HTML QuickStart

his area is pretty straightforward. We take you through the key steps needed for creating a basic HTML page.

Aren't familiar with a term? If it is highlighted, click on it and a definiton appears in the box at the top of the page.

The most important thing to remember? This is fun! Don't let anyone scare you away or psyche you out by telling you how difficult it is or what you can do wrong. You can't break anything! And as long as you like your pages, that's what counts.

Step One: Gather Your Tools
You need four things to build a Web page:

1. A computer with a Web browser to see your work in progress. Of course, if you're reading this, you already have access to a computer with a Web browser.
2. A text editor to create and save the HTML files. Any program that saves a file as ascii text is fine. Both PCs and Macs come with basic text editors—Notepad on the PC and Simple Text on the Mac. You can also use your favorite word processor, as long as you save the file in text format. Programs like BBEdit on the Mac and Allaire's Homesite on the PC are reasonably-priced text editors designed specifically to make Web pages.
3. A place on a Web server to store your pages so that other people can come and look at them. You probably have this as part of an account from your Internet access provider (ISP) or Internet presence provider (IPP). Check with your ISP or IPP for details about your storage area.
4. Software for moving your pages from your computer's hard drive to your storage space on a Web server. This software is called File Transfer Protocal (FTP) software. Fetch is a common Mac FTP program. CuteFTP or WSFTP are common PC FTP programs. You can download them through your ISP's or IPP's support pages or through a software repository like Shareware.com.