Chapter II

Every browser needs a way to identify HTML documents. Most times, when you publish a page, the id is automatically inserted. However, it is a good idea to put one in yourself. Some browsers do not recognize documents as easily as others. Get in the habit of enclosing your documents within the [HTML] tag.

[HTML]entire document and body[/HTML]

Most pages have a title displayed on the browser window. Sometimes it appears on the top, such as with Windows95, or it appears at the bottom, as with many Netscape programs. You can customize what it says there simply by putting the desired text within [TITLE][/TITLE] tags. For example, this page has the title "Chapter II," so it is coded as such:

[TITLE]Chapter II[/TITLE]

Usually the title tags are placed at the top of the document, directly after or before the beginner body tag.

The first and most important tag that every document needs is the [BODY] tag. Everything that you want viewers to see should be enclosed in these. Basic attributes for the document can be displayed within the body tag, affecting the entire document. This is where you can specify a background, link colors, or font colors for the entire page.

[BODY]everthing you wish to be seen on this page[/BODY]

It's easiest to stick the body tag right after and before the HTML tag; this way nothing will be left out.

When creating a section of text in a document, it's best to make it a paragraph [P]. Much like a regular paragraph, this tag sets apart the text with the equivolent of a double space or two enters. There are no indents; paragraphs appear just as you see here. Paragraphs do not have to just include text, you can place an image within to set it apart in the same way.

[P]paragraph text or image[/P]

To insert a break, add the [BR] tag to the desired place. One break tag creates the same appearance as hitting enter once, like this: [BR]
You can insert this tag wherever you wish, and it is not used in pairs. To create a double space:

place two break tags side by side [BR][BR].

Horizontal rules are a basic way to divide sections of your page. The unpaired tag [HR] simply adds a plain horizontal line across your page, like this:

The color of the bar varies automatically depending on what color background you choose, but it is usually grey. For a more colorful or more decorative hr, you can make or download them and code them as an image.

An easy way to start out an HTML document is by placing the required tags in first, and then putting in the body. Here is how I begin coding each doc:

[HTML][TITLE]title[/TITLE][BODY]
[/BODY][/HTML]