E-mail this pageHTML Formatting Basics
The default formatting options in HTML are pretty slim, thanks in part to its derivation from SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language), a markup language that was more concerned with what the divisions on a page meant than how the divisions on a page would be displayed.
As a consequence, HTML initially comparatively few official formatting tags.
The paragraph (<p>), achieved by pressing the Enter key is, by default, marked off by a blank line.
The line break (<br>), achieved by holding the Shift key and then pressing Enter , inserts the next line of text immediately below the last. This is often more visually appealing and desirable, but it is to be used with caution: for the purposes of sytle definitions and stylesheets, line breaks always adopt the style of the paragraph that they are part of. This means that you might find that a perfectly reasonably looking line break suddenly looks a little absurd when the default styles of a web page are redefined.
Emphasis (<em> or sometimes <i>) marks off text that is conventionally marked in an italic typeface. In the FrontPage Editor, you can add emphasis tags by clicking on the 
button.
The strong tag (<strong> or sometimes <b>) marks off text that is conventionally marked in a bold typeface. In FrontPage, you can add strong tags by clicking on the 
button.
The style menu in FrontPage (
) offers a list of all pre-defined styles available to the document. If a stylesheet has been defined and linked (see Stylesheets
), then the specific style definitions will be used. If no stylesheet exists, the default style definitions will appear on the FrontPage's Style menu. Predefined styles exist for headings (<h1> through <h6>), for "normal" paragraphs (<p>), bulleted lists, numbered lists, definitions, and a few other classifications. Custom styles can be created for user-defined styles and
to redefine the defaults.
Although the formatting toolbar and the format menu in FrontPage (see Toolbars and Basics
) allow the setting of individaul fonts, this practice is not strongly recommended. Ideally, you should set specific font faces and font colors in a CSS (Cascading Style Sheet, see Stylesheets
) definition. Nonetheless, most browsers today accept the font tag (<font face="sans serif" size="2"> and allow parameters such as size and color to be set directly in the page instead of in a stylesheet. You should be careful in selecting a font, though: not all fonts are equally available on all systems. Generally Arial
and Times New Roman
will find good matches globally. Other fonts, if not found on the system being used by your site's visitor, will be replaced by default serif
or sans serif
fonts. Fonts can be set using the dropdown box for fonts in the formatting toolbar or by selecting Format|Font
from the FrontPage Editor's menu. Fonts can be sized by clicking the sizing buttons (
or 
), and can be colored by clicking on the color palette (
).
Numbered lists (
) and bulleted lists (
) always appear at a paragraph's remove from the item that precedes them. This can, in the absence of a user-defined stylesheet, create a somewhat awkward looking layout.
Formatting Documents using FrontPage
As loosely as things are summarized above, that summary takes in the bulk of formatting options that HTML (and the FrontPage) makes available. The only significant formatting mechanism not outlined above is the table, and this is significant enough to warrant its own page . You should find, though, that basic formatting chores, even in the absence of a stylesheet, are relatively easy to perform. The formatting becomes more complex and difficult in a direct relationship to the complexity of your documents. A simple page of text with a few scattered images is fairly easy to manage. A page of text with staggered images, tables, and multiple fonts is a little trickier: practice with some simple pages before attempting something very complex.
Comments or questions? Please contact Dr. Peter Friesen , Instructional Technology Coordinator, Plattsburgh State University.