HTML code knowledge

[Cambria]

Hey all!
It has come to my attention that quite a few of us (AHEM, yes, okay me) have no clue about HTML codes. How do you work them, how do you make them?

What is the secret? How do these codes turn into pretty little buttons for blogs?

[Jenn]

I have no idea.

[Cambria]

Bah ha ha ha. Thanks for your help.

[C.L.]

Basicially HTML is a computer language. Here's anarticle to give you an idea of how it works.
http://www.mustrad.org.uk/coding.htm
Don't know if it will be helpful for what you want to do, but it gives you a starting point.

[Jenn]

Cambria wrote: "Bah ha ha ha. Thanks for your help."

You're welcome...;)

[Sara]

I know a little HTML, just basic stuff. I write notes for myself when learning new programs. I'll have to dig those out.

[J.A.]

Suggestion: if you ever have to do anything in html there's a great little programme called Arachnophilia. Apparently the newer version which works with Java is not so good but you can download the older one from the site for free. The reason it's so good is that it colours the text so that you can see what goes with what (HTML works a bit like formulae in Excel, whereby if you do an open-bracket to start telling it to do something, you have to have the accompanying close-bracket later and if you leave out a comma or anything it doesn't work).

Arachnophilia is good because it colours all the bits in one instruction in the same colour, and if you've missed a bit all the text goes black so you know you've missed a bit. Also there's a preview option.

I'm explainning it very badly but the link is here:
http://www.arachnoid.com/arachnophili...

That's the old one but there's alink to the new one there too.
J.

[J.A.]

Cambria, to get an idea about it, go to add a new post and click on the bit at the top right of the typing box where it says (some html is ok) and you get some of the really basic stuff, so you can make stuff in your comments bold or italics or whatever (these basic ones tend to be the same wherever).

So you can see that with stuff like that, you tell it where to start making it italic by saying <.i.> and to stop you put a slash in the initial instruction like this <./.i.> (but without the full stops).

Basically you have to tell the computer what you're on a bout and what the instructions mean before you can tell it what to do. It's complex rather than difficult but I haven't learnt enough about it to do anything complicated. Alas, no time for learning but it's cool when it works!

JAC

[Cambria]

Ahh, JA that makes a lot of sense! Thanks.
And thanks for the linke everyone!!!

[Dale]

I'm lost. LOL

[Cambria]

thats okay, a lot of us are. :)

[J.A.]

Dale, html is you telling the computer what you want it to do; but you have to talk to it as if it was a Martian.
You can't say "Jump over the skipping rope".
You'd have to do something like

You = Martian.
Long thin wiggly thing = skipping rope.
Rope rotates = semicircular motion.
You = standing on floor beneath rope.
When:
((Rope motion = down)+(Rope place = on floor)+(You = on floor)), You = jump (jump= higher than rope)
You = land on floor
Rope = rotates again
Repeat as necessary.

That's a very silly (and quite complex) metaphor but as I said, you have to explain what's involved (ie you and the rope) Tell it what the basic state of things is (ie the rope is rotating and you're standing on the floor beneath) so that when you tell it to jump over the rope it knows what you're on about!!

Hope I haven't just confused you further...
JAC

[J.A.]

<.Techie pedantry.>
(actually in that particular example you haven't told it to stop skipping so it would go into a skipping loop forever or until you rebooted it)
<./Techie pedantry.>

hurhurhur
JAC

[Amy Eye]

BAH HA HA!! I totally get the martian thing. I loved that explanation...but unfortunately my computer prefers a Skip-It over jump ropes..

hehehe