* Know what notepad is and how to use it
* Are able to open up a file using Internet Explorer (or the browser of your choice)
* Know how to copy and paste text from a webpage (important!).
If you are lacking the ability of the aforementioned items please contact a local geek and ask nicely for a quick lesson.
Tutorial Overview
In this tutorial you will be transcribing code into notepad and then viewing it with a web browser. The code is called HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) and notepad is a commonly used text editor on Window PCs. HTML may seem confusing at first, but we will help you understand how it works in this step-by-step tutorial of how to make your first web page.
Your First Web Page
To start off with copy the following HTML code into notepad. Be sure to copy the code exactly, otherwise your web page may not function correctly.
HTML Code:
My first webpage!
The above code is all that is required to create a basic web page! Now save your file in notepad by selecting Menu and then Save. Click on the Save as Type drop down box and select the option All Files.
When asked to name your file, type "index.html", without the quotes. Double check that you did everything correctly and then press save. Remember where it was saved to because you will need to open this file, soon!
Viewing Your Web Page - Web Browsers
To view your web page, you are going to have to use a web browser (of course). Web browsers are programs that interpret HTML, like what you have just copied into notepad, and transform that code into a visual representation, or a web page. Common web browsers include:
* Internet Explorer
* FireFox
* Opera
* Netscape Navigator - R.I.P.
Viewing your page
To view your web page, you must open the "index.html" file inside of a web browser. Open up another browser window and then follow these instruction.
1. In the new browser window, select File then Open
2. Then click Browse to enter Windows Explorer
3. Do you remember where you file is? Good, then navigate to its location
4. When you find your file, index.html, double-click the file to open it inside your web browser
Success! You have just viewed your very first webpage.
If this did not work for you, please go through the steps again and follow the directions closely. If you still can't get this to work, please Contact Us and we will get you up and running.
First Web Page - Review
Very good! Now let's be sure that you remember what you learned in this lesson.
1. how to copy some weird looking text (HTML) into notepad
2. how to correctly save this weird text in notepad
3. how to open your saved file and view the your webpage
Your Second Web Page
Now that you have created your first webpage, let us examine the different segments of your "index.html" file. You have probably noticed a pattern of various words that are surrounded with < and >. These items are called HTML tags.
An example of an html tag is . The Body tag tells the browser where the page's content begins. Body is also an example of one of the required HTML tags that every web page must have.
Basic HTML Tag Information
Let's learn more about these tags. A basic web page is composed of 2 main tags. If you create a web page without these tags you will be in trouble!
HTML Code:
Your site's content goes here
The first HTML tag, which conviently is labled tells the browser that your HTML code is starting. The second HTML tag, tells the browser that the visible part of the webpage ( your content ) is going to start.
Closing Tags -
You might be wondering what is the deal with the two tags at the end, and . These tags are telling the browser that certain tags are ending. The lets the browser know that your content is ending, while the