We learned about the browser, which is a program that reads languages and then converts the writing into what we see on the screen.

Now we have to learn how to tell the browser what we want done.

O yea, I forgot to mention that at the end of each lesson you get to actually practice what you have learned for real. And in lesson 4 you get to start creating a web page.

The first thing you should do, is get some paper and a pen or pencil so you can take notes and write down the symbols you will be working with.

Or you can print out each lesson, this will help you to study when your off line.

( For Internet Explorer and Netscape users there is a button at the end of each page to print, Just click on it. ) Sorry MSNTV you won't even see it. ( MSNTV hit the "Options" key at the bottom of your key board, then highlight and hit the "Print" key, then hit "Print". )

OK here we go.
Take a good look at your key board.

Unless you are familiar with typing, besides the letters and numbers there are a lot of strange looking things.We are going to call them symbols. You don't need to memorize their names just where they are on the key board and where they go in HTML

These are the symbols you will be using most in HTML.
Just 5 .  There are a few others used once in a while, we will learn them later.

<   The lesser than --- located on the "comma key"

>   The greater than --- located on the "period key"

=   The equal --- located next to the "backspace key"
      (Webtv the "Delete" key)

"   The quotation --- located next to the "enter key"
      (Webtv the "Return key)

/   The forward slash --- located next to the "shift Key"

You must have noticed that there are 2 symbols on each of the keys I mentioned.

If the symbol is on the bottom of the key, you just type it.

If the symbol is on the top of the key, you have to hold down the "SHIFT key" at the same time you hit the key for the symbol you want.
Just like typing a capitol letter.

These are the 2 important symbols. You will use them as a pair like this. <   > This is called a TAG

By themselves they are nothing. But when you put words inbetween, now they become information tags for the browser to read.
HTML is made up of a whole lot of these tags. Your browser reads each one seperately to see what you want.

For Example:
The browser would read tag number 1 to tag number 5 in a split second, then convert it and put it on the screen.

< 1 >< 2 >< 3 >< 4 >< 5 >

If you had 20 tags it would do the same.Or as many as you write.

But we have to put information inside each tag not numbers.

Before we learn how to put information in our tags lets learn a very simple rule. Yes there are a few rules we must follow to make HTML work, but like I said there only a few and they are real easy to understand.

You should write down the few rules as we come to them so you can learn them.

When you write HTML you are telling the browser what you want it to do. When you start, sooner or later you will end your writing but you have to tell the browser that you ended. If you want to change the size or the color of your words while your writing you have to tell the browser when to stop this size, and start this size.

OK? Thats pretty easy to understand.
You just have to tell it when to start and when to stop things.

How do we do that? With tags

OK Here's the first rule.
Every tag you open, (that means start) you must close, (that means end).

Ok how do we open and close tags?

To make an opening tag we just type the 2 symbols we learned above <  >

To make a closing tag we just add the forward slash </ >

Now thats easy. We open something, < ???>
And when were done we close it </ ??? >
(i used the question marks just to show that some sort of information will go inside)

I know we have only learned a few of the symbols so far. The others we will learn as we come to them and why they are needed. In this first practice you will get to type them so you can start getting used to them.

OK so far?

Are you ready to practice?

NO!
Thats ok. Take your time and go over this page as long as you want.

YES!
Then click on lets Practice