Basic Primer for HTML
This basic primer for HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) gives you enough
information to begin creating your own WWW pages here at the UW.
Information covered include creating a Weber account, elementary UNIX,
and the basic tags needed to create simple Web pages.
Table of Contents
What is HTML?
Web Services Team
Getting a Weber Account
Steps to Creating an HTML Document
A Few UNIX Commands
Basic HTML
Tags
Useful Tricks
Checking Your HTML Tagging
Copyright Considerations
More HTML Information
- HTML is a collection of standardized codes used to create documents
that a WWW browser can display.
- HTML files are plain text files with tags to designate formatting,
links to other documents and to place images.
- HTML tags allow only a limited variety of formatting and design, though
updated versions will be more flexible.
- HTML documents will differ in look depending on the type of Web
browser being used. Each browser (Lynx, Mosaic, Netscape, etc.)
defines the HTML tags in slightly different ways.
The Web Services Team
is responsible for developing standards and
guidelines for Web Documents, providing support and training for document
creation and maintenance, and review and evaluate the Libraries
deployment of Mosaic. Documents linked to the official UW Libraries home
page must meet the basic requirements set out by the team.
All UW faculty, students and staff are eligible for accounts on Weber, the UW's Web server.
Weber runs through the galaxy machines (saul, stein, hardy, etc.). To
create a Weber account:
- Login to your Saul (or whatever) account.
- Type "new-weber" at the prompt, omit quotation marks.
- A public_html directory has been created in your account which
will contain all your html files and will be linked to Weber.
- Your URL is: http://weber.u.washington.edu/~your login name
The following steps are used to get into your public_html directory and
to create HTML files using Pico, a text editing program (a primitive
word processing program) very similar to Pine.
- Login to your Saul account.
- Change to your public_html directory by typing "cd public_html"
at the prompt, omit quotation marks.
- Once in your public_html directory type "pico" to begin the
text editing program.
- Compose your document using HTML tags
.
- To save your document (to WriteOut), press ^O, name your
document being sure to end the filename with .html
- To exit out of Pico, press ^X and save changes.
These are some useful UNIX commands. For a more complete list see the
UNIX Quick Reference guide available at the Computing Resource Center Lab
or try this searchable UNIX Manual.
- cd -- change directory
- ls -- list files
- rm -- delete file
- mkdir -- make new directory
- pico -- start PICO (create a file using pico)
- cp -- copy file
- mv -- move file
- Copy the formatting from existing HTML documents. Use the
View Source feature available on both Netscape and Mosaic to look at the
original plain text file with all the tagging. Then just copy, paste and
change the text.
- Keep your text file easier to read by using blank lines between
paragraphs, using uppercase for some tags and by using tabs despite the
fact that these are not translated into the final HTML document.
- Constantly check your tagging by opening up a browser and
alternately saving your file and reloading the file on the browser.
In this way you can spot mistakes as you make them.
It is important to check that your tagging is compliant with HTML
standards. This program is simple to use and will list any errors
you might have on your page.
Publishing material on the web and providing public access to the Internet
has legal implications for libraries.
Theresa Mudrock / mudrock@u.washington.edu
rev. 31 January 1997