HTML Tutorial
(version 5.0)
This tutorial is designed to teach you some the basics of HyperText Markup Language (HTML),
with an emphasis on transforming a word-processing document into a simple Web page.
You can get the most recent version of this tutorial
Contents
This tutorial will guide you through the following steps:
1. Retrieving the necessary materials from the Web
2. Copying text from a word-processing document and pasting it into an HTML template
3. Marking block elements and validating your work
4. Marking inline elements and validating your work
5. Using Netscape Composer
6. Using Word’s “Save as HTML” feature.
7. Uploading your files to the Web server
Prerequisites
This tutorial assumes a level of competency with basic computing tasks and concepts. You should
understand the following terms:
v Files
v Folders
v File hierarchy
v The desktop
v The Finder (Mac only)
Conventions
Actions that you need to perform are bulleted, like this:
· Open the file.
Menu commands look like this: File > Open. This means choose the Open option from the File
menu. Sometimes, for the sake of brevity, common menu items may be referred to simply as
Save or Open. The same style is used for other user interface elements, such as key you’re
supposed to press and buttons you’re supposed to click, i.e. “Click the OK button.”
HTML code and URLs look like this:
<BODY BGCOLOR=”white”>
Names of files and folders, as well as text that you are supposed to type, are rendered initalics.
Before You Begin
· Look over the “Hypertext Markup Procedure” and “30-Odd Safe HTML Elements” quick
reference sheets. Re-examine the handouts on “Anatomy of a Web Page” and the
“Container Model.”
· Read the following information about filename extensions.
About Filename Extensions
Some operating systems use filename extensions to identify different types of files. For example,
a file named document.htmor document.html is marked as a Web page. A file named
document.gif is marked as a particular type of image file, while document.jpg indicates an image
file of another format. A Microsoft Word document might be named document.doc, whereas a
plain text file would most likely be named something like document.txt.
Web servers, which may run on a number of different operating systems, use filename extensions
to identify file types.
The Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS) uses filename extensions. Windows uses them
too, since it is built “on top of” MS-DOS. Windows is often configured to hide filename
extensions, so that you may no t be aware of them. (But see below for the remedy.)
The Mac OS doesn’t use filename extensions. A very different system is employed to identify
different file types, so that a file named document could be almost anything — text, graphics,
audio, video, whatever. Mac users who want to publish on the Web or share files with Windows
users need to be aware of filename extensions and start using them correctly.
Examples of Common Filename Extension Problems
v You find a file named document.html.txt. Which is it — plain text or hypertext?
v You create a web page that is supposed to display an image. The image file is named
picture.jpg but you mistakenly set the SRC attribute of the IMG tag to point topicture.gif.
The image does not appear.
v You’re a Windows user. A Mac user sends you e-mail with a Word document attached. It
is named Final Report. You can’t open it. Because Final Report has no filename
extension, the Windows operating system can’t identify it as a Word file. If the Mac user
had named the file Final Report.doc, this would not have occurred. Also note that it’s
good practice to avoid spaces and case variations in filenames if you plan to share them
over the Web, so an even better name would be final_report.doc, final-report.doc or
finalreport.doc.
Windows Only: Configure Your System
Follow these instructions to make Windows display filename extensions at all times. This is
highly recommended for aspiring Web authors, because it reduces opportunities for confusion.
· WinXP: From the Start menu, choose Control Panel, then double-click on Folder
Options. (In older versions of Windows, Open any folder or drive. From the View menu,
choose Options or Folder Options.)
· A dialog box should appear. Click the View tab.
· Look for an option that says “Hide file extensions for known file types” or “Hide MS-DOS
file extensions for file types that are registered.” Make sure this item is not checked.
· Click the button marked OK.
PDF [114 Kb] (requires Acrobat Reader)
Word [146 Kb] (requires Microsoft Word)
The following quick reference sheet will help you with the tutorial. It is two pages long. The quick reference sheet is available in the following formats:
PDF [28 Kb] (requires Acrobat Reader)
Word [35 Kb] (requires Microsoft Word)
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