HTML Definitions

When working with HTML there is a certain language that it is helpful to understand. Below are the most common definitions to be familiar with.

AJAX

AJAX is a way of using JavaScript to do some great dynamic changes to a web page. Most web pages are very static, but AJAX pages use CSS with JavaScript to change things dynamically.

Attribute

An attribute sets something within the element. It is set in the open tag and uses the attribute="value" style.

Chrome

A quickly growing browser maintained by Google. Has some very good features, but not as well supported as Firefox or Internet Explorer, but support is growing. Download it here

CSS

Cascading Style Sheets are a way of setting attributes in a far richer way. You can set all the attributes for every element in one location and set "classes" for these elements which allow even richer display.

Deprecated

Fancy term meaning that it is no longer supported. Some browser may still support it, but it is not in the current standard.

Element

An element is the portion between an open tag and an end tag. It refers to the section of text that is effected by any attributes or css that effect it.

Embed

In HTML we can put other code pieces into the page that are not HTML. We do this by embedding the code into the HTML. In other words, we just put the other code into the HTML and tell the browser what language it is in. Most commonly we use CSS or JavaScript to do this.

Firefox

One of the most used browsers. Sometimes referred to as FF. Download it here. Uses the Mozilla engine.

HTML

HTML is the language of the web. It is a markup language that defines elements that will have set display styles.

Internet Explorer

One of the most used browsers. Sometimes referred to as IE. Maintained by Microsoft. Comes packaged with Windows.

JavaScript

JavaScript is a scripting language that is often embedded in HTML pages. Scripting languages run scripts (do something) where markup languages like HTML set the display. Using both together allows for a lot of flexibility.

Major Browsers

The major browsers are the 5 browsers that are most used. These are Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Opera and Safari

Tag

A tag is the mark that opens and closes an element. It is between a < and > such as the <b> bold tag.

XHTML

XHTML and extension of HTML that uses the more restrictive set of rules within XML. It is a markup language that defines elements that will have set display styles.