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[ what you need | necessary tags ]
To create your first page, you are not required to learn a programming language, such as C++, VBasic or Java. The browser that a person has on their computer, reads a document and follows what the HTML markers (tags) tell it to do. All you have to do, is learn how to tell the browser what to do. (Your mom would be good at doing that!) It's a lot simplier than most people believe it to be.
Start with the idea that HTML is easy, continue on to the next idea that it is absolutely always logical, and the rest will fall into place. Believe that you can do it, and it honestly does come easier. That's the first step to learning.
With that said, let's look at what you need to start making a page.
HTML editing program?
You do NOT need a HTML editing program, such as FrontPage, Hot Dog, Hot Metal or anything else. All of the programs are useful, and it definately does make it easy to put up a page today. In fact, I even used one when I started.
The problem with most programs is that after you have your page on the web, you still don't know how to make one unless you are using the program. And to make changes to it, you revert back to the program.
At some point, you will need to know how to make a page without a program. If you choose to use one after that, it's up to you. In fact, to use one now is up to you, but these pages will not help you. To learn how to use a program, read the manual. To learn how to do it on your own, read on!
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Notepad
That's right! That boring little sorry excuse for a word processing program sitting on your comp is what you will use to create that masterpiece page of yours. The majority of quality pages on the net are also made using the notepad program.
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Internet Connection and FTP (file transfer protocol program)
Without these, you can't upload your page onto the net so everyone can see it.
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Creativity
You have an idea in your head? You know what you want it to look like when your done? You want to have fun making it? You want others to enjoy reading what you have presented? Then you have the most important part of making a page already done. Don't be timid!
Necessary Tags
This is the absolute minimum that you need to do to make a page. Feel free to open notepad now, and enter information as we go along. Keep in mind that 95% of all HTML tags must be in pairs: one to start the function, the other to stop it. For the record, they have to go in this order too.<HTML>
This tells the browser that this is an HTML document. The browser will then use it's
<HEAD>
This section will provide additional information to the browser in order to preform or display various aspects of the page. Information such as the title of the page that shows in the browser's title bar, Java and JavaScript functions and META tags are placed here.
<TITLE> and </TITLE>
Use this to get the title bar to display the name of your page. Such as: <TITLE>My Great Page!</TITLE>
</HEAD>
This is to close off the HEAD section. Needs to be done.
<BODY>
This tells the browser that the contents of the page are starting. Everything you want on your page goes in here.. the text.. the jokes.. the images.. the picture of you on the waterskis.. the hyperlinks to all the other pages of the world.. whatever you decide!
</BODY>
Once you're done, close the tag.
</HTML>
You didn't forget that you started with this and haven't closed it yet, right? Knew you were smart! Every page ends with this tag.
Now you want to see it, right? Well, so far you can't. You have to save it and tell the computer that you want it to be a HTML file. How do you do that? Just make sure your extension (the letters after the [.] dot ) is either htm or html. Which one you use depends upon your preference. They both do the same thing.
Now that you have saved your file, open it up in your browser and take a peek at it. Rather boring so far, huh? That's not the point. Take a closer look and you will see the important part. That's your first webpage! Good work.
Now you can make it better by adding more tags to it!
Review
So what exactly does the notepad document look like right now? This is it.|
<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE> My Great Page! </TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> This is the section where all the text and images are entered that would be displayed on your page. Whatever people see, it is inbetween the BODY tags. </BODY> </HTML> |
It should be saved as index.htm or index.html, if it is the first page people will see on your site. It can be named anything else, with the .htm or .html extension if it is the second page.
Questions about HTML can be posted at the HTML questions message board.
If you wish to contact me directly, please email me at Rebbekka@hotmail.com. I even accept corrections that might need to be noted.
