Web Development Fundamentals: HTML, CSS, JavaScript Explained

Ever wondered about the inner workings of computer programming but never ventured beyond uploading a photo to Facebook? Fear not, you’re in the right place.

For those who have never delved into coding, the idea of building a website from scratch, encompassing layout, design, and all the intricacies, can seem incredibly daunting. Perhaps you’ve imagined scenes from movies like “The Social Network,” where Harvard students don oversized headphones while typing away lines of code, leaving you thinking, “I could never do that.”

The truth is, you absolutely can.

Just as anyone can learn a new language, anyone can learn to code. In essence, programming is akin to mastering a foreign language, which is precisely why they’re referred to as “programming languages.” Each one has its unique set of rules and syntax that must be learned incrementally. These rules serve as instructions to convey your intentions to the computer. In the realm of web programming, they guide your browsers on what actions to take.

The objective of this article is to provide a plain-English introduction to the fundamentals of HTML, CSS, and one of the most prevalent programming languages, JavaScript. However, before we embark on this journey, let’s gain an understanding of what programming languages actually entail.

What Exactly Is a Programming Language?

Programming, or coding, is akin to solving a puzzle. Consider a natural language, like English or French, which we employ to translate thoughts and ideas into actions and behaviors. In programming, the underlying puzzle remains the same—shaping different behaviors—yet, the recipient of these instructions isn’t a human; it’s a computer.

A programming language serves as our conduit for communicating with software. Those who employ programming languages are often referred to as programmers or developers. The instructions we convey using a programming language can pertain to formatting a webpage or causing an object on the page to move in response to user actions.

Programming in Web Development

Hence, when a web designer is handed a directive like “create a webpage featuring a particular header, font, color scheme, images, and an animated unicorn that traverses the screen upon user button clicks,” the web designer’s task involves breaking down this grand vision into discrete components. Subsequently, these components are translated into instructions comprehensible to the computer, ensuring they are arranged in the correct order and adhering to the correct syntax.

Every web page you encounter is constructed through a sequence of individual instructions, executed one after another. Your web browser, whether it’s Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or another, plays a pivotal role in converting code into a visual experience on your screen. It’s crucial to remember that, without a browser, code is merely a text file. It’s the act of loading that text file into a browser where the magic unfolds. Upon opening a web page, your browser retrieves and interprets the HTML and other programming languages at play.

HTML and CSS, interestingly, aren’t technically classified as programming languages; instead, they deal with page structure and stylistic information. However, before delving into JavaScript and other genuine programming languages, one must establish a solid foundation in HTML and CSS since they form the frontend of virtually every webpage and application.

In the early 1990s, HTML reigned as the sole language of the web. Web developers painstakingly crafted static sites, page by page. Much has evolved since then, with a myriad of programming languages now available.

In this article, we will explore HTML, CSS, and one of the most prevalent programming languages—JavaScript.

HTML, CSS, & JavaScript: A Tutorial

HTML

HTML serves as the cornerstone of every web page, irrespective of its complexity or the number of technologies integrated. It stands as an indispensable skill for anyone venturing into web-related professions. Surprisingly, learning HTML is a relatively straightforward endeavor.

How does HTML operate?

HTML, an acronym for HyperText Markup Language, operates as a “markup language.” In contrast to a conventional programming language, HTML doesn’t employ functions. Instead, it uses tags to identify various types of content and their roles within a webpage.

To illustrate, take a moment to scrutinize the article in front of you. If I requested you to categorize the types of content within this page, you’d likely excel at the task. There’s the header at the top, followed by a subheader, the main body text, images at the bottom, and additional snippets of text.

Markup languages employ a similar approach to your categorization. However, they execute it through code, specifically HTML tags or “elements.” These tags bear names that are largely self-explanatory: Header tags, paragraph tags, image tags, and so on.

Each web page comprises an array of these HTML tags, each one designating a specific type of content. The content within each tag is enclosed by it. For instance, the words you’re currently reading exist within a paragraph. If I were manually crafting this webpage without a user-friendly editor, I would initiate this paragraph with an opening paragraph tag: <p>. The “tag” is denoted by the angle brackets, while the letter “p” informs the computer that we’re defining a paragraph.

Once a tag is opened, all content following it is regarded as part of that tag until the tag is “closed.” At the conclusion of a paragraph, I’d incorporate a closing paragraph tag: </p>. It’s worth noting that closing tags closely resemble opening tags, except for the forward slash following the left-angle bracket. Here’s an example:

<p>This is a paragraph.</p>

Through HTML, you can introduce headings, format paragraphs, control line breaks, generate lists, emphasize text, insert images, create hyperlinks, construct tables, govern certain styles, and much more.

For in-depth HTML coding guidance, I suggest consulting our basic HTML guide and taking advantage of the free resources and classes available on platforms like Codecademy. But for now, let’s shift our focus to CSS.

CSS

CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, is a programming language tasked with determining how HTML elements should visually present themselves on the webpage.

HTML vs. CSS

While HTML provides the fundamental structure for website content, CSS is responsible for styling this content to ensure it appears as intended to users. These two languages are kept separate to ensure that websites are structured correctly before they are styled.

To draw an analogy, if HTML serves as the drywall, then CSS functions as the paint.

Where HTML establishes the fundamental structure of your webpage, CSS breathes life into the entire site with its styling capabilities. The captivating colors, captivating fonts, and background images you encounter on a webpage—all these are the handiwork of CSS. This language significantly influences the overall mood and tone of a webpage, rendering it a potent tool and an essential skill for web developers. CSS is also the driving force behind a webpage’s adaptability to diverse screen sizes and device types.

To illustrate the influence of CSS, consider two screenshots. The first displays a colleague’s blog post in basic HTML, devoid of CSS, while the second showcases the same post with HTML and CSS fully integrated.

Example of HTML (without CSS) 

Example of HTML + CSS 

Evidently, all the content remains intact, but the absence of CSS results in a loss of visual styling. This is akin to what you might witness if the style sheet fails to load on a webpage for any reason. On the contrary, when CSS is properly applied, the webpage transforms into a visually pleasing entity.

In essence, CSS consists of a collection of rules that assign various properties to HTML tags. These rules can apply to individual tags, multiple tags, an entire document, or multiple documents. CSS came into existence because, as design elements like fonts and colors evolved, web designers grappled with the challenge of incorporating these innovations into HTML.

HTML, initially created in 1990, wasn’t initially designed to encompass formatting details. Its original purpose was to define a document’s structural content, distinguishing between headers and paragraphs. As new design features emerged, HTML’s limitations became apparent. Subsequently, CSS was introduced in 1996, enabling the separation of formatting from HTML documents. This formatting information could be encapsulated within separate CSS (.css) files.

But what does “Cascading Style Sheets” signify? The term “style sheet” pertains to the document itself. Every web browser comes equipped with a default style sheet, which means that every webpage is influenced by at least one style sheet—the default style sheet of the browser employed by the webpage visitor. This is true regardless of whether the web designer has applied custom styles or not. For instance, if the default font style on my browser is Times New Roman, size 12, and I visit a webpage without a custom style sheet, I will perceive the webpage in Times New Roman, size 12.

However, in practice, the vast majority of webpages I visit don’t employ Times New Roman, size 12. The designers behind these webpages typically commence with a default style sheet that specifies default font styles. Subsequently, they override my browser’s defaults using custom CSS. This is where the term “cascading” comes into play. Picture a waterfall—water cascades down, encountering rocks along the way, yet only the rocks at the base alter the course of the flow. Similarly, the final defined style sheet dictates which instructions take precedence in my browser.

For comprehensive CSS coding insights, I’d recommend exploring the free resources and courses offered on platforms like Codecademy. For now, let’s delve into JavaScript.

JavaScript

JavaScript surpasses HTML and CSS in complexity and wasn’t introduced in beta form until 1995. Today, JavaScript is supported by all contemporary web browsers and is harnessed on almost every webpage to imbue it with enhanced, multifaceted functionality.

What Does JavaScript Achieve?

JavaScript is a logic-driven programming language used to manipulate webpage content and elicit diverse behaviors in response to user interactions. Common applications of JavaScript encompass confirmation dialog boxes, interactive calls-to-action, and the addition of new information to existing content.

In essence, JavaScript serves as the driving force behind interactive web design. Most of the dynamic features you encounter on a webpage are a direct result of JavaScript, which extends a web browser’s default capabilities and behaviors.

Crafting Confirmation Dialog Boxes

One typical application of JavaScript involves the creation of pop-up dialog boxes. Consider the last time you completed an online form and encountered a dialog box prompting you to click “OK” or “Cancel” to proceed. JavaScript makes this possible through code containing an “if … else …” statement, which directs the computer to execute one action if the user clicks “OK” and another if “Cancel” is chosen.

Initiating Slide-In Calls to Action

Another notable use of JavaScript is the implementation of slide-in calls-to-action (CTAs). These are the unobtrusive elements that appear on the bottom right-hand corner of your screen as you scroll past the sidebar. Here’s an example:

Slide-in CTA using JavaScript to appear in a HubSpot blog post 

Managing New Information

JavaScript is particularly valuable when it comes to assigning fresh identities to existing webpage elements based on user choices. Consider a scenario where you’re developing a landing page featuring a form designed to capture visitor information. You might have a JavaScript snippet dedicated to capturing the user’s first name. This JavaScript code could resemble the following:

Following the visitor’s input of their first name and any additional required information, the user’s entry is employed to update the identity of the initially undefined “firstName” element within your code. Here’s how you might express appreciation to the visitor by name using JavaScript:

In this JavaScript code snippet, the “firstName” element has been allocated the visitor’s first name, resulting in the display of the actual first name on the webpage. To a user named Kevin, the sentence would appear as follows:

JavaScript’s repertoire extends beyond these examples to encompass tasks such as security, password generation, form validation, interactive games, animations, special effects, and more. It’s also integral to mobile app development and the creation of server-based applications. Integrating JavaScript into an HTML document involves including JavaScript code snippets within the document’s header or body.

For in-depth JavaScript guidance, consider exploring the various online courses and resources available. Nevertheless, this overview should provide you with a foundational understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in the context of web development.

 

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