HTML basics

What you'll learn

• What HTML actually is — and why the browser is so forgiving when you get it wrong
• The shape of a document, from doctype to viewport meta
• Tags and attributes — the two primitives you'll use forever
• Text content done right — headings, lists, em vs i, code vs samp
• Links and images that survive responsive layouts
• Semantic sections — header, nav, main, article, section, aside, footer
• Forms that work without a single line of JavaScript

1. 01
   What HTML is

   A markup language, not a programming language — and why the browser bends over backwards to render anything you throw at it.
   8 min
2. 02
   The shape of a document

   Doctype, html, head, body, charset, viewport — what each part is for and why skipping one bites later.
   10 min
3. 03
   Tags and attributes

   Two ideas you'll use every day. Void elements, boolean attributes, global attributes — and the syntax rules that catch new writers out.
   9 min
4. 04
   Text content

   Headings, paragraphs, lists, blockquotes, code, mark, abbr — the elements that carry your prose.
   13 min
5. 05
   Links and images

   href, src, alt, srcset — and the small details that decide whether your page reads on a phone or a screen reader.
   11 min
6. 06
   Tables and figures

   Tables are for tabular data. Figures wrap an illustration with its caption. Pick the right one.
   9 min
7. 07
   Semantic sections

   header, nav, main, article, section, aside, footer — and friends. When to use which, and when div is still the right call.
   14 min
8. 08
   Forms that work

   Inputs, labels, validation, submission — the bits browsers do for free, and the bits you have to wire up.
   14 min