Part 2

HTML Foundations

HTML5 is the latest of a series of HTML versions. To get the most out of HTML5, you need to know how it fits in with the other versions of HTML that came before it.

Most of this chapter is a review of standard HTML ideas. If you’ve never written any HTML by hand before, you’ll want to look it over carefully. If you’re already a code ace, you can probably just skim over it.

The content of this chapter forms a baseline. The code described here works in all modern browsers. As much of the HTML5 content is still browser-dependent, begin with a standard set of tags and elements that work on every browser. This chapter describes this lowest-common-denominator HTML syntax, which is expanded upon throughout the book.

This chapter is really an overview. If you’re totally new to HTML, you might consider looking over one of my other books — HTML, XHTML, and CSS All–in-One For Dummies, 2nd edition (Wiley). It goes into great detail on HTML, CSS, and lots of other good stuff. That book is a standard reference for today’s Web. The book you’re holding now is really more about where the Web is going in the near future.

Be sure to check out my Web site for working examples of every code fragment in the book: www.aharrisbooks.net/h5qr.

In this part . . .

Reviewing HTML

Comparing HTML5 to XHTML and HTML 4

Building the Basic Page

Adding Images and Links

Formatting Data with Lists and Tables

Validating Your Code

Building Forms