HTML

Section 2: HTML Articles, Tutorials, Resources, and Books

The HTML Articles, Tutorials, Resources, and Books category section below includes links to HTML tutorials to help with best practices for HTML markup. You'll find standards-based HTML tutorials and articles using W3C Recommendations for Web page markup. Also included are tutorials on META element tags, accessible frames, tabular data tables, and more.

Check out HTML Web Authoring / HTML Editor Tutorials and Articles for Web authoring / HTML tutorials and articles for specific Web authoring / HTML editors, such as Dreamweaver, HomeSite, TopStyle, and more.

Know of some good articles, tutorials, tips, Web sites, books, or other resources related to HTML? Recommendations are welcome and appreciated!

On this page:

HTML Articles
General HTML Tutorials and Tips
HTML Tutorials on Specific Topics
Web Sites or Web Site Sections Devoted to HTML
Other HTML Links Resources
Recommended Books on HTML

Also within HTML:

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Articles on HTML

The Four Essentials of Modern Web Design
This article covers four design essentials discussed at Web Essentials '04 Conference October 2004. These include valid markup (standards compliance), accessible markup, semantically correct markup, and separation of content and presentation. Jason's article clearly and succinctly explains them all and provides easy-to-understand examples. [10/27/2004, by By Jason Foss, for SitePoint.]

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General Tutorials on HTML

HTML, An Interactive Tutorial for Beginners
Dave's HTML Guide. Covers basic HTML, common tags, links, images, fonts, colors, lists,navigation, publishing your page, tables, frames, mailto forms, sound, meta tags, counters and guestbooks, and more.
HTML Links
From W3 Schools, learn how to create hyperlinks to other pages or within a page using the anchor tag, href attribute, name attribute, target attribute, mail link, and more. Basic instructions and examples included. Good introduction.
HTML Made Really Easy
This is an excellent reference and tutorial. Explains basics of HTML for beginners and good reference for anyone. This page also links to other sites for greater details in a variety of specific areas (such as forms, frames).
Introduction to HTML
Eric Meyer's great tutorial. Includes terms and concepts, document tags, structure tags, lists, special effects, anchors, images, and more. Although original written to include HTML 2.0 and HTML 3.2, there continues to be much valid information here and goes over the basics very well.
Know The Code: HTML For Beginners
from Builder.com. Great tutorial for beginners and links to further resources. [Tutorial dated 01/29/2003 by Fred Dekker and Donald St. John for Builder.com.]
Simple Guidelines on using ALT texts in IMG elements
by Jukka Korpela. It's important to provide text alternatives to images. Excellent article, explanation about using ALT attributes in images and appropriate text for the ALT attribute. Resources to further info. Article based on W3C guidelines.
Use of ALT texts in IMGs
Fabulous information by A.J. Flavell about the importance of using helpful information the ALT attribute for images. Examples are cited, ideas for what to use for horizontal rules, bullets, and more.

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HTML Tutorials on Specific Topics

Tutorials on HTML 5, frames, iframes, META element tags, multimedia, tables.

HTML 5 Tutorials

Below you'll find helpful websites and tutorials on using HTML 5.

Dive into HTML 5
Written by Mark Pilgrim, this entire site is devoted to HTML 5 and “seeks to elaborate on a hand-picked Selection of features from the HTML5 specification and other fine Standards.” [Website copyright © OReilly Media, written by Mark Pilgrim.]
HTML 5 Doctor
An entire site devoted to HTML 5: “a resource for people who wanted to learn more about the hows and whys of implementing HTML5... (and) publish articles relating to HTML5, its semantics, and how to use it right now.” [Website: html5doctor.com. By Rich Clark, Bruce Lawson, Jack Osborne, Mike Robinson, Remy Sharp, Tom Leadbetter, and Oli Studholme.]
HTML 5 Rocks
An entire site devoted to HTML 5. Includes tutorials, a code playground, an interactive presentation, resources, and more. [Website: html5rocks.com. By Google.]
HTML 5 Working Draft
W3C HTML 5 working draft via whatwg.org. [Website: whatwg.org. Editor: Ian Hickson.]

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Frames and HTML: FRAME, FRAMESET, NOFRAMES Elements

Below you'll find tutorials on creating frames for Web sites, the pros and cons of using them for public Web sites, and how to use them properly to be user-friendly for your visitors.

Editor note: Frames are generally not recommended for public Web sites. If you or your client are absolutely insistent on using them, though, please at least create them as user-friendly as possible according to W3C HTML Recommendations for frames and the suggestions in the tutorials below.

Frames - Definition
Good definition and links from WhatIs.com.
Getting Your Framed Site Listed With Search Engines
Great article by Jill Whalen of HighRankings.com for HighRankings.com. Also shows example with NOFRAMES element.
How to do Framesets
Easy-to-follow, helpful tutorial about how to set up framesets, frames for 2-framed sites, 3-framed sites. Well done. [via Elated.]
Some Caveats with Using Frames
Very informative article about what to watch for with using frames with your Web site. Also includes resources to further information. Article from evolt.org dated July 1999. [Tutorial dated 07/1999, evolt.org.]
Search Engines And Frames
Excellent article from Search Engine Watch about building a Web site with frames and its incompatibility with search engines. Ideas for some workarounds, too. [Tutorial dated 09/15/2005 by Danny Sullivan, Search Engine Watch.]
To Frame Or Not To Frame: That Is The Question
Article by Shirley Kaiser for WebsiteTips.com that discusses the advantages and disadvantages of frames. Includes resources and further information. [Tutorial dated 11/1999 by Shirley Kaiser, SKDesigns for WebsiteTips.com.]

For more on frames, see also the following sections:

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IFRAME Element and HTML

HTML Support History
Browser support chart for the iframe element, covering Internet Explorer, Netscape, and Opera. [by Brian Wilson, Index DOT Html]
IFRAME Element | iframe Object
MSDN's chart and DHTML documentation for attributes and properties for using the iframe element and iframe object. [MSDN HTML and DHTML Library, microsoft.com]
IFRAME - Inline Frame
Information about attributes, how to use the iframe element, links to more information. [by Liam Quinn for WDG's HTML Help]
Using IFRAME Elements
MSDN's tutorial and overview for using the iframe element, including how to use the iframe element, using transparency, stacking inline floating frames, and links to related topics. Examples are provided, too. [MSDN HTML and DHTML Library, microsoft.com]
Using inline frames (iframe elements) to embed documents into HTML documents
Very thorough information and tutorial about the iframe element and its attributes, including what it is, many examples of how to use it, using CSS with iframe, using JavaScript with iframe, working with accessibility issues, browser support, simulating scrollable tables, targets, embedding various media, legal issues, and resources to much more. [by Jukka Korpella]

For more on the iframe element, see also the following section:

HTML Section 1: W3C Recommendations IFRAME Element

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META Element and HTML

There was a time when META element tags played a big role in helping a site's search engine rankings. That's no longer the case after all the abuse; however, they have much more to offer than this. Metadata can help with site searches, indexing, organizing your content, and much more.

For more information about SEO, tutorials, and resources, see also the Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM) section.

A Dictionary of META Tags
by Vancouver Webpages. Incredibly extensive and thorough. HTML META, REL and REV Tags. Tons of authoritative information and links to resources. Everything you want to know and then some.
An Introduction to Metadata
by Chris Taylor, University of Queensland Library. Excellent, highly recommended article, tutorial about metadata and its purpose, various types of metadata, what browsers support, info about search engines, Dublin core format and others, resources, and more. Excellent for understanding semantics, what and why about metadata. [07/23/2003 by Chris Taylor for Univ. of Queensland Cybrary.]
Can Meta tags such as the keyword tag bring high rankings to my site?
by Jill Whalen, Highrankings.com. Helpful article about the real and practical tips for META element tags and search engines. [11/21/2001 by Jill Whalen, High Rankings.]
Dublin Core Metadata Initiative
An initiative and open forum to develop interoperable online metadata standards. Extensive information here, including metadata elements, how to use them, definitions, more. See also their FAQ.
How To Use Meta Tags
from Search Engine Watch. Excellent information. [12/05/2002 by Danny Sullivan for Search Engine Watch.]
Meta Tags Info and Tips at High Rankings
This link goes to the search results page at High Rankings, where you'll find lots of helpful, practical information about how to use META element tags effectively for search engine rankings. Written by Jill Whalen (some also by Heather Lloyd-Martin). Excellent information. [By Jill Whalen for High Rankings.]
META Tagging for Search Engines
Good info and references from the WDVL (Web Developers Virtual Library). [2002 by Alan Richmond for Web Developers Virtual Library (WDVL).]

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Multimedia and Web Pages

The Vision Team: Music Tools
Instructions, tips, code for embedding sound files into your Web page.
Using Music on a Web site
WDVL's Lee Creek provides great basics about adding sound to your site, recommendations and how to do so, with resources to more information. Good help. [03/18/2002 by Lee Creek, WDVL]
Web Diner's Tutorial on Adding Audio To Your Web Site [2000 by Web Diner]

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Tables and HTML

Once the rage with page layouts, they're actually to be used for tabular data. Here are some tutorials to help. See also the CSS section for tutorials on styling your tabular data, too.

Advanced HTML Tables
by Andrew Starling, WDVL, this tutorial covers bugs and workarounds, nested tables, colored borders, free-standing (floating) panels, and cross-browser, cross-platform considerations. [03/18/2002 by Andrew Starling, WDVL]
Background images in tables [Tutorial via All My FAQs Wiki]
Building Tables
Project Cool's excellent tutorial on how to build tables in HTML. Very thorough, very well done, from sections on basic elements of a table to advanced skills with nested tables and more complex tables. Provides good instructions with plenty of examples with its corresponding HTML markup, and even common errors and how to solve them. Great reference.
Does Netscape 6 Break Your Table Layouts?
by James Aylard (jaylard) for evolt.org. Well done article about working with Netscape 6 and DTD issues. Includes discussion and addendum from discussion below article with links and more examples. [12/27/2000, by James Aylard (jaylard) for evolt.org]
HTML Tables: a very short introduction, and annotated links to tutorials and references
by Jukka Korpela. Excellent information and resources about tables.
Integrated Design: Mind Your <table>Manners
by Molly E. Holzschlag, WebTechniques.com. Excellent article relaying valuable insight and helpful tips about using tables effectively. (November 2000 issue).

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For more HTML tutorials, see also WebsiteTips.com's sections,

Web Sites or Web Site Sections Devoted to HTML

Annabella's HTML Help
by Annabella Ramsden. Simple step-by-step tutorials to basic HTML to get you started learning HTML - basic HTML tags, font tags, colors, tables, graphics, links, the marquee tag, music and sound, more. Well done.
Dave's Site
Site includes HTML tutorials for beginners, intermediate, advanced. Covers basic HTML, common tags, links, images, fonts, colors, lists, navigation, publishing your page, tables, frames, mailto forms, sound, meta tags, counters and guestbooks, and more. Also tutorials on site promotion, banner ads info, web design.
HTML Dog
A fantastic site devoted to HTML and CSS. Plenty of tutorials for beginners through advanced. [Web site by Patrick Griffiths.]
HTML Help
by The Web Design Group. Fabulous resource. Includes the HTML 4.0 Reference, the HTML 3.2 Reference, cascading style sheet guide, online tools (validators, more), articles and information on design elements, links to further resources.
HTML With Style
Section at WebReference devoted to HTML. Articles, tutorials by experts. Great source. [Part of WebReference.com.]
How Did They Do That with HTML?
by Carl Tashian. Tutorials on a wide range of Web site needs - HTML, tables, forms, password protection, much more. [Web site by Carl Tashian.]

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Recommended Books on HTML

Do you have any recommendations, favorite books on HTML, or do you have thoughts about books already included on this list? Please let us know!

For more HTML books, including short reviews, see also Books on CSS, HTML, XHTML, Web Standards, Web Authoring Tools/HTML Editors, DHTML, DOM, JavaScript, Ajax, PHP, Web Site Optimization, XML in our Recommended Books section.

Build Your Own Web Site the Right Way Using HTML & CSS
by Ian Lloyd. Published by SitePoint, May 2, 2006. This book is receiving rave reviews! Ian's fabulous new book teaches Web development from scratch, without assuming any previous knowledge of HTML, CSS or Web development techniques. It introduces you to HTML and CSS as you follow along with the author, step-by-step, to build a fully functional web site from the ground up. However, unlike countless other “learn Web design” books, this one concentrates on modern, best-practice techniques from the very beginning, which means you'll get it right the first time. By the end of the book, you'll be equipped with enough knowledge to set out on your first projects as a professional web developer, or you can simply use the knowledge you've gained to create attractive, functional, usable and accessible sites for personal use. For more information, see also the author's companion site for Build Your Own Web Site the Right Way Using HTML & CSS.
Bulletproof Web Design: Improving flexibility and Protecting Against Worst-case Scenarios with XHTML and CSS, Second Edition
By Dan Cederholm. Published by New Riders Press (August 1, 2007). Dan Cederholm, well-known and highly regarded Web site designer, created quite a positive stir with his previous books, also recommended by WebsiteTips.com. The author's Bulletproof Web Design book information provides helpful details, including the Table of Contents, reviews about the book, example code, a sample chapter, and more. The publisher states about Bulletproof Web Design, Second Edition:
No matter how visually appealing or content-packed a Web site may be, if it's not adaptable to a variety of situations and reaching the widest possible audience, it isn't really succeeding. In Bulletproof Web Design, author and Web designer extraordinaire, Dan Cederholm outlines standards-based strategies for building designs that provide flexibility, readability, and user control—key components of every sucessful site. Each chapter starts out with an example of an unbulletproof site one that employs a traditional HTML-based approach which Dan then deconstructs, pointing out its limitations. He then gives the site a make-over using XHTML and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), so you can see how to replace bloated code with lean markup and CSS for fast-loading sites that are accessible to all users. Finally, he covers several popular fluid and elastic-width layout techniques and pieces together all of the page components discussed in prior chapters into a single-page template.
Deliver First Class Web Sites: 101 Essential Checklists
By Shirley Kaiser. Published by SitePoint Books, July 2006. The author packs the entire book with helpful checklists and explanations, examples, and references to help with creating and maintaining a user-friendly site that also includes standards-compliant, accessible, and lean markup and code behind the scenes, including HTML, XHTML, CSS, and more. For example, Chapter 9: Best Coding Practice: W3C Standards and Recommendations includes Magic Markup: Separating Content from Presentation, Ensuring the Integrity of your Markup, Excellent XHTML, and Spectacular CSS: Using Appropriate CSS Naming Conventions, Beware of Browser Bugs and Problems, Using CSS for Print. Chapter 11: Web Site Optimization includes checklists on Creating Clean, Lean Markup, optimizing URLs, and more. Chapter 12: Search Engine Optimization includes checklists on how to optimize your HTML to be search-engine friendly. Chapter 14: Testing includes checklists to help ensure that your HTML is error-free, problem-free. You'll also find checklists to make sure your site is visually appealing, loads quickly, is search engine friendly, and more. Along the way, other chapters cover creating accessible Web sites, Web site optimization, preparing and managing Web site content, usability, color, information architecture, navigation, search engine optimization, design, testing, preparing for launch, post-launch follow-up, and much more. In addition, all those who purchase the book have special access to downloadable, printable checklists to use for all your projects. More information: Companion Site for Deliver First Class Web Sites: 101 Essential Checklists, author's Web site: SKDesigns.
Designing with Web Standards, 2nd Edition
By Jeffrey Zeldman. Published by New Riders, July, 2006. Now in a new, updated, and revised 2nd edition. Best-selling book on designing and developing a practical, solid Web site based on Web standards. Well written, real world solutions, and covers a lot of ground, including HTML, XHTML, CSS, DOM, browser quirks, case studies, and much more. The 2nd edition screenshots and other graphics are also now in full color. Even if you already have the 1st edition, there are significant updates and new content in the 2nd edition to make it well worth purchasing. Highly recommended. Both editions are on WebsiteTips.com's short list of all-time favorite books. Author's websites: Happy Cog, Zeldman.com: The Daily Report, and the author's Designing with Web Standards book information.
HTML Dog: The Best-Practice Guide to XHTML and CSS
By Patrick Griffiths. Published by New Riders Press, November, 2006. The author of this book is also the writer and owner behind the highly regarded, popular HTML Dog Web site, a Web site packed with helpful, easy-to-understand tutorials, including HTML and CSS. His book is destined to be fabulous. The description from the publisher for this book:
For readers who want to design Web pages that load quickly, are easy to update, accessible to all, work on all browsers and can be quickly adapted to different media, this comprehensive guide represents the best way to go about it. By focusing on the ways the two languages—XHTML and CSS—complement each other, Web design pro Patrick Griffiths provides the fastest, most efficient way of accomplishing specific Web design tasks. With Web standards best practices at its heart, it outlines how to do things the right way from the outset, resulting in highly optimized web pages, in a quicker, easier, less painful way than users could hope for! Split into 10 easy-to-follow chapters such as Text, Images, Layout, Lists, and Forms, and coupled with handy quick-reference XHTML tag and CSS property appendixes, HTML Dog is the perfect guide and companion for anyone wanting to master these languages. Readers can also see the lessons in action with more than 70 online examples constructed especially for the book.
Author's Web sites: HTMLDog, Vivabit.
HTML, XHTML, and CSS, Sixth Edition: Visual QuickStart Guide
By Elizabeth Castro. Published by Peachpit Press, August 2006. This book series by Elizabeth Castro is the best-selling book on HTML and for good reason. She explains everything in easy-to-understand language, covers all the important bases of HTML, XHTML, and CSS, provides tips and warnings, and helpful illustrations and examples throughout the book. While the W3C Recommendations haven't changed since the 5th edition, how people use the specs has changed quite a bit. Fantastic. Highly recommended. Author's website with more about all her books: Cookwood Press, Liz's HTML Blog. As the author states,
I have revamped the examples throughout the book to reflect new and updated browsers, the growing emphasis on standards, CSS layout, and also the push toward multimedia and syndication. There are brand new chapters on using CSS for Handhelds and on Syndication and Podcasting as well as added individual sections throughout the book. And it's all in color!
From: Sixth Edition of HTML, XHTML, and CSS Visual QuickStart Guide! - blog post 08 July, 2006, Liz Castro
Learning Web Design: A Beginner's Guide to (X)HTML, StyleSheets, and Web Graphics, 3rd Edition
By Jennifer Niederst Robbins. Published by O'Reilly (June 29, 2007). Top-selling book, now in its 3rd edition, on learning how to create Web sites with (X)HTML, CSS, and Web graphics. From the publisher:
Everything you need to know to create professional web sites is right here. Learning Web Design starts from the beginning — defining how the Web and web pages work — and builds from there. By the end of the book, you'll have the skills to create multi-column CSS layouts with optimized graphic files, and you'll know how to get your pages up on the Web.
This thoroughly revised edition teaches you how to build web sites according to modern design practices and professional standards. Learning Web Design explains:
- How to create a simple (X)HTML page, how to add links and images
- Everything you need to know about web standards — (X)HTML, DTDs, and more
- Cascading Style Sheets — formatting text, colors and backgrounds, using the box model, page layout, and more
- All about web graphics, and how to make them lean and mean through optimization
- The site development process, from start to finish
- Getting your pages on the Web — hosting, domain names, and FTP
The book includes exercises to help you to learn various techniques, and short quizzes to make sure you're up to speed with key concepts. If you're interested in web design, Learning Web Design is the place to start.
Spring Into HTML and CSS (Spring Into)
By Molly Holzschlag. Published by Addison Wesley Professional, April 2005. The “Spring Into” series takes a no-nonsense, just-the-facts-please approach to help you quickly and easily get what you need. This book covers a LOT of ground. Molly Holzschlag is a well-seasoned professional author with over 30 books published. Her clear and easy-to-understand writing style makes it easy to understand why she is such a successful author and why her books sell so well. How do you decide which book is for you? You can explore a sample chapter online: How to Add Images, Media, and Scripts to Your Web Site. The author's Web site: Molly.com.
The Ultimate HTML Reference
by Ian Lloyd. Published by SitePoint, May 19, 2008.
This book is perfect for anyone looking for an in-depth, accurate, and beautifully presented HTML reference. You won't find a more up-to-date HTML reference that includes browser compatibility information, working examples and easy-to-read descriptions. The Ultimate HTML Reference contains all the HTML knowledge you'll ever need and presents it to you in style. Depending on your preference, you can choose the convenience, durability, and usability of a hard cover printed version, a transportable off-line version (PDF), or our freely accessible online version. Choose one or choose them all!