Introduction

This on-line HTML manual is a quick reference guide to creating simple HTML documents. Included in this guide is a description of the tag type and a few examples of each. As this is intended as a "quick" reference guide, not all HTML tags and codes will be included.

Document content and tags are the two elements that make up an HTML document. Document content is the part of the document that you want the user to see. This would include text information and any graphic used to enhance the document. Tags are HTML codes used to present the text and/or graphics in the document.

Tags are easily identified by the brackets (<>) that enclose the tag name. The proper syntax used when applying tags to document content is:

< Tag Name Properties > Document Content < /Tag Name >

There are some tags that do not need to be in pairs, these tags are known as one-sided tags, and only require the opening tag. Examples of one-sided tags include: < BR > the Line Break tag, < HR > the Horizontal Rule tag, and < LI > the List Item tag.

When designing a web page, or a whole web site, the layout of your document is very important. The way a user can flow through your web page(s) is as important as the way it looks. It is recommended that you test out your HTML code by seeing how it will appear using a browser.

Layout is also important when it comes to the HTML code itself. Sticking with a consistent coding scheme is important. For example, HTML tags are not case sensitive. So you could type them in any manner you wish, but it is suggested that which ever way you choose be sure to consistent. It is recommended that tags be capitalized for easy editing of the HTML document. Other rules of thumb include beginning your HTML document with the < HTML > < HEAD > < TITLE > < BODY > tags and ending your document with their respective closing tags.