What Is HTML?

HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language. This document standard is designed to allow the authoring of Web pages displayable in a Web browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer.

An HTML document is similar to other program source codes in that it is laid out in a document file and marked with a special file name extension that signals us to its type. The file name extensions used with HTML files are .htm and .html.

The key to understanding how HTML works is grasping the use of elements. An element is one unit of an HTML document that is surrounded by a tag.

The general form of a tag is tag, data, end tag, with the data portion usually consisting of text, pictures, and hyperlinks .

To create an element, you place a starting tag in your document. Anything that follows that starting tag is part of that element. You place an end tag to signify that the element is finished.

Elements can be placed inside other elements to form a hierarchy. This will all make sense after we define tags and see some examples.