The Ultimate Glossary of Terms About HTML

When it comes to internet education and learning about the web, different people have different needs. Some folks want to know everything from the deepest tech to developing content strategies. At the same time, others want to understand internet marketing and what attracts users and what doesn’t. For developers, learning the internet usually means learning the language it is written in: the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).

HTML is one of the fundamental technologies on which the internet is built. In addition to CSS and JavaScript, HTML is crucial to bringing the websites we use daily to live. Because it is a markup language, HTML focuses on structuring your website.  It lets you dictate how and where you will place your content.  HTML, therefore, doesn’t involve programming logic, just the tags, and elements that dictate how a site looks.

While most developers catch on to HTML quickly and have no trouble becoming proficient, almost all of them agree it can get tedious. Most HTML editors don’t have live previews to show the site your code is generating — it can get a bit like shooting in the dark. 

In this article, you will also learn about one of the best HTML editors, which will teach you all of the essential HTML terms you need to know in order to build quality websites. However, an HTML Code Editor such as Froala allows you to write inline content and have the HTML generated for you.

All The HTML Terms You Need To Know

HTML Tag

Tags are the most basic unit of syntax within HTML. You use them to insert a specific element into your document.  Your browser then renders them in the order you write them. An HTML tag begins with the ‘<‘ and ends with ‘>‘ characters. The term in between them specifies the element. You can configure tags by specifying their attributes.

HTML Elements

Elements compose HTML. Each element puts the content you provide into a particular category. An element consists of a starting tag, the content, and an ending tag. Certain elements help you define the metadata of the HTML document and some help section the document. In addition, some alter the text content, and some elements help embed media content into the HTML document. Not all the elements created made are still valid, and many are often deprecated.

HTML Attributes

Attributes help you better configure the elements you include in your HTML document. You can specify the attributes by including them in the starting tag and passing them the desired value. For example, the image element can take attributes to specify the particular width, height, or length of the image when the browser renders it. Similarly, if you want to make a text clickable, you can include the href attribute and put it in your link.

HTML Entities

Since HTML uses certain special characters within its syntax, you will need to replace them with character entities in your text. Entities are a unique way of using the characters, and you can use the relevant entity name or number. For example, if you wish to use the < or > character, you will have to use &lt. The same goes for characters like & and “.

HTML Link Types

Link types help specify the association between two HTML documents. You can use tags like the <form> and <link> to specify the link type shared by the documents. For example, for the author link type, you provide a link within your content that enables the user to contact its author. Similarly, to establish the help link type, you give a link that takes the user to a helpful resource about the document.

HTML Canvas

With the Canvas element, you can draw graphics into your HTML document using JavaScript. The browser renders your graphics within the dimensions that you specify. You can use additional attributes like width and height. The Canvas element is essentially a container for the graphics you draw with JavaScript. You include your graphics script by using the <script> tag or by including an external script through its relative path.

HTML Iframe

Using the Iframe element, you can display a webpage within your HTML webpage. You can include an Iframe element with its <iframe> tag and specify the URL of the webpage and any title you want the browser to render by selecting additional attributes. You can also set the dimensions of the container for a webpage and specify if you want the browser to render solid borders.

HTML Tables

You can display data on your HTML webpage in rows and columns using the table element. This element requires you to use multiple tags to specify each detail of your table. The <tr> tag specifies the row and the <td> tag specifies each table cell and the content it will hold. You can also use the <th> tag to set the header for your table. You can modify how it renders by altering your CSS.

HTML Forms

HTML forms help you collect structured user input on your webpage. After specifying the <form> element, you can put in additional tags to render your labels and headers. You can also choose to add textboxes, tickboxes, checklists, or a combination of these input methods to your form. Finally, you can insert a button element that submits all the provided information.

HTML Media

HTML  functionality lets you add media elements such as images, videos, GIFs, and audio. For each media type, the HTML standard supports specific formats. For example, HTML it only supports the .mp4, .webm, and .ogg video extensions. Similarly, it only supports the .mp3, .wav, and .ogg audio extensions. You can even embed YouTube videos within an Iframe. The best editors for HTML support adding media via WYISWYG functionality.

HTML Favicon

The little image you usually see in a browser tab, or beside the website’s name, is called the favicon. Within HTML, you can add a favicon by saving it in the root directory and adding a <link> element in your main “index.html” file. It can take attributes that define the location of the favicon and its image file type.

How Does Froala Help With Your HTML Editing Needs?

While you can learn all about HTML and become proficient by simply building web pages, the Froala HTML editor allows you to take a more intuitive path. One of the most popular WYSIWYG editors around, Froala gives you the freedom to write webpage content inline just as if you were writing in a text editor.  It generates your webpage and its codebase as you write, removing the hassle of figuring out its HTML.

What is one of the best editors for HTML?

With more than a hundred additional features like built-in text checking and unit testing functionality, Froala can boost your productivity by a significant margin. You can closely configure your webpage’s content structure and its user experience without worrying about it turning out different than you intended. You can also include third-party plugins and make use of additional intelligent functions.

Think you are ready to code with HTML in a dynamic new way? Try out Froala today and witness how your webpages become more beautiful and powerful.