Oftentimes you hear the term HTML and might get confused, especially if you’re a writer and you’re asked to add these tags. Since it helps everyone who uses technology to be more efficient, we all must know what it means, how it works, and what the benefits are.
Let’s dive into HTML to get a full understanding of its meaning and purpose.
What is HTML?
Materials intended for viewing while web browsing are often written using HyperText Markup Language, commonly called HTML. Cascading Style Sheets technology (CSS) plus various programming languages can assist with this.
These documents are read from a web application or local storage and then rendered as multimedia internet sites by a web browser. It was originally designed to provide visual clues for the document’s layout in addition to its semantic description of the page’s structure.
HTML Elements
Elements in markup language are the fundamental units of its documents. Images and other items like interactive forms can be inserted into the final page using its techniques. By designating the structural semantics of text elements like headers, paragraphs, lists, links, and quotes, it enables the creation of structured documents.
Tags, represented in the language by angle brackets, demarcate elements. Tags like <input /> and <img /> are used to embed media and user input directly into web pages. Additional tags, such as <p>, can contain other tags as sub-elements and provide details about the text of the page. Internet browsers can interpret these tags without displaying them.
Embedding Programs
Scripting languages, such as JavaScript, can be embedded in the language to modify its behavior and change its content. The presentation and structure of the material are determined by the use of CSS. The World Wide Web Consortium from 1997, which once oversaw hypertext markup language and now oversees CSS standards, has advocated favoring the former over the latter. HTML5, a variant of its standard, is used to show video and audio, principally through the <canvas> element in conjunction with javascript.
Understanding Hypertext Markup Language
Hyper Text: Text within the text is what we mean when we say “HyperText.” Hypertext is an electronic text that includes hypertext links. You have interacted with hypertext once you’ve clicked on a link that took you to a different web page. Connecting multiple markup documents (web pages) is what HyperText is all about.
Markup language: The computer language called markup, is utilized for applying formatting and layout rules to a text document. Text enhanced with markup language is more engaging and lively. Create visuals, charts, links, and more from plain text.
Web Page: A web page is a document created in the hypertext markup language and read by a web browser. Putting in a URL is the standard method of locating a certain page on the web. There are two distinct types of websites: static and dynamic. Static web pages can be made with simple markup language as the only tool.
Therefore, it’s a markup language we use for creating visually appealing web pages by employing various forms of styling, which display appropriately on a web browser. There are many tags in an HTML document, plus each tag can have its content.
How HTML Originated
Tim Berners-Lee, a physicist working as a contractor at CERN in the late 1980s, devised a system for CERN scientists. He proposed the idea of a hypertext system that ran over the internet in a document he sent in 1989.
As the inventor of hypertext markup language, Tim Berners-Lee holds a special place in the history of the web. In late 1991, Tim proposed the initial explanation of the language, which was published as a document titled “HTML Tags.” We will learn HTML5, the most recent version of the language, in the following sections.
Versions of the Hypertext Markup Language
Since its inception, many variations have emerged; a brief overview of each is provided here.
This original version of the language, released in 1991, was a stripped-down form of the language.
HTML 2.0, the second iteration, came out in 1995 and quickly became the industry standard for web page markup. Additional capabilities like form-based file upload, text boxes, radio buttons, and checkboxes are supported in HTML 2.0.
The W3C released HTML 3.2 in the early part of 1997. Table creation and other form element customization capabilities were both added in this release. A website with intricate mathematical formulae is also feasible. It wasn’t until January 1997 that it became the de facto standard for all browsers. Presently, nearly all browsers should be able to use it.
HTML 4.01 is a fairly stable version of the language; it was introduced in December 1999. This latest version is the de facto standard; it improves compatibility with stylesheets (CSS) and allows scripting for a wider range of multimedia elements.
HTML5 is the latest revision of the markup language. Released in January of 2008, this edition was the first to see a public release. Currently, HTML 5 remains in development by the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group and the World Wide Web Consortium.
Markup Language Benefits
- It’s a simple language, for one. It’s simple in concept and straightforward to adjust.
- The abundance of its formatting tags makes it simple to create a well-designed presentation.
- As it’s a markup language, it allows for versatile web page design alongside text.
- It makes it easier for developers to insert a link on web pages, which piques the curiosity of the user and encourages further exploration.
- This means that it may be seen on any platform, including Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, etc., making it platform-independent.
- It allows the developer to incorporate media like images, video, and sound into the website, increasing its visual appeal and interactivity.
- Because it is not case-sensitive, we can use lowercase or uppercase tags interchangeably.
The Bottom Line
HTML is an effective markup language that continues to evolve. It’s user-friendly and accessible on every platform, and lets you include sounds, video, and images.
Always remember that while it is not case sensitive, experts recommend that all tags should ideally be written in lower case for uniformity, readability, and more.
