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Basic HTML Tutorial
   By Dustin Wells

OVERVIEW
HTML is the standard programming language used for building the content you see on web sites. With a few very basic tools, you will be able to enhance your dynamic content.

TAGS
HTML uses a set of text characters called "tags." A tag is always enclosed in angle-brackets (< >).
The two main types of tags are an opening tag & a closing tag. Tags almost always show up in pairs (i.e. opening and closing tags) and are NOT case sensitive.

Ex. <tag> ….. </tag>

<tag> = opening tag
…. = content between tags
</tag> = closing tag

The closing tag is identical to the opening tag in most cases, but it adds a "/" before the text.

CHART OF TAGS
Below is a list of the most commonly used tags:

Function Opening Tag Closing Tag
Line Break <br> * N/A
Bold Face <b> </b>
Italics <i> </i>
Edit the Font Color <font color="red"> </font>
Edit the Font Size <font size="3"> </font>
Edit font size and color <font size="3" color="red"> </font>
Link <a href="URL.com"> </a>

* N/A = No closing tag is needed

USING TAGS
Examples:

HTML is FUN! = HTML is FUN!

<b> HTML is FUN!</b> = HTML is FUN!

<I> HTML is FUN!</I> = HTML is FUN!

<b><I> HTML is FUN!</I></b> = HTML is FUN!

<font color="red">HTML is FUN!</font> = HTML is FUN!

<b><font color="red">HTML is FUN!</font></b> = HTML is FUN!

NOTE: When using more than on tag to edit text, you must close tags in the same order they were opened. Tags must be balanced.

Example:
<b><font color="red">HTML is FUN!</font></b>

Explanation:
This line opens with the <b> tag, which opens the "Bold" attribute. Then, inside the <b> tag, we open the <font> tag and set the color to red. Since we opened the <font> tag inside the <b>, we must close the <font> tag first and then close the <b> tag. This is how we keep things balanced.


A NOTE ON FONT SIZES & COLORS
Font Size:
In HTML, general font sizes range is 1 to 5. Following is an approximate equivalent for MS Word font seizes.
HTML - MS Word
1 = 8 pt
2 = 10 pt
3 = 12 pt
4 = 16 pt
5 = 20 pt


Colors:
In HTML, colors are usually expressed in numbers and letters (i.e. #0000FF). However, basic colors can be expressed with color names (i.e. red, blue, black, etc.). For more advanced colors, you must use the HTML color code.

SUMMARY
Obviously there is a lot more to building a web site than what is shown above. Use the above as a starting place and have fun!

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