HTML For Technophobes: Chapter Three

HTML for Technophobes.
©David Knopfler/Willa Cline July 1998

Chapter Three: One liners

So here we are, Chapter Three already. Want to know how to indent your page an inch from the left margin - like this one is? Well of course you know already, because with your WYSIWYG web authoring software you just highlight your text and click the little black arrow that sends your text to the left.

HOWEVER, since we're doing some HTML here too - this is what you need:

<BLOCKQUOTE>Your indented text here</BLOCKQUOTE>

This could work equally well for an entire page

And if you wanted to draw a line like this ?

...then <HR> is all you need to write

And for a black line ?: <HR NOSHADE>

Couldn't be simpler could it?

Ho hum. Of course if you wanted you say write the following message

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

(only kidding)

... then you'll need to learn how to use tables ... and guess what you have to write inside those funny little brackets to make a table? That's right ... <TABLE> ... but unfortunately ... (Bong!) playtime just ended ... if you want to do this stuff then you'll also need to have all the following exotica in place:
<CENTER>



<TABLE BORDER="3" CELLPADDING="2" WIDTH="28%" HEIGHT="77" BGCOLOR="#003333">

<TR>

<TD WIDTH="100%">

<CENTER>



<HR NOSHADE>


UNDER


 CONSTRUCTION 

<HR>


 (only kidding)

<HR NOSHADE>

</CENTER>

</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>

</CENTER>

... not so funny huh? So now you see why I suggested you go find a WYSIWYG editor? Go get one NOW!

Raise your hand anyone who has more or less no idea what all that code was about? I see a sea of arms. The only reason that guy in the far corner didn't raise his, is because he's sleeping off a hangover ... shh ... the rest of you get five brownie points for honesty.

.....

... and the code for five brownie points? :

<CENTER>

 ..... 

</CENTER>

<HR>

<HR WIDTH="90%">

<HR WIDTH="80%">

<HR WIDTH="70%">

<HR WIDTH="60%">

... mostly quite logical really. Just remember what goes up must come down .. and what gets aligned stays aligned until you offer an end command with a little backslash. If you're still feeling frisky, you could do worse than go to www.calles.pp.se and download HTML Vocabulary 2.0

FIN

</HTML>

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