What is HTML?
HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language and it’s a standard markup language that tells web browsers how to display text, links, images, and other kinds of objects on a website. It was invented in CERN, Geneva, in late 1991 by a British scientist, Tim Berners-Lee.
What is HTML file used for?
HTML files are used for describing to the web browser what a web page should look like to the end-user. Developers are those that create and edit these types of files.
HTML file example
If you don’t have an HTML file but you need to find out what it looks like, you can download this HTML file example that will actually download a free website template from Start Bootstrap. The file that you need is named index and its extension is .html.
Below is an image of the HTML file so that you can see how it looks inside when open. This is just one section of the file.
How To Open the HTML File
You can’t open this file with just any program on your computer. You need a program that will be able to read HyperText Markup Language. If you also need to edit the file, make sure to choose the solution that has an option for editing these documents as well.
You can open the HTML file in a few different ways:
- With HTML code editors such as Microsoft Visual Studio Code or Adobe Dreamweaver
- With basic text editors such as Apple TextEdit for Mac or Notepad++ for Microsoft
- Use a Web Browser such as Google Chrome or Apple Safari browser on Mac and iPhone
- If you want to open HTML file on iPhone, Android or other devices, you should get free HTML editor apps
Index File HTML
The index.html file name is the most commonly used name for the default or home page on a website. Each webpage on your website will be saved as a separate file and the index.html file is the one that is used for the website homepage.
How To Create HTML File
Now that you got to know what is HTML file and how you can use it, maybe you came to the point where you need to create it. To create an HTML file follow these steps:
- Open a new blank document in your Notepad
- Write your HTML code inside the Notepad text editor
- Then save your file and you are done
How To Save HTML File
If you are looking for a solution on how to save HTML files, this is how you can do it:
- Open your Notepad Text Editor
- Select the File button from the main navigation bar
- Click on the Save option
- Choose the location where you want to save your file
- Give this document a name with .html extension
- And then finally click the Save button
How To Create HTML File on Mac
If you want to create HTML file on Mac this is how you can do it:
- Open your TextEdit app and choose File > New > Make Plain Text
- Write HTML code you want
- Click on File > Save and then give a name for your file followed by the extension .html
- Click on save button to save the file
- When asked which extension to use, choose to use .html
Convert HTML File to PDF
If you want to convert HTML files to PDF you can use some of the free online tools meant for this, such as Sejda or Html2Pdf. This service is free, and doesn’t require registration or installation.
Conclusion
HTML file is a basic document that you should be familiar with if you decided to start learning programming. For any programmer beginner, understanding its purpose is one of the first things to figure out. While understanding this, you will be learning about basic HTML tags and other HTML elements. I’m sure that this guide gave you more clarity about files with HTML content, but if you still have some questions, please ask in the comments.
