HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language.
HTML files are basically special text files:

• Contain special control sequences or tags that control how text is to be
  formatted.
  
• HTML files are the ``source code'' for Web Browsers
  
  
  
  • A browser reads the HTML file and
    
  • Tries to display it using the tags to control layout.
    

Tags exist to control various display items:

• Titles
  
• Heading Levels
  
• Styles of font (e.g Bold, Italic)
  
• Lists and list items
  
• Hypertext links to other URLs and files.
  

Hypertext Terminology



Below is listed some common terms you will need to become familiar with:
Page
- Refers to a single HTML file. Sometimes
referred to as a document
Home page
- Refers to a designated entry point for
access to a local web
Hot spot
- A region of displayed hypertext that, when
selected, links the user to another location
web
- A set of hypertext pages considered to be a
single work
Web or WWW
- the union of all hypertext on all Web
servers worldwide


Creating HTML Documents



HTML files are Plain text (ascii) format, created using any text editor.
Many WYSIWYG HTML editors exist, e.g. Claris Home Page, Macromedia Dreamweaver.
Netscape Communicator also has a built in editor.
It is however recommended that you at least learn the basics of HTML tagging before you
dive into WYSIWYG editing as this mask the programming issues and ultimately hinders the
learning process.

Anatomy of Any HTML Document



Every HTML document consists of two elements:

• Head elements -- provides page title and general page formatting commands
  
• Body elements -- put the main HTML text in this part.