Updated May 20, 2023
Introduction to Uses of HTML
HTML is a markup language used to create web pages and applications. When combined with JavaScript and CSS, HTML has become a milestone for web development. One useful aspect of HTML is that it can embed programs written in a scripting language like JavaScript, which is responsible for affecting the behavior and content of web pages. CSS inclusion would affect the layout and appearance of the content. The basic building blocks of any HTML page are HTML elements. You can create a structured document using structural-semantic text such as headings, paragraphs, lists, links, and other items. Browser indeed does not display the HTML tags but utilizes them to interpret the page’s content. One needs to study various tags and then understand their behavior.
Web developers use HTML for creating web documents, internet navigation, and more. In this Uses of HTML article, we shall focus on the 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 displayed on the world wide web. Every page contains a set of HTML tags, including hyperlinks 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
HTML and its basic concept via tags and DOM (Document Object Model) dominate online document creation. Developers insert HTML tags before and after phrases to determine their formatting and placement on the page. A web document has three sections: title, head, and body. The head includes the information to identify the document, including the title and any other important keywords. 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. The use of HTML tags designs and creates all three segments. Every section renders specific tags, dedicatedly maintaining the loop between the head, title, and body concepts.
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 a text which refers to other web pages or text, and when the user clicks on it, would navigate to referenced text or page.Web developers heavily use HTML to embed hyperlinks within web pages. Users can easily navigate the web pages and between websites 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. A browser like Google Chrome is the perfect choice for implementing the latest HTML5 standards and APIs. A JavaScript library called Modernizr can detect features that let the developer dynamically load polyfill libraries as required.
5. Responsive images on web pages
Developers can set queries at the elementary level in HTML applications to utilize responsive images. 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 using the img element. The developer can easily set rules with the picture element. We can declare the img element with the default source, and then a source can be provided for every case.
6. Client-side storage
Earlier, a user could not save the user’s browser data that would persist across sessions.The developer must build server-side infrastructure or utilize user cookies to fulfill this requirement. But with HTML5, client-side storage is feasible using localStorage and IndexDB. These two strategies have their standards and features. localStorage 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 expands with the user’s permission.
7. Offline capabilities usage
The 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 defines how the browser manages the offline situation. Application cache, responsible for offline ability, comprises different components, including API methods that create an update and read the manifest files and events. By using certain properties in HTML5, a developer can check if the application is online or not. A developer can also specify the information in the website’s application cache manifest file, 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
Developers can use the HTML5 standard and set of APIs to support the 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 developed several new attributes to drive on-screen keyboards, validation, and other data-entry experiences so end-users can have 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 a 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. You do not need to implement every feature of APIs, but you can utilize the most appropriate ones while eliminating the rest.
10. Native APIs usage to enrich a website
HTML5 adds so many new abilities and tools, which were just an imagination in the past. A large set of new APIs regarding file systems, Geolocation, drag and drop, event handling, client storage, etc., are the capabilities that make usage of HTML5 easier than ever before. You can enhance the application experience by utilizing 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 elements and many APIs. Anyone who can grasp the basic concept is to a good start. Gone are the days when HTML was synonymous with using certain elements, tags, and attributes. With HTML5, a developer has a lot of potential good tools and APIs in their arsenal, which can make contemporary technologies lag. The usage of HTML is widespread and has become more sophisticated than ever. The developer can put applications of HTML concepts 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 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 –
