Basic HTML Review
HTML Basics
Role of HTML: HTML represents the content and structure of the web page.
HTML Elements: Elements are the building blocks for an HTML document. They
represent headings, paragraphs, links, images and more. Most HTML elements consist
of an opening tag (<elementName>) and a closing tag (</elementName>).
Here is the basic syntax:
<elementName>Content goes here</elementName>
Void Elements: Void elements cannot have any content and only have a start tag.
Examples include img and meta elements.
<img>
<meta>
It is common to see some codebases that include a forward slash / inside the void element.
Both of these are acceptable:
<img>
<img/>
Attributes: An attribute is a value placed inside the opening tag of an HTML element.
Attributes provide additional information about the element or specify how the
element should behave. Here is the basic syntax for an attribute:
<element attribute="value"></element>
A boolean attribute is an attribute that can either be present or absent in an HTML tag. If
present, the value is true otherwise it is false. Examples of boolean attributes
include disabled, readonly, and required.
Comments: Comments are used in programming to leave notes for yourself and other
developers in your code. Here is the syntax for a comment in HTML:
<!--This is an HTML comment.-->
Common HTML elements
Heading Elements: There are six heading elements in HTML.
The h1 through h6 heading elements are used to signify the importance of content
below them. The lower the number, the higher the importance, so h2 elements have
less importance than h1 elements.
<h1>most important heading element</h1>
<h2>second most important heading element</h2>
<h3>third most important heading element</h3>
<h4>fourth most important heading element</h4>
<h5>fifth most important heading element</h5>
<h6>least important heading element</h6>
Paragraph Elements: This is used for paragraphs on a web page.
<p>This is a paragraph element.</p>
img Elements: The img element is used to add images to the web page.
The src attribute is used to specify the location for that image. For image elements,
it's good practice to include another attribute called the alt attribute. Here's an
example of an img element with the src and alt attributes:
<img src="[Link] alt="A slice
of lasagna on a plate.">
body Element: This element is used to represent the content for the HTML
document.
<body>
<h1>CatPhotoApp</h1>
<p>This is a paragraph element.</p>
</body>
section Elements: This element is used to divide up content into smaller sections.
<section>
<h2>About Me</h2>
<p>Hi, I am Jane Doe and I am a web developer.</p>
</section>
div Elements: This element is a generic HTML element that does not hold any
semantic meaning. It is used as a generic container to hold other HTML elements.
<div>
<h1>I am a heading</h1>
<p>I am a paragraph</p>
</div>
Anchor (a) Elements: These elements are used to apply links to a web page.
The href attribute is used to specify where the link should go when the user clicks on
it.
<a href="[Link]
cats</a>
Unordered (ul) and Ordered (ol) List Elements: To create a bulleted list of items you
should use the ul element with one or more li elements nested inside like this:
<ul>
<li>catnip</li>
<li>laser pointers</li>
<li>lasagna</li>
</ul>
To create an ordered list of items you should use the ol element:
<ol>
<li>flea treatment</li>
<li>thunder</li>
<li>other cats</li>
</ol>
Emphasis (em) Element: This is used to place emphasis on a piece of text.
<p>Cats <em>love</em> lasagna.</p>
Strong Importance (strong) Element: This element is used to place strong emphasis
on text to indicate a sense of urgency and seriousness.
<p>
<strong>Important:</strong> Before proceeding, make sure to wear your safety goggles.
</p>
figure and figcaption Elements: The figure element is used to group content like
images and diagrams. The figcaption element is used to represent a caption for that
content inside the figure element.
<figure>
<img src="[Link] alt="Five cats
looking around a field.">
<figcaption>Cats <strong>hate</strong> other cats.</figcaption>
</figure>
main Element: This element is used to represent the main content for a web page.
footer Element: This element is placed at the bottom of the HTML document and
usually contains copyright information and other important page links.
<footer>
<p>
No Copyright - <a href="[Link]
</p>
</footer>
Identifiers and Grouping
IDs: Unique element identifiers for HTML elements. ID names should only be used
once per HTML document.
<h1 id="title">Movie Review Page</h1>
ID names cannot have spaces. If your ID name contains multiple words then you can use
dashes between the words like this:
<div id="red-box"></div>
Classes: Classes are used to group elements for styling and behavior.
<div class="box"></div>
Unlike IDs, you can reuse the same class name throughout the HTML document.
The class value can also have spaces like this:
<div class="box red-box"></div>
<div class="box blue-box"></div>
Special Characters and Linking
HTML entities: An HTML entity, or character reference, is a set of characters used to
represent a reserved character in HTML. Examples include the ampersand (&)
symbol and the less than symbol (<).
<p>This is an <img /> element</p>
link Element: This element is used to link to external resources like stylesheets and
site icons. Here is the basic syntax for using the link element for an external CSS file:
<link rel="stylesheet" href="./[Link]" />
The rel attribute is used to specify the relationship between the linked resource and the
HTML document. The href attribute is used to specify the location of the URL for the external
resource.
script Element: This element is used to embed executable code.
<body>
<script>
alert("Welcome to freeCodeCamp");
</script>
</body>
While you can technically write all of your JavaScript code inside the script tags, it is
considered best practice to link to an external JavaScript file instead. Here is an example of
using the script element to link to an external JavaScript file:
<script src="[Link]"></script>
The src attribute is used here to specify the location for that external JavaScript file.
Boilerplate and Encoding
HTML boilerplate: This is a boilerplate that includes the basic structure and essential
elements every HTML document needs.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8" />
<title>freeCodeCamp</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="./[Link]" />
</head>
<body>
<!--Headings, paragraphs, images, etc. go inside here-->
</body>
</html>
DOCTYPE: This is used to tell browsers which version of HTML you're using.
html Element: This represents the top level element or the root of an HTML
document. To specify the language for the document, you should use
the lang attribute.
head Element: The head section contains important meta data which is behind-the-
scenes information needed for browsers and search engines.
meta Elements: These elements represent your site's metadata. These element have
details about things like character encoding, and how websites like Twitter should
preview your page's link and more.
title Element: This element is used to set the text that appears in the browser tab or
window.
UTF-8 character encoding: UTF-8, or UCS Transformation Format 8, is a standardized
character encoding widely used on the web. Character encoding is the method
computers use to store characters as data. The charset attribute is used inside of
a meta element to set the character encoding to UTF-8.
SEO and Social Sharing
SEO: Search Engine Optimization is a practice that optimizes web pages so they
become more visible and rank higher on search engines.
Meta (description) Element: This is used to provide a short description for the web
page and impacting SEO.
<meta
name="description"
content="Discover expert tips and techniques for gardening in small spaces, choosing the
right plants, and maintaining a thriving garden."
/>
Open Graph tags: The open graph protocol enables you to control how your website's
content appears across various social media platforms, such as Facebook, LinkedIn,
and many more.
By setting these open graph properties, you can entice users to want to click and engage with
your content. You can set these properties through a collection of meta elements inside your
HTML head section.
og:title Property: This is used to set the title that displays for social media posts.
<meta content="[Link]" property="og:title" />
og:type Property: The type property is used to represent the type of content being
shared on social media. Examples of this content include articles, websites, videos, or
music.
<meta property="og:type" content="website" />
og:image Property: This is used to set the image shown for social media posts.
<meta
content="[Link]
[Link]"
property="og:image"
/>
og:url Property: This is used to set the URL that users will click on for the social media
posts.
<meta property="og:url" content="[Link] />
Media Elements and Optimization
Replaced elements: A replaced element is an element whose content is determined
by an external resource rather than by CSS itself. An example would be
an iframe element. iframe stands for inline frame. It's an inline element used to
embed other HTML content directly within the HTML page.
<iframe src="[Link] title="Example Site"></iframe>
You can include the allowfullscreen attribute which allows the user to display the iframe in
full screen mode.
<iframe
src="video-url"
width="width-value"
height="height-value"
allowfullscreen
></iframe>
To embed a video within an iframe you can copy it directly from popular video services like
YouTube and Vimeo, or define it yourself with the src attribute pointing to the URL of that
video. Here's an example of embedding a popular freeCodeCamp course from YouTube:
<h1>A freeCodeCamp YouTube Video Embedded with the iframe Element</h1>
<iframe
width="560"
height="315"
src="[Link]
title="YouTube video player"
allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-
picture; web-share"
referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin"
allowfullscreen
></iframe>
There are some other replaced elements, such as video, and embed. And some elements
behave as replaced elements under specific circumstances. Here's an example of
an input element with the type attribute set to image:
<input type="image" alt="Descriptive text goes here" src="example-img-url">
Optimizing media: There are three tools to consider when using media, such as
images, on your web pages: the size, the format, and the compression. A
compression algorithm is used to reduce the size for files or data.
Image formats: Two of the most common file formats are PNG and JPG, but these are
no longer the most ideal formats for serving images. Unless you need support for
older browsers, you should consider using a more optimized format, like WEBP or
AVIF.
Image licenses: An image under the public domain has no copyright attached to it
and is free to be used without any restrictions. Images licensed specifically under the
Creative Commons 0 license are considered public domain. Some images might be
released under a permissive license, like a Creative Commons license, or the BSD
license that freeCodeCamp uses.
SVGs: Scalable Vector Graphics track data based on paths and equations to plot
points, lines, and curves. What this really means is that a vector graphic, like an SVG,
can be scaled to any size without impacting the quality.
Multimedia Integration
audio and video Elements: The audio and video elements allow you to add sound
and video content to your HTML documents. The audio element supports popular
audio formats like mp3, wav, and ogg. The video element supports mp4, ogg, and
webm formats.
<audio src="CrystalizeThatInnerChild.mp3"></audio>
If you want to see the audio player on the page, then you can add the audio element with
the controls attribute:
<audio src="CrystalizeThatInnerChild.mp3" controls></audio>
The controls attribute enables users to manage audio playback, including adjusting volume,
and pausing, or resuming playback. The controls attribute is a boolean attribute that can be
added to an element to enable built-in playback controls. If omitted, no controls will be
shown.
loop Attribute: The loop attribute is a boolean attribute that makes the audio replay
continuously.
<audio
src="[Link]
loop
controls
></audio>
muted Attribute: When present in the audio element, the muted boolean attribute
will start the audio in a muted state.
<audio
src="[Link]
loop
controls
muted
></audio>
source Element: When it comes to audio file types, there are differences in which
browsers support which type. To accommodate this, you can use source elements
inside the audio element and the browser will select the first source that it
understands. Here's an example of using multiple source elements for
an audio element:
<audio controls>
<source src="[Link]" type="audio/ogg" />
<source src="[Link]" type="audio/wav" />
<source src="audio.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" />
</audio>
All the attributes we have learned so far are also supported in the video element. Here's an
example of using a video element with the loop, controls, and muted attributes:
<video
src="[Link]
ound.mp4"
loop
controls
muted
></video>
poster Attribute: If you wanted to display an image while the video is downloading,
you can use the poster attribute. This attribute is not available for audio elements and
is unique to the video element.
<video
src="[Link]
ound.mp4"
loop
controls
muted
poster="[Link]
width="620"
></video>
Target attribute types
target Attribute: This attribute tells the browser where to open the URL for the
anchor element. There are four important possible values for this
attribute: _self, _blank, _parent and _top. There is a fifth value, called _unfencedTop,
which is currently used for the experimental FencedFrame API. You probably won't
have a reason to use this one yet.
_self Value: This is the default value for the target attribute. This opens the link in the
current browsing context. In most cases, this will be the current tab or window.
<a href="[Link] target="_self">Visit freeCodeCamp</a>
_blank Value: This opens the link in a new browsing context. Typically, this will open
in a new tab. But some users might configure their browsers to open a new window
instead.
<a href="[Link] target="_blank">Visit freeCodeCamp</a>
_parent Value: This opens the link in the parent of the current context. For example,
if your website has an iframe, a _parent value in that iframe would open in your
website's tab/window, not in the embedded frame.
<a href="[Link] target="_parent">Visit freeCodeCamp</a>
_top Value: This opens the link in the top-most browsing context - think "the parent
of the parent". This is similar to _parent, but the link will always open in the full
browser tab/window, even for nested embedded frames.
<a href="[Link] target="_top">Visit freeCodeCamp</a>
Absolute vs. Relative Paths
Path definition: A path is a string that specifies the location of a file or directory in a
file system. In web development, paths let developers link to resources like images,
stylesheets, scripts, and other web pages.
Path Syntax: There are three key syntaxes to know. First is the slash, which can be a
backslash (\) or forward slash (/) depending on your operating system. The second is
the single dot (.). And finally, we have the double dot (..). The slash is known as the
"path separator". It is used to indicate a break in the text between folder or file
names. A single dot points to the current directory, and two dots point to the parent
directory.
public/[Link]
./[Link]
../src/[Link]
Absolute Path: An absolute path is a complete link to a resource. It starts from the
root directory, includes every other directory, and finally the filename and extension.
The "root directory" refers to the top-level directory or folder in a hierarchy. An
absolute path also includes the protocol - which could be http, https, and file and the
domain name if the resource is on the web. Here's an example of an absolute path
that links to the freeCodeCamp logo:
<a href="[Link]
View fCC Logo
</a>
Relative Path: A relative path specifies the location of a file relative to the directory of
the current file. It does not include the protocol or the domain name, making it
shorter and more flexible for internal links within the same website. Here's an
example of linking to the [Link] page from the [Link] page, both of which
are in the same folder:
<p>
Read more on the
<a href="[Link]">About Page</a>
</p>
Link states
:link: This is the default state. This state represents a link which the user has not
visited, clicked, or interacted with yet. You can think of this state as providing the
base styles for all links on your page. The other states build on top of it.
:visited: This applies when a user has already visited the page being linked to. By
default, this turns the link purple - but you can leverage CSS to provide a different
visual indication to the user.
:hover: This state applies when a user is hovering their cursor over a link. This state is
helpful for providing extra attention to a link, to ensure a user actually intends to click
it.
:focus: This state applies when we focus on a link.
:active: This state applies to links that are being activated by the user. This typically
means clicking on the link with the primary mouse button by left clicking, in most
cases.