An HTML document is a text file that contains the elements Internet Explorer uses to display text, multimedia objects, and hyperlinks. HTML stands for hypertext markup language. Using HTML, an author can format a document for display and add hyperlink jumps to other documents. Text that is formatted as a hyperlink can be selected by a user with the mouse. Once selected, the hyperlink jump will load the referenced document into your browser. A hyperlink and the object to which the link jumps can both be defined using HTML.
An element is the most basic part of HTML. An element consists of a start-tag, an end-tag, and the data characters enclosed by the two tags. A tag starts with a less-than (<) sign and ends with a greater-than (>) sign. An end-tag consists of the tag name immediately preceded by a slash (/). Some tags require that you always provide the matching end-tag; others allow you to omit the end-tag if the result is clear and unambiguous. For example, here is an element in HTML-a sentence that will display in bold:
<B>This sentence displays in bold.</B>
The example is an HTML element. The start-tag is <B>. The end-tag is </B>. The data characters are "This sentence displays in bold." This element, when read by Internet Explorer, will turn on bold formatting, based on the start-tag, and display the data characters in bold. The end-tag switches off the bold formatting. Many elements can be "nested" by placing an entire element inside the tags of another. For example, here is some italicized text placed inside a bold element:
<B>This sentence,<I>as written</I>, displays in bold.</B>
The <I>as written</I> element displays in both bold and italic because it is nested inside a bold element.
An element can have one or more attributes. An attribute is a parameter associated with an element that extends its meaning. Tags and attribute names are not case-sensitive, but they are typically written in uppercase to distinguish them from the data characters.
Tag Description A Stands for anchor. HREF= attribute creates hyperlinks. NAME= attribute creates a named reference. ADDRESS Specifies a mailing address. B Changes text to bold. See STRONG. BASE Specifies a document's URL. BASEFONT Sets the base font value. BGSOUND Adds background sounds that play on initial load. BIG Enlarges the font size. BLOCKQUOTE Sets apart a quotation in text. BODY Specifies the beginning and the end of the document body. See HEAD. BR Inserts a line break. CENTER Centers text and images. CITE Indicates a citation. Used to present a book, paper, or other published source material. CODE Presents a code sample. COL Sets the properties of a column. COLGROUP Sets the properties of one or more columns as a group. COMMENT Indicates a comment. Text in a comment element does not display in a browser. DIR Denotes a directory list. DIV Sets a document division. Groups related elements together within a document. EM Emphasizes text, usually by rendering text in italics. FONT Formats the font style, size, and color. FORM Denotes a form with which users enter data. See INPUT for a list of form elements. FRAME Defines independent windows, or frames, within a page. See FRAMESET. FRAMESET Defines layout for frames within a page. See FRAME. Hn Renders text in heading style, usually with a larger font than the body text. The n is a value from 1 to 6. HEAD Marks the HTML document heading. HR Draws a horizontal rule. Used to separate sections. HTML Denotes the file is an HTML document. I Renders text in italics. IMG Inserts a graphic file. INPUT Specifies a form control such as a check box or radio button. See FORM. KBD Indicates text to be entered at a keyboard. Appears in fixed-width and bold type. LI Denotes an item in a list. Adds special character or number depending on use. See UL LINK Establishes the relationship between documents. Appears only in the HEAD element. LISTING Renders text in fixed-width type. MENU Denotes a list of items. NOBR Turns off line breaking. NOFRAMES Indicates content viewable only by browsers that do not support frames. OL Specifies an ordered list. Each item has a number or letter reference. See UL, LI. OPTION Denotes one choice in a list box. P Inserts a paragraph break and denotes a new paragraph. PRE Displays text exactly as typed-with all line breaks and spacing. S Renders text in strikethrough type. SAMP Specifies sample text. See CODE. SCRIPT Specifies the inclusion of a script. SELECT Denotes a list box or dropdown list. SMALL Decreases the font size. STRIKE Renders text in strikethrough type. See S. STRONG Emphasizes text, usually with bold. See B. SUB Renders text in subscript. SUP Renders text in superscript. TABLE Creates a table. See TH, TR, and TD to learn how to define rows and columns. TD Creates a cell in a table. TH Creates a row or column heading in a table. TEXTAREA Creates a box in which a user can enter and edit text. TITLE Specifies a document title. Appears in the browser title bar. TR Creates a row in a table. TT Denotes teletype. Displays text in fixed-width type. U Renders text underlined. UL Formats lines of text as a bulleted list. See LI.
JaveScript is an interpreted, object-based scripting language. Although it has fewer capabilities than full-fledged object-oriented languages like C++ and Java, JScript is more than sufficiently powerful for its intended purposes. It is not a cut-down version of any other language (it is only distantly and indirectly related to Java, for example), and it is not a simplification of anything.