Introduction
HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the standard language used to create and design webpages. HTML 4, while not the latest version, still serves as a foundational technology for web development. Understanding HTML 4 can provide a solid base for learning more advanced HTML versions and related technologies.
What is HTML 4?
HTML 4 is a version of HTML that was widely used before the introduction of HTML5. It includes many of the basic tags and elements that are essential for structuring and presenting content on the web. Key features of HTML 4 include support for multimedia, enhanced form controls, and the ability to create more dynamic web pages.
Basic Structure of an HTML 4 Document
An HTML document is composed of elements enclosed in tags. The basic structure includes:
- DOCTYPE Declaration: Specifies the version of HTML being used.
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd">- HTML Tag: The root element that encloses all other HTML content.
<html>
</html>- Head Section: Contains metadata, title, and links to scripts and styles.
<head>
<title>Page Title</title>
</head>- Body Section: The main content area of the document.
<body>
<h1>Welcome to HTML 4</h1>
<p>This is a simple HTML 4 page.</p>
</body>Key Elements and Tags
- Headings:
<h1>,<h2>, …,<h6>for creating headers of varying importance. - Paragraphs:
<p>for defining paragraphs. - Links:
<a href="URL">Link Text</a>for creating hyperlinks. - Images:
<img src="URL" alt="Description">for embedding images. - Lists:
<ul>,<ol>, and<li>for unordered and ordered lists. - Tables:
<table>,<tr>,<td>for creating tables. - Forms:
<form>,<input>,<textarea>,<button>for user input.
Styling and Layout
While HTML 4 focuses on the structure of a webpage, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is used for styling. Basic CSS can be included within an HTML document using the <style> tag or linked externally using the <link> tag.
Best Practices and Accessibility
- Use Semantic Elements: Ensure your HTML is semantic to improve accessibility and SEO.
- Validate Your Code: Use the W3C validator to check for errors and ensure your code meets web standards.
- Accessibility: Include attributes like
altfor images andtitlefor links to aid screen readers and improve user experience.
Conclusion
Learning HTML 4 is a great starting point for anyone interested in web development. It provides a fundamental understanding of how webpages are structured and styled. From here, one can progress to more modern HTML5 and CSS3 techniques, as well as JavaScript for interactive elements.