How to Create an HTML Document
Level of difficulty: Intermediate
HTML is an abbreviation for HyperText Markup Language, the most common markup language intended for Web pages. It provides the means for describing the structures of text-based information by assigning certain texts as headings, lists, paragraphs, links, etc. and supplementing the said texts with embedded images, interactive forms and other kinds of objects. Notepad is the most common application that HTML programmers utilize because it is capable of editing HTML. At the same time, it allows the user to view what he or she has edited by means of a Web browser.
Materials Needed:- Internet access
- computer
Step 1
The first step involved in creating an HTML document includes right clicking on the desktop and then selecting 'New'. From the pop-up list, choose 'Text Document'. After doing so, a new text document appears on the desktop with the New Text Document title. What follows is the modification of the computer system’s settings for the purpose of enabling the user to view the file extensions. In order to do so, users would have to open the Explorer which refers to all windows or folders. Upon getting there, select 'View' and choose 'Folder' options found in the drop down list.
Step 2
What follows is that a window pops up. At the top of the said window are three tabs. Click on the second tab labeled 'View'. From there, the user could see a number of checkboxes. Look for the option that reads 'Hide File Extensions for Known File Types'. Make sure that this checkbox is not marked with a check.
Step 3
Click on 'Apply' and then go back to the PC’s desktop. From there, the user is able to view the file that had just been created as New Text Document.txt with the file extension TXT at the end of the file name. Right clicking on the said file allows the user to rename the file to filename.html. File names depend on whatever the user wants but the file extension would have to be HTML. Upon doing so, the user would notice a modification on the icon and so from then on, the user would have a valid HTML file on his or her desktop. Although it is not required, the user can now make modifications to the settings when viewing file extensions.
Step 4
The next step in the creation of HTMLs involves opening the file HTML using the program Notepad. To accomplish this, open the Notepad program. When the said application cannot be located, click on the 'Start' menu, select 'Run', and then type in Notepad. Once the application has been opened, proceed to File/Open and then locate the HTML document that had previously been created. Open the HTML file. When the HTML document fails to appear, make sure that the File Type has been set to 'All Files' and not just 'Text Documents.' The HTML file may also be dragged onto the Notepad application depending on the preferences of the user or whichever is easier for the user.
Step 5
The final step involves setting up the computer so that each time the user updates the HTML document in the application Notepad, the user could quickly view the modifications that were made to a page on the user’s browser. In order to accomplish this, the user would have to open an HTML file in the program Notepad and then double click on the said file. The user should now have two open windows. One would be the application Notepad and the other one would be the user’s browser. From there on, every time the user types the HTML file in Notepad, the results may be quickly viewed by proceeding to the browser and then clicking on the refresh button.