HTML versus Java

HTML and Java are two of the languages of the World Wide Web.

 HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is a network based scripting language that allows multimedia hypertext documents to be written, edited, published, referenced, and navigated on the Web. HTML, since it is a scripting language, is self-contained ~ all the instructions and related data are contained in a single file. (We will learn HTML first.)

 Java is a programming language that allows developers to write miniature software programs and users to run the software directly from their Web browsers. Java specializes in creating small software programs called applets. Java, since it is a programming language, is not self-contained ~ the data and application files are separate.
 
 

HTML

All Web pages are written in HTML ~ even if they have Java or multimedia elements. What is the key to HTML? The tags. Tags are keywords enclosed in < and > symbols, which tell the Web browser how to format or present the information.

 HTML is universal, at least for the most part. It is universal because it can be accessed by any computer with an Internet connection and a Web browser. Other special hardware or software isn't needed. However, not all Web browsers, computer monitors, connection speeds, or computers are equal. How do you get around this? Create your pages with multiple standards in mind. Format the page for a certain pixel configuration, use tags that are universal for Netscape and Explorer, and preview pages in multiple browsers before posting them.

 HTML documents have two discrete elements:

  1. content (for the user or viewer); and
  2. instructions (for the Web browser on how display the content).
.htm versus .html What's the difference. Well, simply put, if you want people with older computers (like those still running on Windows 3.1) to be able to view your Web page, use .htm. Other than that, how you name the file (with .htm or .html) when you save it is the only difference. Either way, be consistent throughout your Web site.
 
 

What's the deal with Upper/Lower Case Letters and Spacing in Web addresses?

To make it easier for your viewer/user, always use lowercase letters in your file and folder names. Some browsers and/or Web servers get picky and cannot open the Web site if the letters’ capitalization is different than the saved file/page.

 Ditto goes for spaces in file and folder names on the Web. When previewing a page, spaces in file names may not matter. But this is before your Web page has been posted on a Web server, and servers are picky. As a rule of thumb use underscores ( _ ) or run the words together in the file and folder names for Web pages.
 
 

Creating HTML documents

HTML documents can be created using any standard text editor (Notepad), word processor, or HTML editor (HotDog Pro, HoTMetaL, FrontPage, Publisher, DreamWeaver, Composer). Regardless of the method of creation, the commands (instructions) and content must be in text or ASCII format and saved as a .htm or .html file.

 If there are all these creation tools out there, why am I learning in Notepad? Learning HTML yourself gives you flexibility. With knowledge of the “code” or language you'll never be limited to a particular programs features. Furthermore, some tools add extra code, which results in more memory required for the Web page and slower load times. This compromises our users viewing abilities as well as whether or not they'd actually stick around to view the page.

 There is a basic structure to all HTML documents, regardless of creation method:

  1. Head section and
  2. Body section
Both sections are contained within the HTML section, so to speak. In the Heading we include the Title Bar name for the Web page, the author's name, and meta tags (which can be used to increase visitors to your site). The Body contains all of the information that is shown on the screen in the Web browser, as well as how it is shown.
 
 

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