Select HTML Tags

Below you will find a table of select HTML tags you can refer to as you build your web pages. It does not show every tag, but is a list of the most common HTML tags that I use personally. First, a basic lesson on HTML.

What is HTML?

A web page is a plain text file that has been encoded using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) so that we can view it in a browser. Let's break it down:

•  Hypertext --Text that you click to jump from document to document. This is a reference to the ability of web pages to link to one another.



•  Markup --Tags that apply layout an dformatting conventions to plain text. Literally, the plain text is "marked up" with the tags.



•  Language --A reference to the fact that HTML is considered a programming language.

Let's look at a specific example. In the phrase below, you might want to italicize the word Big. The code would look like this:

Kohl's is having a <i>Big<i> Summer Sale on July 9th.

This is an example of a two-sided tag where there is an opening tag <i> which turns the italics on and a closing tag </i> which turns the italics off. There is always a corresponding closing tag for every opening tag.

Conversely, a one-sided tag does not have a closing tag and it takes arguments. An argument is text within the tag that defines how a tag behaves. For example, when using an image tag (<img>), you have to specify a source, abbreviated src. Here's an example:

<img src="smiley-face.gif">

There is a lot more to HTML than what I have room for here, but it basically comes down to knowing when to use which select HTML tags, where to put them and what arguments or attributes they need.

Anatomy of an HTML Tag

I mentioned above that a web page is a plain text file filled with a bunch of select HTML codes. The codes are usually referred to as HTML tags. The tags indicate where elements, such as formatting, hyperlinks and graphics should be placed, and a web browser interprets those tags and displays the page in its formatted state.

Let's take a closer look at what makes up an individual HTML tag. There are 3 main parts:

•  Element --An HTML element indicates structure in an HTML document and a way of hierarchically arranging content. Elements may represent headings, paragraphs, hypertext links, lists, embedded media, and a variety of other structures.



•  Attribute --An element may be followed by an HTML attribute which defines desired behavior or indicates additional element properties and further instructs the browser on how to display the page. Attributes are only contained in the opening HTML tags to the right of the element and are separated by a space and followed by an equal (=) sign.



•  Value --The specified variable which follows the attribute and is enclosed in quotes.

Select HTML Tags Most Commonly Used

Anyone can create attractive web pages using this list of Select HTML Tags, and others, to format text and objects and to incorporate graphics and hyperlinks. You can use the codes below by simply copying and pasting them into your web pages.

If you would like to print this chart in PDF format click on the button and download the table for a handy select html tags reference guide. Note: You must have Adobe Reader in order to print this chart in PDF format.