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HTML is a markup language used to create documents designed to be accessed across the World Wide Web using browser software such as Internet Explorer or Firefox. The version of HTML in current use is known as XHTML, a stricter, rationalised version of the original HTML specification. One key thing to note about HTML and XHTML pages is that they describe the content and structure of the page rather than the position and presentation of the elements on the page.

The first difference between an HTML and an XHTML page is the document type definition. There are a variety of ways in which this specification can be made in Dreamweaver. One of the easiest is to go to the Modify menu and choose Page Properties. Here, in the Title/Encoding section, one of the options reads Document Type (DTD).

There are several options available in the drop-down menu next to this setting, some relating to HTML version 4 and some to XHTML version 1. These DTD settings specify the rules for the mark-up language so that the browsers can render the content correctly. For any new content that you create, the best specification to choose is XHTML 1.0 transitional since it uses the current XHTML specification while allowing backward compatibility with slightly older browsers.

When looking at an HTML page, the structural content may not be immediately apparent. However Dreamweaver provides a number of useful tools for keeping tabs on the structure of your web page content. One of these is called the Tag Selector. Wherever the cursor is positioned, the HTML code relating to that part of the page is displayed in the bottom left of the page on the Status Bar in an area known as the Tag Selector.

When the browser reads the page, the tags surrounding text and other elements communicate to the browser the structural importance of each element. Thus, for example, the H1 tag tells the browser that a piece of text is a major heading, while the H2 tag signifies a sub-heading, and so on. When these tags are displayed in the Tag Selector, you can get an idea of the structure of the page and you can also click on any tag to select the element(s) it contains.

The tags tell the browser the structural importance of each element. However the page doesn’t contain any information that helps the browser decide how each element should be displayed. This is the job of CSS Cascading Style Sheets. An XHTML page is still essentially an HTML page. However, its syntax is stricter. Let’s take a couple of examples…

One example of this difference is that XHTML is case sensitive while HTML is not. In XHTML, all tags are lowercase so the H1 tag has to be written h1. In HTML, h1 or H1 can be used.

In XHTML, the closing tag of an element cannot be ommitted: in HTML it is permissible to have an opening tag without a closing tag. One such example is the horizontal rule element (hr) which creates a dividing line between two sections on a webpage. This element is represented by a single tag, since it can never be used as a container for other stuff. In XHTML, there is a special syntax for such non-container elements: a single tag which is both an opening and closing tag (hr/). In HTML, the single opening tag is used without the need for a closing tag (hr).

In summary, XHTML is the current version of HTML and this is the standard that should be used for any new projects. However, existing projects that one may inherit may well contain HTML rather the XHTML. Therefore, one should be aware of both. Remember also that HTML and XHTML describe only structural aspects of web page content: neither of them should contain information regarding the presentation and display of content. The display and presentation of web content should be specified using CSS.

Posted under Software

If you have ever wanted to build your own website, you might not even know where to start. If you’ve done the research and you’re looking for the simplest program for regular users, it’s likely that you’ve heard of Adobe Dreamweaver. This is one of the simplest web design programs to use, and the fact that it includes an HTML editor just makes it that much more useful. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to create a website for fun or for business. There’s something for everyone in Adobe Dreamweaver, but before you get stuck into design, you need to learn how to use the program properly.

There are so many different books and tutorials out there on Adobe Dreamweaver, but you might not know how to select the right one. First of all, if you want learning the program to be as simple as using it is, you’ll need to leave computer books on the shelf. Textbooks are great for other things, but when it comes to learning web design, having that hands-on experience can make or break your success in using the program. Just like children, who learn the alphabet much more quickly by seeing it and writing it, our brains are wired to learn things through example and by being shown. It’s human nature for us prefer “show me” rather than “tell me” when it comes to learning.

With computers, hands-on use is essential to your making sure you understand everything. If you can’t see the computer screen, you won’t know the difference between the cursor and the pointer, other than that one is shaped like an arrow and the other is a blinking line. It’s really a matter of basic common sense. If you use training software to learn Adobe Dreamweaver, your brain will get to see how the program works, and then you can duplicate what you have seen. If you just read a book, your brain will likely get stuck between the information and execution stages because you are not seeing the program in use.

Adobe Dreamweaver makes website building really easy for anyone. Taking the time to invest in training software and tutorials that can show you how to succeed with Dreamweaver will make learning the program just as straightforward as using it can be. It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional web designer, or if you just want to build your own website. You can learn Adobe Dreamweaver much more rapidly if you take the time to get involved in a hands-on training method.

Posted under Software

HTML is a markup language used to create web pages designed to be accessed across the World Wide Web using browser software such as Internet Explorer or Firefox. The version of HTML in current use is referred to as XHTML, a stricter, rationalised version of the original HTML specification. One important fact to note about HTML and XHTML pages is that they describe the content and structure of the page rather than the position and presentation of the elements on the page.

The first difference between an HTML and XHTML page is the document type definition. There are several ways in which this specification can be made in Dreamweaver. One of the simplest is to go to the Modify menu and choose Page Properties. Here, in the Title/Encoding category, one of the options reads Document Type (DTD).

There are several options available in the drop-down menu next to this setting, some relating to HTML version 4 and some to XHTML version 1. These DTD settings specify the rules for the mark-up language so that the browsers can render the content correctly. For any new content that you create, the best specification to choose is XHTML 1.0 transitional since it uses the current XHTML specification while allowing backward compatibility with slightly older browsers.

When looking at an HTML page, the structural content may not be immediately apparent. However Dreamweaver provides a number of useful tools for keeping tabs on the structure of your web page content. One of these is called the Tag Selector. Wherever the cursor is positioned, the HTML code relating to that part of the page is displayed in the bottom left of the page on the Status Bar in an area known as the Tag Selector.

When the browser reads the page, the tags surrounding text and other elements tell the browser the structural importance of each element. The H1 tag tells the browser that a piece of text is a major heading. The H2 tag signifies a sub-heading, and so on. As these tags are displayed in the Tag Selector, you can get an idea of the structure of the page and you can also click on the tags to select the element they contain.

The tags tell the browser the structural importance of each element. However the page doesn’t contain any information that helps the browser decide how each element should be displayed. This is the job of CSS Cascading Style Sheets. An XHTML page is still essentially an HTML page. However, its syntax is stricter. Let’s take a couple of examples…

XHTML is case sensitive: HTML is not. In XHTML, tags are always lowercase so the H1 tag has to be written h1. In HTML H1 or h1 can be used.

In XHTML, the closing tag cannot be ommitted: in HTML it is permissible to have an opening tag without a closing tag. One example of this is a horizontal rule (hr) which creates a dividing line between two sections on a webpage. This element is traditionally represented by a single tag, since it can never be used as a container. In XHTML, there is a special syntax for such elements: a single tag which serves as both an opening and closing tag (hr/). In HTML, a single opening tag is used with no closing tag (hr).

In summary, XHTML is the current version of HTML and this is the standard that should be used for any new projects. However, existing projects that you may inherit may well contain HTML code rather the XHTML. Therefore, it makes sense to be aware of both. Remember also that HTML and XHTML describe only the structure of web pages : neither of them should contain information regarding the display and presentation of this content. The appearance of web content should be specified using CSS.

Posted under Software