If you frequent any forums on HTML, many of the following questions may seem
VERY familiar. I see these questions asked more than any others, and I hope
I can do my part to answer or address them all in one place (whether for
better or worse.) If you know of any other FATDQ [Frequently Asked To Death
Questions =)] of HTML, please e-mail me
- I would be interested in trying to address them.
- How Do I Get Started Learning HTML?
- When I first started to create this site, I decided to stay away from
introductory topics in order to concentrate on the heart of HTML. I have
had some readers rave about my site, and then subsequently confess that
it was a bit too advanced for the level they were currently at. When these
people ask me for sites that would be good starting points, I have been at
somewhat of a loss - until now. Hopefully the sites reviewed here can serve
as a gateway into the wonderful world of HTML. 'When yer done with these, y'all
come back now!' =)
- How Do I Indent Using HTML?
- This is one of the most frequently asked questions posed by many HTML
authors. I will try to cover all possible methods that can (or SHOULD)
be used and weigh the pros and cons for each method. Hopefully, you can draw your
own conclusion about which method will work best for you.
- What is the 'NATURALSIZEFLAG' attribute for
the IMG element?
- Due to a design decision by an HTML editor company, there are more than
a few pages running around with this unexplained phantom attribute. What is it,
where did it come from, and why isn't it part of the HTML specifications?
[I knew part of the answer to this a while back, but a reader was kind
enough to send me the clarification that he received directly from the
company on the matter.]
- How can frame borders be controlled in BOTH
Netscape and Internet Explorer?
- When the basic HTML frame syntax was extended in Netscape and Internet Explorer
to allow control over the appearance of the borders around frames, both browsers
chose to use a slightly differing syntax from the other. Despite this
inconsistency, it IS possible to get the same rendering behavior
in both browsers if simple rules are followed.
- How do I include the subject line in a 'mailto:' URL?
- The original syntax for 'mailto:' URLs is clear that it is meant only for specifying
email addresses. A new RFC proposes an updated format for the 'mailto:' URL syntax
that has long had support in Netscape, but has only recently gained wider acceptance.
- How do I hide the source of my HTML document from
readers?
- I have yet to understand the desire to do this, but I see this question asked
all the time. Using just HTML this cannot be done, but people have sent me several
suggestions on how this might be accomplished using other methods.
- How do I insert background music in my pages?
- For best compatibility with the most browsers, this will probably serve best:
<embed SRC="mysound.wav"
HIDDEN="True"><bgsound SRC="mysound.wav"></embed>
(other EMBED attributes which may be useful are: AUTOPLAY=[true/false] and
LOOP=[true/false].)
- How do I break my pages out of frames?
- This is another very popular question I see asked ALL the time...to achieve the
desired behavior, use this javascript in the onLoad event handler for the BODY element:
<body
ONLOAD="if (window != window.top)
{ top.location.href=location.href }">
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