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Posted
on January 16th,
2009 by Lonnie Bauerly
Posted by Justin
In
today’s busy world it can be hard to be tied down to one computer. With
web based applications becoming so advanced it is now possible to still
get work done anywhere there is a computer without installing any
software. From image editing to Word documents, you can do it all
online.
Here are 40 excellent web based tools to help you design from
anywhere:
Online
Image Editing Tools
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Project
Draw
Project Draw is an online sketch tool from the makers of AutoCAD and
Revit.
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Resizr
Resizr allows users to upload a picutre (currently .jpg format only)
and have it resized for them. The site also has a Firefox plugin.
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Splashup
Splashup is a Photoshop-esque Flash based online image editing tool.
Very easy to use and pretty powerful too.
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Navigation
Tab Menu Generator
Love tabbed navigation? Use this to create rounded buttons in a snap!
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Web
2.0 Free Logo Generator
This online Web 2.0 logo generator is great for quickly creating trendy
titles.
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Web
2.0 Logo Creatr
Another web 2.0 style creator. The image is stored on the site’s server
so no need to ftp anything.
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Spiffy
Text
Choose a font style, choose a background and then admire your
online-created logo!
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Gliffy
Gliffy is an online competitor to Microsoft Visio.
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Picnik
Picnik is a powerful online image editing tool. You can do things like
crop, sharpen, resize and even more.
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FotoFlexer
FotoFlexer clains to be “the world’s most advanced online image
editor”. It allows you to open images from MySpace, Facebook and more
and directly edit them online.
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Online
Code Generators
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Xinha
Xinha is a WYSIWYG editor for use online. It can be integrated into any
kind of project.
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CSS
Generator @ Advanced HTML For Beginners
This online CSS generator allows you to create a CSS file for your body
tag, links and even header area.
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Layout
Generator @ CSS Creator
Use this CSS creator when first creating a new site.
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CSS
Generator @ CSS Creator
After getting the site going, use this tool to add style to your text.
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CSS
Source Generator @ Position is Everything
The people from Position is Everything give us another CSS generator.
This one gives you a large amount of control and even generates code
for faux columns if you like.
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[listulike]
CSS
Generator
Use this CSS generator to create cross-browser list-based navigation
bars.
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Font
Tester
Use this service to see what your font choice will look like in
paragraph form. You can specify line-height, font-weight, font-variant
and even more.
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WYSIWYG
HTML Image Map Creator
Upload an image and use this AJAX powered WYSIWYG tool to create image
maps.
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ColorSchemer
ColorSchemer is very handy for web designers. Select a starting color
and ColorSchemer will choose colors that go well together.
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QrONE
CSS
Designer
Another online CSS generator that shows the results as you select your
options.
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Online
Collaboration
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Google
Docs
Use Google to create spreadsheets, documents and even presentations
completely online.
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ajaxWrite
AjaxWrite is an online word processor.
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ThinkFree
ThinkFree calls itself the “free online alternative to Microsoft
Office”.
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ZOHO
Zoho has a wide collection of software online, including a word
processor, notebook, wiki and a presentation system.
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Backpack
The team at 37signals brings us Backpack. This software allows you to
organize photos, make lists, attach files and basically anything else
you can think of online.
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Basecamp
Basecamp is project management software from 37signals. This online
tool allows you and a team to collaborate on projects and assign duties
to individuals.
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Online
FTP Tools
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net2ftp
net2ftp is a web based FTP client. If you’ve ever used an online FTP
tool before this should be very comfortable.
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File
Manager in cPanel
Mosts webhosts these days are running cPanel. cPanel comes with
something called “File Manager” which is a web-based FTP program.
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FTPLive
FTPLive allows you to FTP items to your server entirely free of charge.
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Online
File Storage
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Flickr
Flickr is an online photo storage server. The free version allows up to
100MB a month of uploads, while the payed service gives you unlimited
space and uploads. Flickr also allows you to edit your photos online.
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BubbleShare
BubbleShare is another online photo storage service, similar to Flickr.
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23
Photo
Sharing
Another competitor to Flickr is 23.
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Drive
Headquarters
DriveHQ has a large number of free features including online file
storage, online backup, ftp hosting and email hosting.
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GMail
Drive shell
extension
GMail Drive shell extension allows you to map GMail as a hard drive on
your computer. Use your 6gigs for anything you want.
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MediaMax
MediaMax is an online file storage service that gives you 25 GB for
free.
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Other
Useful Tools
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XML-Sitemaps.com
Use this awesome website to create sitemaps for Google, Yahoo and more.
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ROR
Sitemap Generator
Another sitemap generator that generates ROR sitemaps. Can be submitted
to sites like Yahoo.
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S5:
Simple
Standards-Based Slide Show System
Eric Meyer has created the ability to make a PowerPoint style
presentation using only XHTML, CSS and JavaScript.
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Remember
The Milk
Remember The Milk is a very useful website for keeping track of items
still needing to be done.
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CSSFly
CSSFly allows you to edit sites online and view the results as you go.
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Published by Jake on January 4, 2008 12:00 am under Web Design / Programming
Are
you eager to get into web development, but aren't necessarily ready to
invest anything in it? This guide has links to guide you through the
entire process… from learning the code to finding a web host.
Making the Site
First off, you want to create the site. These links are primarily for
creating it from scratch rather than using a CMS.
Learn the Code
Many purists will argue that the best way to make a site is to actually
learn the code by hand. These resources are great for learning the core
HTML and CSS technologies.
- The
basics of Cascasding Style Sheets - A great guide to lead you
through learning CSS.
- Tizag
-
A site that has easy to
follow tutorials on many parts of web design. You an get a quick start
by using the beginner tutorial.
- W3Schools
- is a site similar
to Tizag, though it may not be as easy for some. W3Schools' strength is
that it makes it easy to try out techniques as you learn them.
Make the Graphics
If you want to make great sites, then sometimes it helps to be able to
make great graphics. Here are some image editors that may be useful.
- Inkscape
- Inkscape is a powerful vector graphics editor and the only one I
recommend. For Linux, OS X, and Windows.
- Krita
- A "painting and image editing program" similar to Paint.NET. For
Linux.
- Paint.NET
- A newer raster
graphics editor. This editor should not be compared with Paint, as it
is much more powerful, though not as much as other packages available.
For Windows and possibly other OS's using Mono.
- The GIMP
- The most popular free
raster image editor is also a very powerful one, though it takes time
to learn. This is my editor of choice. For Linux, with OS X and Windows
ports available.
Templates
If you have trouble designing sites from scratch, you may wish to use
freely available templates online, though they may not be unique at
first. However, with enough customizing you can generally fine tune the
templates to the point where they bear no resemblance to the original,
making this an often preferred route.
Text editors
More advanced text editors can really help your productivity if you are
designing by hand.
- Geany
- An advanced text
editor with a basic IDE than is great for web development. Recommended
by "toiletdude" in the comments below. For Linux with limited Windows
support.
- Kate
- A great text editor
with many advanced features. My personal favorite is the ability to
upload directly with FTP. My personal favorite. For Linux.
- Notepad++
- An editor that goes the extra mile to be useful. For Windows, though
it works well under Linux with WINE.
- PSPad
- A text editor that supports many of the same things as Kate, though
more powerful in some regards. For Windows.
WYSIWYG creators
If HTMl and CSS just aren't for you, then you may want to use a
WYSIWYG, or "What you see is what you get" editor. Making sites in
these is as easy as making a document with a word processor (which one
of the below is!).
- KompoZer
- One of the
easiest and most complete free WYSIWYG's available. This project came
from the no longer updated Nvu. For Linux, OS X, and Windows.
- OpenOffice.org
- Although
it is an entire office suite, the Writer part (word processor) doubles
as an HTML editor. For Linux, OS X, and Windows.
- Quanta
Plus - An
advanced editor that also has some WYSIWYG features that is better for
advanced users. My choice for when I do WYSIWYG work. For Linux.
- Seamonkey
- A full Internet suite that also includes the Composer HTML editor.
For Linux, OS X, and Windows.
Testing
Now you should probably make sure the site in different browsers to
make sure it works okay.
- Browsershots
- A site that gathers screenshots of your websites across different
browsers and OS's.
- IE Tab
- A Firefox extension that embeds Internet Explorer into Firefox for
quick testing.
- IEs4Linux
- A script for Linux that installs several versions of Internet
Explorer using WINE.
- W3C
Markup
Validation Service
- A utility to make sure that your mark-up is valid. Most browsers
should be able to render valid mark-up the same, but this isn't always
true in practice.
Hosting
After you create a site, you need to host it so that the world can see
it. Sadly, hosting is sometihng that you may want to pay for, but we'll
explore the best ways to get free hosting and the things related.
Free Web Hosts
First off, we want to actually get the free web host. Here are a few
free ones that don't have ads, but there are likely many more available.
- OXYHOST
Your free account comes with PHP, 5 MySQL databases, 5GB of disk space
& 100GB of bandwidth
- 110MB
- A free web host with more features than I have seen at some paid
sites.
- 50 Webs
- A simple and reliable host, though a tad bit short on features.
- FreeShells.ch
- A Unix shell that offers free web hosting as well. Only for advanced
users!
- Freewebs
- A host more aimed at beginning users. If you are lazy, you want to
head here first.
Free domains
To help improve your image, you may wish to have an actual domain or
short subdomain instead of what free web hosts give you by default.
However, options here are often not as grand as paying for a domain.
Domains can be tricky if you don't buy a domain initially because it's
a pain to move later. Some things, such as pagerank, may take months to
reclaim if you aren't careful, so this may be the one place where you
pay.
- co.nr
- A site that gives you a .co.nr name.
- Domain
Lagoon - A site that eventually lets you get a free .com,
though it's not too easy. Jarek has been able to do this before.
- .tk
- The
only site I know of that you can easily get an actual domain name with.
However, it places advertisements on the site. Uses the .tk extension.
- uni.cc
- uni.cc,
unlike co.nr and .tk, actually works like a regular domain in that you
can link to pages within it. However, not all web hosts support this.
From the list above, 100MB and 50 Webs do.
FTP Clients
For some web hosts you will need to use FTP to upload your files.
- Cyberduck
- A new type FTP client that integrates well with Mac OS X.
- Filezilla
- A great FTP program that also has a server version. For Linux, OS X,
and Windows.
- FireFTP
- A Firefox
extension for uploading to FTP, instead of only downloading which is
included by default. For all OS's where Firefox runs.
- gFTP
- An easy to use FTP client. Nothing special, but it does the job. For
Linux.
Free WEB
Server
and NAME Servers DNS
To
host you own site from home I recomend the free software and services
below.
- Ubuntu
Server EditionThe Free Server Edition - built
on the solid foundation of Debian which
is nown for its robust server installations — has a strong
heritage
for reliable performance and predictable evolution. DOWNLOAD
- DNSEXIT.COM
They provides reliable DNS Services
free to top level domains for both
business and internet users. Our DNS supports Dynamic IP
that means you will be able to run your own website, ftp, or mail
servers via DSL, Cable Modem lines with dynamic IP. To try out dynamic
DNS on a real domain, please try Dynamic
DNS Demo.
If you are new to DNS and don't how to create it, no problem, our DNS
Tools will guide you through the whole setup process. You
will be amazed by how easy it is to setup DNS with our tools.
- EVERYDNS.NET
Free DNS, Static DNS, Dynamic DNS, URL Redirection, and more from
EveryDNS! They provides static DNS services as well as many advanced
services such
as Dynamic DNS resolution, Secondary service, AXFR service, and
domain2web redirection. Of course, our primary service is free DNS
In Conclusion
Hopefully you can get up and going on your first website
without
investing a dime, though you may want to later for a decent host and
domain. I am open to more suggestions if you have them!
Lonnie's Web places an tricks
60+ Killer Open Courseware Collections for Web Designers
Posted on Friday February 15th , 2008
The Internet being what it is, web designers do not have a
hard time
finding resources. However, there are times when you have to call in
the big guns. That's right, we're talking about university courses, and
they cover everything from design theory to Internet culture.
ATTENTION
You have
.rm
files in these tutorials, you will need to have a
Real
Media
file player. These files are intended to be used for streaming content
over
the Internet. However, while Real Media is still in wide use, newer
streaming options beat it hands down for quality.
Real
Alternative is a good player for Real files. You can
also try
Media Player Classic.
Download
Media Player Classic from:
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/
video_software/video_players/media_player_classic.cfm
Download
Real Alternative from:
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/
video_software/video_players/real_alternative.cfm
Introductory Courses
With these courses, you'll get a beginner's look at web design
technology.
- Introduction
to Computers: This course covers the basics of
programming, software, and the Internet. [Berkeley]
- Introduction to
Web Design: This course will take you from
basic HTML to CSS and multimedia. [Indiana University]
- Multimedia
& World Wide Web: In this course,
you'll learn how to create user-centered documents using HTML, CSS,
JavaScript, and Flash. [DePaul]
- Webpage Authoring:
Get a hands-on introduction to HTML in this course.[Sofia]
- Web
Design: Learn about design for the web with
this hands-on course. [Miami Dade College]
- Introduction
to WWW/HTML: Create a basic HTML page and get
an overview of style and elements of a good web site. [University of
Minnesota]
- Basic
HTML: Delve into HTML tags, basic structure,
and more in this course. [University of Washington]
Visuals
These courses cover graphics, visual communication, and more.
- Computer
Graphics: This introductory graphics course
will walk you through visual design. [MIT]
- Historical
Foundations of Visual Technology: Learn about
the history and details of visual technolgies worldwide. [DePaul]
- Fundamentals
of Computational Media Design This course
discusses digital art and offers hands-on design exercises. [MIT]
- Graphic
Design: Learn about the basic theories and
skills of visual communication. [Miami Dade College]
- Information
Visualization: Consider space, order, focus,
context, and more in this course. [University of British Columbia]
- Art
of Color: In this course, you'll learn the
basic principles of color in visual arts. [MIT]
- Three-Dimensional
Modeling, Animation and Rendering Using Blender 3D Software:
Get into 3-D modeling and animation with this course. [Tufts]
- Survey
of 3-D Animation: Learn how to create
animations with Maya in this course. [DePaul]
- Algorithms
for Computer Animation: Learn about the
algorithms that make animations possible. [MIT]
- Illustration:
Learn how to create and manipulate full-color graphics in Adobe
Illustrator. [Miami Dade College]
User Design
Take these courses to learn how to make your design work for
real people.
- Accessibility
in Interaction Design: Understand how to
design for the disabled with this course. [The Open University]
- User
Inferface Design and Implementation: Follow
this course to get a look at usability, user-centered design, and more.
[MIT]
- People-Centered
Design: Consider how you can design for people
with this course. [The Open University]
- Social
Visualization: In this course, you'll learn
how to visualize people and their interactions. [MIT]
- Human-Computer
Interaction Seminar: This seminar offers
weekly speakers on human-computer interaction design. [Stanford]
- Human
Computer Interaction: Understand usability,
user studies, and cognitive models with this course. [University of
Washington]
- Common
Sense Reasoning for Interactive Application:
Use this course to discover how you can use common sense knowledge in
your design. [MIT]
- Designing
the User Interface: Consider text, color,
moving images and sound in your design. [The Open University]
Design
Get hands-on instruction in design with these courses.
- Software
Engineering for Web Applications: In this
course, you'll learn how to create a site with a database, cookies, and
more. [ArsDigita University]
- Creating
Interactive Multimedia:
Learn about the significant characteristics and elements of multimedia,
and create examples of interactive multimedia in the web browser.
[Queensland University]
- Introduction to
Macromedia Flash: Learn how to make animation,
sound, and graphics with Macromedia Flash. [Sofia]
- Introduction
to Multimedia Programming: This course covers
information design, navigation, programming, and more. [Monash
University]
- Creating
Home Pages on the World Wide Web: Create a
complex HTML site with this course. [University of Minnesota]
- Designing
Sociable Media: This course discusses creating
a design that works with social cues. [MIT]
- Digital
Typography: Learn the history and manipulation
of typography in this course. [MIT]
Programming
These courses offer an in-depth look at a variety of
programming languages and methods.
- Java:
This class will teach you how to write Java applets and applications.
[University of Minnesota]
- XML
Foundations: Consider why you should use XML,
and learn about CSS, syndication, user interfaces, and beyond.
[Berkeley]
- Web
Programming: Learn how to program web pages
for interactive content with this course. [University of Washington]
- Web
Based Information Systems: This course covers
protocols, forms, cookies, and much more. [University of Alberta]
- XML
with Java: Take a look at XML and Java,
specifically technologies like XQuery and JavaServer. [Harvard]
- Server-Side
Web Development Distributed Lectures: Take a
look at server-side programming, specifically Apache, PHP, and beyond.
[Indiana University]
- JavaScript
Programming: Get an advanced look at
JavaScript in this course. [University of Minnesota]
- Java Programming:
Learn about the Java programming langage with applets, object-oriented
programming, and integration with HTML. [Sofia]
E-Commerce
Check out these courses that focus on web design for sales.
- Transaction
Processing for E-Commerce: Learn how to
process transactions online with this course. [University of Washington]
- An
Introduction to E-Commerce and Distributed Applications:
Take a look at online retailing with this course. [The Open University]
- E-Commerce
and the Internet in Real Estate and Construction:
Take a look at how e-commerce has shaped the real estate industry. [MIT]
- E-Marketing:
This Spanish course will teach you how to market your site. [UC Irvine]
- Networking
Infrastructure for E-Commerce: Learn about the
capabilities and limitations you'll have to work with in e-commerce.
[NC State]
- Economics
and E-Commerce: You'll learn about the growth
and future of e-commerce in this course. [MIT]
Content
Consider what your design should be made of with these courses.
- Dynamic
Content Development: Look at server-side
technologies, Dreamweaver, ASP, and lots more. [Purdue]
- Communicating
in Cyberspace: Take a look at digital
communication with this course. [MIT]
- Electronic
Media: Hear from a variety of lecturers on new
media in this podcast. [Abilene Christian University]
History & Culture
Learn about the Internet's history and culture through these
courses.
- The
Anthropology of Computing: Consider computers
as meaningful tools for society and culture in this course. [MIT]
- History
of New Media: Find out exactly what new media
is, and discuss it in networks, art, and technology. [LeMill]
- Media
in Cultural Context: Popular Readerships: Here
you'll get a look at the history of popular reading and media. [MIT]
- The
Future of the Internet: You'll learn about
Internet architecture as well as current issues like network
neutrality. [Stanford]
- Foundations
of American Cyber-Culture: Consider new media,
demographics, open source, and lots more in this course. [Berkeley]
Supplemental Courses
Take your web design education a step further with these
supplemental courses.
- Web
2.0: Get a good look at web 2.0 as it relates
to users, online business models, and new technologies. [Weber State
University]
- A
New Era?: This course takes on the new economy
and innovation. [The Open University]
- Advanced
Internet and Web Services: Get a good look at
the design of search engines, secure web services, and more.
[University of Washington]
- Ethics
and the Law on the Electronic Frontier: This
course will educate you on some of the legal and ethical issues
concerning the Internet. [MIT]
- Computer
Networks: Consider the global network
infrastructure and its design principles in this course. [MIT]
- Information
Security: Learn about cryptography, single
sign-ons, e-commerce, and other topics in security. [University of
Bristol]
- Search
Engines: Technology, Society and Business: Get
an introduction to search engines, intellectual property in searches,
advertising, spam, and more. [Berkeley]
- Introduction
to Copyright Law: This course discusses
copyright law as it relates to the Internet and beyond. [MIT]
- Data
Mining: Learn how to capture and use data to
improve web design. [MIT]
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Basic Tags
<html></html>
Creates an HTML document
<head></head>
Sets off the title and other information that isn’t displayed on the
Web page itself
<body></body>
Sets off the visible portion of the document
<title></title>
Puts the name of the document in the title bar
Body Attributes
<body bgcolor=?>
Sets the background color, using name or hex value
<body text=?>
Sets the text color, using name or hex value
<body link=?>
Sets the color of links, using name or hex value
<body vlink=?>
Sets the color of followed links, using name or hex value
<body alink=?>
Sets the color of links on click
Text Tags
<pre></pre>
Creates preformatted text
<hl></hl>
Creates the largest headline
<h6></h6>
Creates the smallest headline
<b></b>
Creates bold text
<i></i>
Creates italic text
<tt></tt>
Creates teletype, or typewriter-style text
<cite></cite>
Creates a citation, usually italic
<em></em>
Emphasizes a word (with italic or bold)
<strong></strong>
Emphasizes a word (with italic or bold)
<font
size=?></font> Sets size of font,
from 1 to 7)
<font
color=?></font> Sets font color,
using name or hex value
Links
<a
href=”URL”></a> Creates a hyperlink
<a
href=”mailto:EMAIL”></a> Creates a
mailto link
<a
name=”NAME”></a> Creates a target
location within a document
<a
href=”#NAME”></a> Links to that
target location from elsewhere in the document
Formatting
<p></p>
Creates a new paragraph
<p align=?>
Aligns a paragraph to the left, right, or center
<br>
Inserts a line break
<blockquote></blockquote>
Indents text from both sides
<dl></dl>
Creates a definition list
<dt>
Precedes each definition term
<dd>
Precedes each definition
<ol></ol>
Creates a numbered list
<li></li>
Precedes each list item, and adds a number
<ul></ul>
Creates a bulleted list
<div align=?>
A generic tag used to format large blocks of HTML, also used for
stylesheets
Graphical Elements
<img src=”name”>
Adds an image
<img src=”name”
align=?> Aligns an image: left, right, center;
bottom, top, middle
<img src=”name”
border=?> Sets size of border around an image
<hr>
Inserts a horizontal rule
<hr size=?>
Sets size (height) of rule
<hr width=?>
Sets width of rule, in percentage or absolute value
<hr noshade>
Creates a rule without a shadow
Tables
<table></table>
Creates a table
<tr></tr>
Sets off each row in a table
<td></td>
Sets off each cell in a row
<th></th>
Sets off the table header (a normal cell with bold, centered text)
Table Attributes
<table border=#>
Sets width of border around table cells
<table
cellspacing=#> Sets amount of space between table
cells
<table
cellpadding=#> Sets amount of space between a
cell’s border and its contents
<table width=# or
%> Sets width of table — in pixels or as a
percentage of document width
<tr align=?> or
<td align=?> Sets alignment for cell(s)
(left, center, or right)
<tr valign=?> or
<td valign=?> Sets vertical alignment for
cell(s) (top, middle, or bottom)
<td colspan=#>
Sets number of columns a cell should span
<td rowspan=#>
Sets number of rows a cell should span (default=1)
<td nowrap>
Prevents the lines within a cell from being broken to fit
Frames
<frameset></frameset>
Replaces the tag in a frames document; can also be nested in other
framesets
<frameset
rows=”value,value”> Defines the rows within a
frameset, using number in pixels, or percentage of w idth
<frameset
cols=”value,value”> Defines the columns within a
frameset, using number in pixels, or percentage of width
<frame>
Defines a single frame — or region — within a frameset
<noframes></noframes>
Defines what will appear on browsers that don’t support frames
Frames Attributes
<frame src=”URL”>
Specifies which HTML document should be displayed
<frame
name=”name”> Names the frame, or region, so it may
be targeted by other frames
<frame
marginwidth=#> Defines the left and right margins
for the frame; must be equal to or greater than 1
<frame
marginheight=#> Defines the top and bottom margins
for the frame; must be equal to or greater than 1
<frame
scrolling=VALUE> Sets whether
the frame has a scrollbar; value may equal “yes,” “no,” or “auto.” The
default, as in ordinary documents, is auto.
<frame noresize>
Prevents the user from resizing a frame
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