Coding For Dummies

Chapter 5

Getting More Out of HTML

IN THIS CHAPTER

Organizing content in a web page

Writing HTML lists

Creating HTML tables

Filling out HTML forms

I’m controlling, and I want everything orderly, and I need lists.

— SANDRA BULLOCK

Even your best content needs structure to increase readability for your users. This book is no exception. Consider the “In This Chapter” bulleted list of items at the top of this page, or the table of contents at the beginning of the book. Lists and tables make things easier for you to understand at a glance. By mirroring the structure you find in a book or magazine, web elements let you precisely define how content, such as text and images, appear on the web.

In this chapter, you learn how to use HTML elements such as lists, tables, and forms, and how to know when these elements are appropriate for your content.

Organizing Content on the Page

Readability is the most important principle for organizing and displaying content on your web page. Your web page should allow visitors to easily read, understand, and act on your content. The desired action you have in mind for your visitors may be to click on and read additional content, share the content with others, or perhaps make a purchase. Poorly organized content will lead users to leave your website before engaging with your content for long enough to complete the desired action.

Figures 5-1 and 5-2 show two examples of website readability. In Figure 5-1, I searched Craigslist.org for an apartment in ...