragraphs, lists, images, and links.
• Defining the content of a webpage: HTML is used to define the content of a webpage, including text, images, videos, and audio.
• Creating links: HTML allows you to create hyperlinks that connect one webpage to another, enabling users to navigate between pages.
• Creating forms: HTML forms allow users to input data and interact with a webpage.
• Adding meta information: HTML can be used to add meta information about a webpage, such as a page title, keywords, and description, which can be used by search engines to index the page.
• Creating semantic structure: HTML5 introduced new elements, such as <header>, <nav>, <article>, <aside> and <footer> which help to create a semantic structure for the web page. This is useful for search engine optimization and accessibility.
• Creating Interactive Web Pages: HTML along with other web technologies such as JavaScript, CSS, and WebSockets can be used to create interactive and dynamic web pages.

Future of HTML

In the upcoming years, HTML is expected to continue to evolve, with new versions of the standard being released that include additional features and improvements. These new versions of HTML will continue to provide better semantic support, improved accessibility, and better support for mobile devices and other emerging technologies.

Additionally, new technologies such as WebAssembly (Wasm) and Web Components will be able to be used with HTML, which will enable more advanced web applications to be built.