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Day 1: Understanding the Basics of HTML and CSS

12 July 2024 by
Day 1: Understanding the Basics of HTML and CSS
Cipheren Technology, Cipheren Technology

Welcome to Day 1 of your front-end development journey! Today, we will cover the foundational concepts of HTML and CSS. By the end of this blog, you will have a solid understanding of the structure of HTML documents and how to style web pages using CSS. Let's get started!

Introduction to HTML:

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the standard language for creating web pages. It describes the structure of a web page using a series of elements and tags.

Basic Structure of an HTML Document:

An HTML document consists of nested elements enclosed in tags. The basic structure includes:



  • <!DOCTYPE html>: Declares the document type and version of HTML.
  • <html>: The root element of the document.
  • <head>: Contains metadata, such as the title and links to stylesheets.
  • <title>: Sets the title of the web page, displayed in the browser tab.
  • <body>: Contains the visible content of the web page.
  • <h1>: A heading element.
  • <p>: A paragraph element.

Common HTML Tags and Their Usage:

  • <a href="url">: Creates a hyperlink.
  • <img src="image.jpg" alt="description">: Embeds an image.
  • <ul><li></li></ul>: Creates an unordered list.
  • <ol><li></li></ol>: Creates an ordered list.
  • <div>: A container element for grouping content.
  • <span>: An inline container for styling parts of text.

Introduction to CSS:

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a stylesheet language used to control the presentation of web pages. It allows you to apply styles, such as colors, fonts, and layouts, to HTML elements.

How to Link CSS to an HTML Document:

You can link a CSS file to an HTML document using the <link> element within the <head> section:


Basic CSS Selectors and Properties:

  • Selectors: Specify the HTML elements to be styled.
    • element: Selects all elements of that type (e.g., p).
    • #id: Selects an element with a specific id (e.g., #header).
    • .class: Selects elements with a specific class (e.g., .content).
  • Properties: Define the styles to be applied to the selected elements.
    • color: Sets the text color.
    • font-size: Sets the size of the text.
    • margin: Sets the outer spacing around elements.
    • padding: Sets the inner spacing within elements.
    • background-color: Sets the background color.

Example of a CSS File (styles.css):


Hands-On Practice:

  1. Create a Simple Webpage Using HTML:
    • Create a new HTML file called index.html.
    • Add the basic structure and include a heading and a paragraph.


2. Style the Webpage Using Basic CSS Properties:

  • Create a new CSS file called styles.css.
  • Link the CSS file to the HTML document and add styles for the body, heading, and paragraph.


3. View the Styled Webpage in a Browser:

  • Open the index.html file in a web browser to see the styled webpage.

Key Takeaways:

  • HTML is the skeleton of a web page, providing the structure and content.
  • CSS enhances the visual presentation of a web page, allowing you to apply styles to HTML elements.
  • Linking a CSS file to an HTML document enables you to separate content from presentation.
  • Basic CSS selectors and properties allow you to style elements, control layout, and improve the user experience.

Congratulations on completing Day 1 of your front-end development journey! You've learned the basics of HTML and CSS, which are the building blocks of web development. Tomorrow, we will dive deeper into advanced CSS techniques and responsive design. Happy coding!