If you are new to the Internet or you've never built a Web page before, learning HTML can be very intimidating. There are a lot of things that most "beginning HTML" programs assume that you know and understand about computers, the Internet, and the Web. But with this article, you will be able to start an HTML class without being afraid that you'll be in over your head.
In order to use this guide, you will need the following:
-
a computer - either Windows or Macintosh
-
Internet access
-
an understanding of how to click on links and use Web pages
-
the ability to follow on-screen instructions
When you browse the Web, you use a Web browser. The most popular ones are Internet Explorer and Firefox. These are simply programs on your computer, like Microsoft Word or iTunes that open and view Web pages. A Web page is a document, like a Word document or MP3 file, that the Web browser views.
The big difference between opening a Word document and a Web page on your computer is that the Web page is not actually stored on your computer, while the Word document is. So the Web browser uses the Internet to access other computers and call up their Web pages for viewing.
Web pages are written in HTML (now, often called XHTML). This is a language that Web browsers use to understand how to display as Web pages. Web pages are not Word documents. While you can build a Web page in Word, you cannot write HTML in Word. This is very important. If you try, you will get unexpected results when you view your Web page.
Starting Your First Web Page
Unless otherwise noted, the following steps apply to both Macintosh and Windows computer users.
Step 1 - The Editor
Turn on your computer and open a text editor.
Windows: I recommend Notepad.
-
Click Start
-
Click Programs
-
Click Accessories
-
Click Notepad
Macintosh: I recommend SimpleText
-
Click Finder
-
Double-click your hard drive
-
Click Applications (for OS X users, this will be in your OS9 applications directory)
-
Scroll down to SimpleText and double-click on it
Step 2 - Writing the HTML
Writing the HTML is mostly a matter of typing tags and text into a text editor.
In the text editor type the following text. Type it exactly as it appears on this page (but if an advertisement appears in the box, you'll need to remove that):
<html>
<head>
<title>My First Web Page</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Hello World!</h1>
<p>This is my first Web page.</p>
</body>
</html>
Step 3 - Saving Your Page
Saving a file as HTML is not as easy as it might sound. Follow these steps closely to save your first Web page. Save the file to your desktop, as an html file, not text:
Windows:
-
Click File
-
Click Save As...
-
Change the directory to your desktop
-
Change the Save as type to "All Files"
-
Type in the file name: firstweb.html
-
Click Save
Macintosh:
-
Click File
-
Click Save
-
Type in the file name: firstweb.html
-
Change the directory to your desktop
-
Click Save
Step 4 - Viewing Your Page
Viewing the page is where you get to see your handiwork in your Web browser.
-
Go to your desktop
-
Double-click the file firstweb.html
Congratulations!
You have just written and viewed your first HTML Web page.
By Location