Having Trouble with HTML? Look No Further!
Oct 13 '02 (Updated Oct 14 '02)
The Bottom Line HTML is not as difficult as some of you might think. In this editorial, I will explain to you "source," some basic HTML codes, and a good resource.
Let me start off by saying that I'm no high-tech web designer. I'm just sharing my thoughts and trying to give some good tips to those new at HTML. If you find anything incorrect in my editorial, please leave a comment or send an email. Thanks! :)
Do you ever wish your profile here on Epinions was just loaded with eye candy (HTML, that is)? Are you having difficulty with HTML? If any of these questions applied to you, look no further, I have the answer!
As you can see, over time my profile here at Epinions just keeps getting better and better! What I mean by that is I keep getting more and more HTML codes to spicen up my profile. My profile has gone from being one, huge paragraph to having several colorful paragraphs, a number of quizzes, guest books, and much more!
Well guess what!? I didn’t spend hours and hours of typing each little letter and code. There’s an easier way which I learned from one of our fellow Epinionites- Rianleeann. That easier way is a way which I like to call “Source.”
It all started one day when chatting with Rianleeann on Instant Messenger, and I liked the marquee on her profile. The problem? I didn’t know the HTML code for the marquee. She was going to type the whole HTML code out for me when she remembered about “source” and told me about it.
What the heck is “source?”
“Source” is the box that pops up and explains all the HTML codes and everything else (words, pictures, etc.) on a web page. And yes, that includes our Epinions profile page. So if you don’t have the time or are just too lazy to type out ever single number or letter in an HTML code, “source” is the solution.
Where do you go in order to find “source” and how do you use it?
Do not worry, this is the simplest part! Start by clicking on your Internet Explorer button (or whatever source of Internet you have). Once you are on the webpage where you see something that catches your eye and you say to yourself, ‘That would look pretty darn neat on my profile’, look up at the top of the screen where you see the buttons: “File” “Edit” “View” etc. and click on the “View” button. Once you have clicked on “View”, you should see another button which says “Source,” and then click on that and… walla! A box should appear on the screen explaining all the HTML codes of that webpage.
Scroll down until you see the HTML code which you would like to use on your profile. You can locate the HTML code by the following word or words surrounding it which you see on the web page. Highlight it, copy it, and paste on your profile page. Here’s the only problem. Let’s not just copy and paste everything exactly the way it is and have the designer of that page get all angry. No one likes a copycat! Let’s personalize it. For example: we can change the color, font, font size, or whatever. Let’s make it somewhat different from the person we’re taking it from.
There you have it. That’s all “source” is! Now doing HTML isn’t that difficult afterall now, is it?
Oh yes, one quick suggestion. Before using "source," you might want to ask permission from the person you are taking from. It would be the polite thing to do. :)
Basic HTML Codes
Are you bored and have nothing better to do? Or would you feel guilty using “source” because you’re taking other people’s ideas? If so, here are a few basic HTML codes to liven up your profile.
I will use parentheses instead of the greater/less than signs since Epinions does not allow HTML (other than bold or italics) in reviews. Be sure when writing the HTML code on your profile you use the greater/less than signs.
(p) (/p) will separate your paragraphs. Simply put (p) at the beginning of the paragraph and (/p) at the end of the paragraph. I hope this helps some people. It really bugs me when people have just one huge paragraph on their profile. It’s hard on the eyes. I know it’s not their fault they don’t know the codes. I think Epinions should have a page for all it’s members with a list of all basic HTML codes, don’t you? Anyway, making paragraphs is that simple.
(font color= ?)(/font) will make you paragraphs nice and colorful. For instance, if you want to make on paragraph blue, simply put (font color=blue) at the beginning of the paragraph and (/font) at the end of the paragraph. Perphaps you would like a different shade of blue? Then you must start using color codes. A color code is a 6 number code which stands for a certain color. The color code for black is #000000. So if you wanted your paragraph to be black, this is what you should do- (font color=#000000) at the beginning of the paragraph and (/font) at the end of the paragraph. For basic colors (including black) you don’t need as color code, just simply write the name of the color after the =. But for more complex colors, you must need color codes. However... some of the more complex colors can be written in instead of using a color code. So just experiement around and see what happens. What's the worst that could happen? I have listed a source (a website) for color codes below.
(hr) will make a horizontal rule which means it will make a beige line that will run horizontally across the page. You can use the horizontal rule in order to separate different paragraphs, sentences, or whatever! Just simple type in (hr) on the 'Edit Profile' page and a horizontal rule will appear on the screen once you have updated your profile.
(b)(/b)(i)(/i) Now I know most of you out there already know about these simple (perphaps the simplest HTML codes) HTML codes, but some of the newbies here at Epinions do not. Most of the newbies use CAPS to emphasize a word or words. Using bold or italics looks much better on a review. Just as above, place the (b) or (i) (or even both if you wanted to) where you want to bold or italicize a word. Then, simple type in the (/b) or (/i) where you would like the bold or italics to end. It's that simple.
These are some basic HTML codes which I hope will help you and your Epinions profile. If you guys like this editorial a lot, I might consider adding a part 2 on this editorial. Who knows?
For a complete look of HTML codes and color codes visit the following website:
www.webmonkey.com This website should answer all your HTML or color code questions.
I hope this editorial (my first editorial here at Epinions!) will help you and your profile. What should you learn from this editorial? HTML is not as hard as you think. In fact, it is quite simple. Be sure and try out “source” and leave a comment or email on what you think. And webmonkey.com is a great HTML and color code resource.
If you have any further questions on HTML or color codes, you can email me and I will be sure to respond as soon as I can.
As always, thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment!
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Epinions.com ID:
tkd_grant
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Grant
Location: California
Reviews written: 103
Trusted by: 113 members
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