The full form of HTML is Hypertext Markup Language. HTML is the foundational language for creating web pages. It's not a programming language, but a markup language that uses tags to structure and present content on the internet.
Understanding HTML
HTML structures content by using tags. These tags tell web browsers how to display text, images, and other elements on a web page. Here are some key aspects:
- Structure: HTML provides the basic framework for any webpage.
- Tags: Uses tags (e.g.,
<h1>,<p>,<img>) to define elements. - Browsers: Web browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari read HTML files and display them as web pages.
- Content Display: It helps control how content appears, including text formatting, image placement, and links.
How HTML Works
HTML files are plain text documents that contain tags. When you open an HTML file in a browser, the browser interprets these tags and renders the content accordingly. The browser then displays the formatted content to the user.
Example of HTML Code
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>My First Webpage</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Welcome to My Website</h1>
<p>This is a paragraph of text.</p>
<img src="myimage.jpg" alt="My Image">
</body>
</html>In the example:
<!DOCTYPE html>: Declares the document type as HTML5.<html>: The root element of an HTML page.<head>: Contains meta-information about the HTML document.<title>: Specifies a title for the page.
<body>: Contains the visible content of the page.<h1>: A level 1 heading.<p>: A paragraph of text.<img>: Embeds an image.
Key Takeaway
The core function of HTML is to define the structure of content on a webpage. It uses a system of tags to allow browsers to understand and display content correctly to the user. As mentioned in the reference, HTML is a "standard mark – up language that [is] used [to] build files that are showcased as a web page throughout the browsers." This fundamental role makes it crucial for web development.
