Writing HTML

Creating web pages is no easy task. Like a well written paper, time is needed to outline the perfect final project. Thinking of a theme is a good start for creating a first web page. Next would be to create a basic outline. Decide if any pictures or sounds will be incorporated into the document. Exploring the world wide web could give some good insights on possible page layouts. Links can also be found on the web to help in page creation such as the Composing Good HTML or try Quadzilla for help.

Also needed to get started is an HTML editor. This will allow a web page author to compose their thoughts into form readable to other users. Most students for this course will be using Dida! (found on this home page) to write their HTML. Dida! is one of many web editing programs available to users. Others may be found at such locations as the Windows 95 Web Page. What the web author uses is dependent on personal taste.

Writing HTML is a little like programming. This is not meant to scare people away. There are codes needed to be placed within a document before something such as a picture can be displayed on a user's home page. Most programs simply insert the picture with very little effort from the author. A good rule of thumb is a code has a beginning and an end. The end code is usually denoted with a '/' symbol. The Beginner's Guide to HTML or the Barebones Guide are good introductions to HTML commands and general information. Below is a table of common commands used in a web page (each command needs to be enclosed within the greater than and less than signs):

One of the more in-depth yet understandable descriptions of the HTML language is called Creating Web Sites.

Start	End	Description
html	/html	Signifies HTML document
head	/head	Document head
body	/body	Body of document
h1	/h1	Header information
ol	/ol	Ordered list
p	/p	Paragraph
b	/b	Bold type
i	/i	Italic type
u	/u	Underline

All that was needed to create a web page has been given. Enjoy!

Other links:

1. Computers
2. The Internet