When should you use html?

Introduction to Uses of HTML

HTML is a markup language heavily utilized for creating web pages and web applications. HTML, when combined with JavaScript and CSS, has become a milestone for web development. One of the useful aspects of HTML is, it can embed programs written in a scripting language like JavaScript, which is responsible for affecting the behaviour and content of web pages. CSS inclusion would affect the layout and appearance of the content. The basic building blocks of any HTML pages are HTML elements. A structured document can be created with the help of structural-semantic text like heading, paragraph, list, link, and other items. Browser indeed does not display the HTML tags but utilize them to interpret the content of the page. One needs to study various tags and then understand their behaviour.

HTML is used for a web document, internet navigation, etc. In this Uses of HTML article, we shall focus on top USes of HTML.

Top 10 Uses of HTML

Please find the below sections, where HTML has been used widely and effectively. Below is the list of the top 10 Uses of HTML language.

1. Web pages development

HTML is heavily used for creating pages that are displayed on the world wide web. Every page contains a set of HTML tags, including hyperlinks which are used for connecting to other pages. Every page that we witness on the world wide web is written using a version of HTML code.

2. Web document Creation

Document creation on the internet is dominated by HTML and its basic concept via tag and DOM, i.e. document object model. HTML tags are inserted before and afterwards or phrases to locate their format and location on the page. A web document consists of three sections: title, head, and body. Head includes the information to identify the document, including title and any other important keyword. A title can be seen on the browser’s bar, and the body section is the main portion of the website visible to the viewer. All three segments are designed and created by the uses of HTML tags. Every section has its own specific set of tags, which are dedicatedly rendered, keeping the head, title and body concepts in a loop.

3. Internet navigation

This is one of the most important uses of HTML, which is revolutionary. This navigation is possible by utilizing the concept of Hypertext. It is basically a text which refers to other web pages or text, and when the user clicks on it, would navigate to referenced text or page. HTML is heavily used to embed the hyperlink within the web pages. A user can easily navigate the web pages and between websites as well, located on different servers.

4. Cutting edge feature

HTML5, with its set of standards and API, is being used to introduce some of the latest trends in the website creation business. Like polyfill libraries, which are supported by old browsers equally well. Browser like Google Chrome is the perfect choice when it comes to implementing an HTML5 latest set of standards and APIs. A JavaScript library is available called Modernizr, which can detect features that let the developer dynamically load polyfill libraries as required.

5. Responsive images on web pages

At the elementary level in applications of HTML, queries can be set to utilize the images, which are responsive in nature. With the srcset attribute of img element in HTML and combining it with picture elements, a developer can fully control how the user will render an image. Now different types of an image with size variation can be loaded by using the img element. Rules can be easily set with the picture element; we can declare the img element with the default source, and then for every case, a source can be provided.

6. Client-side storage

Earlier, a user could not save the user’s browser data that would persist across sessions. To meet this requirement, server-side infrastructure has to be built, or user’s cookies can be used. But with HTML5, client-side storage is feasible using localStorage and IndexDB. These two strategies have their own standards and features. localStorage basically gives string-based hash-table storage. Its API is very simple and provides the developer with setItem, getItem, and removeItem methods. IndexDB, on the other hand, is a larger and better client-side data store. IndexDB database can be expanded with the user’s permission.

7. Offline capabilities usage

Once data can be stored in the browser, the developer can think of a strategy to make the application work when a user is disconnected. HTML5 has its application cache mechanism, which would define how the browser manages the offline situation. Application cache, responsible for offline ability, comprises different components, including API methods that create an update, read manifest file, and events. By using the certain property in HTML5, a developer can check if the application is online or not. A developer can also specify in the website’s application cache manifest file the information, like what browser manages resources for offline use. In the manifest file, resources that are available offline can also be specified.

8. Data Entry support with HTML

HTML5 standard and set of APIs can be used to support data entry level of work. As browsers implement new HTML5 standards, developers can simply add the tags to the tag, indicating required fields, text, data format, etc. HTML5 has come up with several new attributes to drive on-screen keyboards, validation, and other data-entry experiences so that end-user can have a better data entry.

9. Game development usage

Before the advent of HTML5, game development was an exclusive domain of Flash and Silverlight. Since browsers support new specifications for HTML5, including CSS3 and light-fast JavaScript engine to drive a new rich experience, HTML5 can bring the reality of game development possible, which was earlier the forte of Flash and Silverlight. Every feature of APIs needs not to be implemented, but the most appropriate ones can be utilized while eliminating the rest of the features.

10. Native APIs usage to enrich a website

HTML5 adds so many new abilities and tools, which was just an imagination in the past. A large set of new APIs regarding file system, Geolocation, drag and drop, event handling, client-storage etc., are the capabilities that make usage of HTML5 more easier than ever before. Application experience can be enhanced with other APIs like Fullscreen, Visibility and Media Capture. A modern web application has asynchronous nature, which can be fostered using Websockets and Web workers like APIs.

Conclusion

HTML is more complicated with its latest set of elements and a large set of APIs. Anyone who can grasp the basic concept is to a good start. Gone are the days when HTML was synonymous with the usage of a certain set of elements, tags, and their attributes. With HTML5, a developer has a lot of potential good tools and APIs in their arsenal, which can make its contemporary technologies lag behind. Usage in HTML is wide-spread and has become more sophisticated than ever before. It’s the developer’s ability to put applications of HTML concept in real-time usage.

Recommended Articles

This has been a guide to the uses of HTML language. Here we have discussed the basic concept and top 10 different uses of HTML like game development, Responsive images on web pages, web page development etc. You may also look at the following article to learn more –

1. Uses of CSS
2. Uses Of Machine Learning
3. Use Angular JS
4. Uses of Selenium