Learn HTML - Notepad's ultra-simplified HTML Lesson:

Have no idea where to start with HTML? Here's the simplest possible explanation. HTML in the tiniest of nutshells - just five concepts to understand:

1) HTML is simply a file format: HTML is the file format of web pages. Just like MSWord uses .DOC files and Notepad uses .TXT files -- web browsers display HTML (.HTM) files. On the web, each web page is one HTML document! Thus, "page" and "html file" mean the same thing.

2) HTML documents can be edited by hand: Unlike the complicated PPT and DOC file formats, HTML is so simple it can be edited by hand. To do this you only need a text editor like Notepad (which is what this page was written with).

3) HTML is just plain text with "tags" HTML stands for "Hyper Text Markup Language": That's a mouthful, but let's take it one piece at a time. Let's start with "markup language". This refers to the fact that HTML has a "markup" tags in the text to describe special parts (like formatting or links).

Clear as mud? HTML tags are special words surrounded by < and > like this: <font>. HTML tags often come in pairs, a start and end tag. The end tag has a extra slash at the beginning like this: </font>. So, for example, to bold a word in HTML, you would surround the word with the start and end bold tag <b> like this: "I didn't <b>really</b> want the pie." -- which would look like this:

I didn't really want the pie.

5) So that explains "markup language", how about "hyper text"?: Well I assume you already understand the concept of HTML links (you used them to get here after all). But how do links actually work in HTML? It's actually really simple - to create a link from one page to another, you just use the <a> tag. For example, say you want to place a link back to your home page which is the file "index.htm". Here's an example: "Or, you can go back to my <a href="index.htm">home page</a>..."

Or, you can go back to my home page...

Notice that the link tag had an "href=" part followed by the filename of the link's target page. This is the basic magic of linking. Pretty simple eh?

That's it! Well, that's not all of it but that covered the rock bottom! We'll introduce many more ideas as you move quickly through the simple tutorial. Soon you'll learn to create your own HTML pages from scratch and add all kinds of fun graphics and links and sounds and fonts. Then we'll take you through the simple task of getting your own web site, uploading your pages and even getting your own domain name!

Just imagine, a few minutes ago you were just a regular mortal. Now you're well on your way to becoming a web-programming godling...

Or, to continue to learn HTML, begin the HTML tutorial (just click the link below):