HTML — LLMpedia

HTML
Name	HyperText Markup Language
File ext	.html, .htm
Mime	text/html
Developer	World Wide Web Consortium, WHATWG
Released	1993
Latest release version	Living Standard
Genre	Markup language
Container for	Web content
Extended from	Standard Generalized Markup Language
Extended to	XHTML
Standard	HTML5

Contents

History
Syntax
Elements and attributes
Document structure
Semantic HTML
Related technologies

HTML. The HyperText Markup Language is the foundational, standard markup language used for creating documents designed to be displayed in a web browser. It defines the structure and meaning of web content, working in conjunction with technologies like Cascading Style Sheets for presentation and JavaScript for interactive behavior. Governed by specifications from the World Wide Web Consortium and the WHATWG, it has evolved from a simple document format to a cornerstone of the modern World Wide Web.

History

The initial concept for HTML was created in 1989 by Tim Berners-Lee while working at CERN, drawing inspiration from Standard Generalized Markup Language and the early hypertext system ENQUIRE. The first publicly available description, "HTML Tags", was published in 1991, leading to the development of early browsers like the Line Mode Browser and Mosaic (web browser). Subsequent development was driven by the "browser wars" between Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer, which led to proprietary extensions, prompting the World Wide Web Consortium to standardize versions like HTML 4.01. The modern, living standard known as HTML5 emerged from the work of the WHATWG, formed by individuals from Apple Inc., the Mozilla Foundation, and Opera (web browser), and is now jointly developed with the World Wide Web Consortium.

Syntax

An HTML document is composed of text content interspersed with markup tags, typically written in a plain text editor like Notepad++ or within an integrated development environment such as Visual Studio Code. The basic syntax involves elements defined by angle brackets, like `

` for a paragraph, which can be nested within other elements to create a hierarchical tree structure known as the Document Object Model. While traditionally forgiving of errors, modern practices encourage adherence to standards set by the World Wide Web Consortium, with validation tools ensuring compatibility across different web browser engines like Blink (browser engine) and Gecko (software).

Elements and attributes

Core building blocks include elements like `` for creating hyperlinks to other documents or resources, and `` for embedding graphics, which revolutionized the visual nature of the early World Wide Web. Elements are often modified by attributes, such as the `href` attribute in an anchor tag specifying the target Uniform Resource Locator, or the `src` attribute in an image tag. Form elements like ``, `` are crucial for user interaction, enabling everything from <a href="Google_Search.html">Google Search</a> queries to submissions on <a href="Facebook.html">Facebook</a>. Global attributes, such as `class` and `id`, are pivotal for applying <a href="Cascading_Style_Sheets.html">Cascading Style Sheets</a> rules and <a href="JavaScript.html">JavaScript</a> manipulations.</p> <h2 id="document-structure">Document structure</h2> <p>A well-formed document begins with a `<!DOCTYPE html>` declaration, followed by an `<html>` root element containing a `<head>` and a `<body>` section. The `<head>` houses metadata not displayed on the page, including the `<title>` (which appears in the browser tab), links to external <a href="Cascading_Style_Sheets.html">Cascading Style Sheets</a> files, and scripts or references to <a href="JavaScript.html">JavaScript</a> libraries like <a href="jQuery.html">jQuery</a>. The `<body>` encloses all the visible content, structured with elements like `<header>`, `<main>`, and `<footer>`, which collectively form the <a href="Document_Object_Model.html">Document Object Model</a> tree that browsers parse and render.</p> <h2 id="semantic-html">Semantic HTML</h2> <p>This practice involves using HTML elements that convey the meaning of the content they enclose, rather than just its appearance, which improves accessibility for tools like screen reader software and enhances search engine optimization. Examples include `<article>` for self-contained compositions, `<nav>` for navigation links, and `<time>` for machine-readable dates, as opposed to non-semantic elements like `<div>` and `<span>`. The adoption of semantic elements, a major feature of <a href="HTML5.html">HTML5</a>, aids web crawlers from <a href="Google.html">Google</a> and <a href="Bing_(search_engine).html">Bing (search engine)</a> in better understanding page structure and content.</p> <h2 id="related-technologies">Related technologies</h2> <p>HTML is rarely used in isolation; it forms a triad with <a href="Cascading_Style_Sheets.html">Cascading Style Sheets</a>, which controls visual presentation and layout, and <a href="JavaScript.html">JavaScript</a>, which adds dynamic behavior and is standardized by <a href="ECMAScript.html">ECMAScript</a>. On the server side, languages like <a href="PHP.html">PHP</a>, <a href="Python_(programming_language).html">Python (programming language)</a>, and frameworks such as <a href="Ruby_on_Rails.html">Ruby on Rails</a> or <a href="Django_(web_framework).html">Django (web framework)</a> generate HTML dynamically. Other closely related specifications include the <a href="Document_Object_Model.html">Document Object Model</a> for programmatic page manipulation, <a href="WebGL.html">WebGL</a> for 3D graphics, and <a href="SVG.html">SVG</a> for vector images, all working within the web browser environment defined by standards from the <a href="World_Wide_Web_Consortium.html">World Wide Web Consortium</a>.</p> <p>Category:Markup languages Category:Web technology</p> </div></div> </div> <footer class="mw-ft"><div class="ft-logos"><a href="https://scads.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span class="ft-lt">ScaDS.AI<small>Dresden / Leipzig</small></span></a></div> <div class="ft-links">Licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">CC BY 4.0</a> <span class="ft-sep">·</span><a href="accessibility.html">Accessibility</a> <span class="ft-sep">·</span><a href="imprint.html">Imprint</a> <span class="ft-sep">·</span><a href="data_protection.html">Data Protection</a></div> <div class="ft-ver">LLMpedia v0.1</div></footer> </div></body></html>