Amongst my day to day dealings with individuals on the internet – clients routinely ask, “How do I start HTML using Notepad?”
The answer; is painfully simple. Just read the following steps – and you’ll be well on your way to starting and creating your very first HTML code using Notepad.
Steps
1. First, open the Notepad program. Immediately you can begin typing your HTML code into the text editor’s white space. For those that need a small snippet of code to start working with – I’d recommend copying and pasting the following; into your Notepad text editor:
<html>
<body>
Hello World!
</body>
</html>
2. When finished, save the file. Click the FILE tab, then select SAVE AS. Now listen up – this step is important. When typing the File Name – be sure to type .html, after your chosen file name. This turns your standard Notepad file into an HTML file. A standard name for website home pages is usually index.html. For your encoding selection – most save in the UTF-8 character encoding format.
3. Once saved – travel to the new file’s location, and double click. Because you saved the file as HTML – it will automatically be opened up in your default web browser. Congradulations – you’ve created your very first web page.
4. Now – how do you open the file in Notepad, and continue editing the code? Right click on the file, select OPEN WITH – and choose Notepad. Notepad will automatically start – enabling your coding fingers to start typing away!
Alternatives To Notepad
Though many professional web developers purely use Notepad as their text editor of choice – many find Notepad to be lacking in some basic developing needs. (e.g. syntax highlighting, function filling, etc.)
Many in the industry use Notepad++, which can be downloaded and used freely. As of now I’ve been experimenting with Crimson Editor – and have achieved terrific results.
Conclusion
Many years ago – after learning this simple, yet crucial procedure in starting HTML using Notepad; I was immediately grasped by the world of web design. Me, little me – could now create websites.
Website design is an art form; so with these tools – have fun creating your masterpieces!
Using the comments form below; tell us – what do YOU use for HTML creation?
Please note that by saving HTML code locally on your PC – it doesn’t enable your web page to be accessed via the internet. The next step in web design is purchasing a domain name and web site hosting. I’d recommend taking a look at polarPhase.com for reliable hosting services.
Related Posts:
- What Do I Need To Build My First Website?
- How To Delete A Rogue File Using The Command Prompt and Windows Task Manager
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"You’re such a smart boy!" were his first accolades heard. So, it’s no wonder that this phrase became the title of his business, Smart Boy Designs.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I use Dreamweaver (I edit in code mode – but it is easier to see the various elements here in the different colors than in Notepad) but I started off using Notepad and Simple Text (Mac.) Even now I’ll sometimes open my CSS files in notepad while editing HTML in Dreamweaver so I can see the files side by side.
i started with using notepad. even now i still use notepad for coding. i only use dreamweaver and other editors for css as i haven’t memorized all the css codes.
Hi..could you please send me the transcript for HTML notepad web page design for me to easily get in in making web design..thanks a lot and more power
Twitter: smartboydesigns
January 30, 2009 at 9:56 am
What transcript are you looking for Daisy?
i started with using notepad. even now i still use notepad for coding. i only use dreamweaver and other editors for css as i haven't memorized all the css codes.
I WILL use notepad here as soon as I leave this comment. Thank you, THANK YOU!!! For sharing your knowledge on this so very difficult task to some of us who have/had no clue, Yet obviously very simple!
I have you bookmarked and will follow as I move along in the new venture of mine,
Thank you again!
When I am designing a website I use microsoft word because i don’t have the cash to buy dreamweaver. Word works alright it is just takes a bit of time to edit the code
Twitter: smartboydesigns
March 10, 2011 at 11:37 am
Hey Gordon – I would download Notepad++. It’s like Notepad, but it highlights the code to make it easier to edit. It’s a free program – and it’s all I use now. http://notepad-plus-plus.org/
thanks