What is HTML?

HTML is an abbreviation for Hypertext Markup Language. Sounds very technical. But for the most part it's not. It is in fact, for the most part, very easy and very logical. This very page you are reading is generated using HTML. HTML is a set of "codes" that your internet browsing program, Internet Explorer, Netscape, AOL, Opera, etc., reads and executes to give the desired effect. Like making text bold or italic or both. Of course HTML is really much more than those simple effects, but the basics of HTML are very easy to learn and you can get alot of mileage out of just using the basic text formating codes.

Don't worry about that word: codes. It's not some secret code you have to go to college and spend years learning. Lets take a brief look at what this code is comprised of. If you've never seen HTML code before you are going to be surprised at just how easy much of it is.

The "code" is comprised of what are commonly refered to as "tags". For example, the tag to make the bold text as shown above looks like this: <B>. The angled brackets are part of the tag. The most important part actually. The brackets let your browser know what is code and what is not. Most tags have an opening tag and a closing tag. If you used just <B> all of the text after the tag would be bold until the end of the HTML document it is used on. Here is the bold tag with the opening and closing tags:

<B>Text to be bold here</B>

The closing tag uses the forward slash to denote it from the opening tag. The closing tag tells the browser program where to stop the effect. Pretty darn simple !! There are some tags that only use or require an opening tag. You will learn about that as you progress in HTML.

Here on the e-pixs.com HTML Pratice Board, you will be practicing HTML code that is used on a web page or can be used in an HTML chat room, like the chat boards at eBay. In fact, our HTML Practice Board is styled after the eBay chat boards so ebay members might find it familiar. Here you will not beable to practice making whole web pages. But you can practice most of the elements that go into making a web page, like: fonts, colors, images, hyper links and more. You can then take the knowledge you learn here and make interesting and visually appealing web pages, auction advertisements or even postings to an HTML chat room.

Creating web pages and HTML documents can be a fun and rewarding activity. They can also be serious buisness, but when you are first learning make sure you are having some fun too. When learning is fun it can be much easier and your retention of what you learned can be greater. Making web pages and HTML documents is very conducive to individual creativity and ingenuity, much like art. And there is more than "one way to skin a cat" using HTML. The more you learn and the more creatively your mind works the more you will beable to figure out and do.

It would be best to read through the tutorials in order but it's not really necessary. Have fun and I hope to see you on the practice board !!