Before beginning your HTML document create a folder or subdirectory to keep all your web pages and web graphics. Then open a simple text editor such as Teach Text or Simple Text in Macintosh, or Note Pad in Windows.
Write your document using HTML tags. Tags are HTML code that tell the computer what to do. Each tag begins with a < (lesser than sign) and ends with a > (greater than sign). The tags on this page are necessary. Other tags will be covered on the following pages.
<HTML> Begin with this tag which tells the computer to begin reading HTML code.
<HEAD> Next comes the heading tag, followed by the title tags.
<TITLE>Write the title of your page here.</TITLE>
</HEAD> End your heading right after the title with this tag.
<BODY> The body of your document begins after the heading with the <BODY> tag.
Put your code, graphics, and writing in this area.
</BODY> End the body with this tag.
</HTML> This tag tells the computer to end the HTML document.
Save your document to the web site folder or subdirectory you created earlier. The name of the saved document needs to have one of two extensions: html for Macintosh or htm for Windows and/or IBM compatible. Save your document to your folder or subdirectory with the extension of html (MacIntosh) or htm (DOS).
| document_name.html |
|
document_name.htm |
|---|
To view your page Open Netscape. Next open your saved document in Netscape (go to the File Menu and drag down to Open File). Then set the path to your saved document.
You can make changes in your text document and then look at the changes in Netscape. In fact, you can move back and forth between Netscape and your text file as you make changes. Each time you check the changes in Netscape do two things:
1. Save your HTML document that is in Simple Text, Note Pad, etc.
2. Press the Reload button in Netscape.
© Barbara Gibson, October 1996
Fourth Edition, January 1998