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So you want HTML help, huh? ...That's a reasonable request. HTML is actually a very simple language (although somewhat cumbersome if you're building a whole page) once you get used to it. HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language ... how cute, huh? :) I don't know why, but every HTML tutorial I've read has stressed that HTML isn't a language for geeks, but a way to make your computer function more fully and to design pretty things. I know it's helped me a ton. Before I learned it, I created my websites through Geocities, and they took forever to make and were always off-centered. Now I have many more tools and it's much easier to do... just lots of coding. ;) I never see my pages until after I've clicked "save" and then go to "preview" so it's harder to know what you're getting but they look a ton better and are far more usable. We won't get you confused with messy details, though. We'll just start at the beginning. The basic principle of HTML is invisible commands that make computers do things. For story-writing or forum-posting, you only need to know the most basic of commands. I'll help you through that. Unfortunately, as I'm using a HTML-commanded program, I can't ever show you exactly what a true command looks like, because then the computer would read it as a command. :) I think you'll understand anyway, as it's really very simple. HTML commands (called "tags") are made invisible by the fact that they're always contained in a set of brackets (< and >). Some of you use these brackets for actions, I know! At the forum and in the egroup, you'll probably be baffled to see that your actions disappear. No, this isn't abnormal. :) The program just thinks you're trying to tell it something in HTML and it just can't figure it out. The most basic HTML command forms a paragraph like I'm making right now. :) It won't tab in, but that's not computerish anyway. :) You'll look much more professional if you don't tab. The command for the paragraph is very simple. It's "p". That's right, enclose the "p" in those nifty tags (< and >) without any spaces, and you get a paragraph. Like this. Now, as we go along, it's very important to remember to close your tags, as it will mess up the rest of your story or everyone else's posts. If you don't close them, they are "improperly nested". Some messageboards will stop improperly nested tags, but ours won't, so please make sure you close them. Some more easy and useful commands are bold (b), italic (i), and underline (u). To use any of these commands, simply put them in the tags (< and >) and then type the things you want in bold or italics or whatever. When you are done with the things you want to be stylized, simply close your tag by putting a slash mark before the letter... /b or /i or /u. I'll show you an example (take out the spaces between the < and the letter to do it yourself): < b >Hi! < /b > ...If I take out the spaces, it looks like this: Hi! The same goes with italics and underlining. Of course, you can do much more with HTML than just messing with style. You can change font type, size, and color, too. All these are two-word commands followed by your choice. Most servers have most colors and fonts, but it's always good to preview or check to see how it will work before you send anything off. To change color, simply type in < font color="colorchoice" > (always moving in the < and > so that there are no spaces between them and the commands.) Please note the space between the "font" and the "color". The command will not function without it. As far as what you put in "colorchoice" goes, you can always type in the name of your favorite color and see if it will show up. Most of the time, it does. Often times, however, you can't get just the right shade by guessing, and then you need a color chart. I have one myself... click here to use it. If you're going to use one of these, simply type in the # symbol and the six-digit code for the color you want. Of course, the name black and the code #0000 will serve for the same thing. To cancel out your font color (return to the default color [black for e-mails and navy for the forum]) simply close the tag < /font > . Let's see if we can do some examples: < font color="black" > Hi < /font > Hi ...yields this: Hi Hi How about font styles? Do the same thing as above, simply substituting "face" for "color" and your style choice for your color choice. < font face="dolphin" > Hello! < /font > Hello! ...yields this: Hello! Hello! ---> note the < /font > does the same thing here as it does for colors, cancelling back to the previous. Size is practically the same. Size ranges from "-6" to "+6". Let's do an example once again: < font size="+3" > Hello! < /font > Hello! ...yields this: Hello! Hello! Now that you've got the basics, let's talk about breaks and spacing. If for some reason in a story you want to include a break, a nice spiffy one can be made using the "hr" command. < hr > yields this: If you don't want the bar to be all the way across the screen, use < hr width="[a percentage of screen to be covered]" >. For example: < hr width="65%" > ...yields this: How neat. :D See? That wasn't so bad. That's all you really need to know. In closing, HTML is a very simply language. To learn more about the cool things you can do with it (including how to make a webpage) you can visit my favorite HTML help site (kindly recommended to me by Raitha): HTMLGoodies.com. This excellent guide walks you through step-by-step sans headache. Begin with the HTML Primer (7 easy steps to learning the most basic HTML) and move on from there! I have already taught you most of the primer, but there are a few more simple things that you can pick up in a few seconds. After that, let your imagination run wild! Finally, I'll repeat my last entreaty: Don't ever forget to close your tags! If you do, you'll make life miserable for the rest of us. :) Happy HTMLing! This page made and maintained by Jenny/Eowyn. All questions/comments should be directed to her. |