What is HTML?
HTML is one of the most widely used markup languages in web design worldwide. Its strengths lie in its uniform, clearly structured syntax, a free open-source approach, and a rapid learning curve. If you want to get a quick start in web design without a lot of effort, HTML is a great way to design a modern, appealing website with interactive elements.
What does HTML stand for?
HTML stands for “Hypertext Markup Language” and, along with Java and CSS, is one of the most widely used text-based markup languages in the world. Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, laid the foundation of HTML in 1992 with the first HTML specification. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) declared HTML 4.0 to be the official standard in December 1999. Since then, about 63% of all websites are based on HTML code. Currently (as of 2023), the versions XHTML and HTML5 are the most widely used for creating SEO-optimized websites.
Is HTML a programming language?
HTML isn’t a programming language. Unlike programming and scripting languages like PHP or JavaScript, HTML cannot be used to create algorithms, tasks, conditions, or loops due to its lack of command structure. That’s why HTML belongs to the markup languages. While HTML describes and structures a web page with text-based, static syntax, programming languages create dynamic content, complex logical tasks, commands, and algorithms.
HTML: HyperText Markup Language
HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
is the most basic building block of the Web. It defines the meaning and structure of web content. Other technologies besides HTML are generally used to describe a web page's appearance/presentation (CSS) or functionality/behavior (JavaScript).
"Hypertext"
refers to links that connect web pages to one another, either within a single website or between websites. Links are a fundamental aspect of the Web. By uploading content to the Internet and linking it to pages created by other people, you become an active participant in the World Wide Web.
HTML uses
"markup"
to annotate text, images, and other content for display in a Web browser. HTML markup includes special "elements" such as<head>, <title>, <body>, <header>, <footer>, <article>, <section>, <p>, <div>, <span>, <img>, <aside>, <audio>, <canvas>, <datalist>, <details>, <embed>, <nav>, <search>, <output>, <progress>, <video>, <ul>, <ol>, <li>and many others.
Basic structure of an HTML document
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Page Title</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>My First Heading</h1>
<p>My first paragraph.</p>
</body>
</html>
Example Explained:
The <!DOCTYPE html> declaration defines that this document is an HTML5 document
The element is the root element of an HTML page
The
<head>element contains meta information about the HTML pageThe
<title>element specifies a title for the HTML page (which is shown in the browser's title bar or in the page's tab)The
<body>element defines the document's body, and is a container for all the visible contents, such as headings, paragraphs, images, hyperlinks, tables, lists, etc.The
<h1>element defines a large headingThe
<p>element defines a paragraph
The syntax is used in HTML to add notes, explanations, or to disable code that you do not want the browser to display
Short Key for Comments:
To quickly comment out a line or a selected block of code, use these shortcuts in VS Code, Sublime Text, and many other IDEs:
-
Windows / Linux :
Ctrl + /
-
macOS :
Cmd + /
Key Points
What it does :
Allows you to leave notes to yourself or others without the text appearing on the web page.
Debugging :
Useful for hiding code temporarily to find errors.
Alternative :
For CSS/JS, use /* comment */. For Python, use # comment.
Multi-line :
On some platforms, Shift + Alt + A (Windows)
or Shift + Option + A (Mac) can be used for block comments.