QSL.NET

Home Basics of HTML Handling Text Handling Images HyperLinks The COOL! Stuff

HTML, (Hyper Text Markup Language) is a very simple programming language to learn. Once you know the language, you can make beautiful webpages.

To get started, you need the following:

  • An account with QSL.NET.
    If you are not a member of QSL.NET, you need to stop by the QSL.NET hompage, and get some information on joining.
  • A simple text editor.
    If you use Microsoft Windows, then you can use Notepad. Otherwise, any simple editor will work as long as it can save files in the ASCII format.
  • A little extra time & patience.
    Follow this tutorial, and you'll have your very own homepage up in no time at all...


To make a web page is quite simple. When you use your browser to surf, each "place" is really a document telling your browser what to show on your screen. The browser recognizes a set of commands called HTML. These special commands are given inside the left and right brackets, "<" and ">". These are called tags. What goes inside may be capital or small letters; it doesn't matter which you use. Most people use capitals because they are easier to read; however, the choice is yours.

Every HTML page should follow this basic form:

<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Title of Page</TITLE>
</HEAD>

<BODY>

The HTML tags that define your page go here

</BODY>
</HTML>

The entire document consists of HTML tags, which begin with the <HTML> and end with the </HTML>. Header information is given between the <HEAD> and </HEAD> tags. This should include the document title that will appear at the top of the browser window. The entries between the BODY tags will appear in the browser window. Many HTML tags come in pairs, but we will see many more that do not. Be sure to nest all tags that come in pairs: <HEAD> ... <TITLE> ... </TITLE> ... </HEAD> is OK, but <HEAD> ... <TITLE> ... </HEAD> ... </TITLE> is not.

As for making and testing your documents, the easiest way to do this is to create and view them on your personal computer. This may be done using an HTML editor, but I prefer to use a text processor, like Notepad and a web browser like Netscape Navigator, of Microsoft IE. Open Notepad, or the editor of your choice, and paste in the the following HTML code:

<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Howdy World</TITLE>
</HEAD>

<BODY>

<CENTER>HOWDY WORLD!</center>

</BODY>
</HTML>


On the file menu, click Save. Save the file on the desktop, (C:\windows\desktop\) as "mydoc.html" (no quotes). It is very important to put the ".html" after the name of the file. This is what sets HTML files apart from plain text files on your computer. Then open the file you just saved in your favorite browser.

It is important to remember one thing when creating a webpage for QSL.NET; Always be sure to name your main page "index.html". You can name your other pages anything you wish, just be sure to name the main page "index.html".

These are the basics of HTML. The steps you learned here, you will use all the time while making, and testing webpages.

Top