How to Adjust Text in HTML: A Comprehensive Guide

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is a core technology of the internet, used to format and structure web content. HTML comes equipped with a variety of elements to help you adjust and emphasize text for an improved user experience. In this article, we will explore these elements and provide step-by-step guidance on how to adjust text in HTML.

HTML Text Formatting Elements

HTML provides several elements to format text, such as bold, italics, marked text, and more. These elements can enhance the readability and presentation of your web content. Let's take a look at each element in detail:

Bold Text: b and strong

Bold text is often used to draw attention to certain words or phrases. While both b and strong elements can be used to make text bold, strong carries a stronger semantic meaning that the text is important from a content perspective. Here's how to use these elements:

pThis is some bnormal text/b and this is some strongbold text/strong./p

Italic Text: i and em

Italic text is typically used for stylistic purposes, such as quotes or foreign words. Similarly to b and strong, i and em can be used interchangeably, but em carries a semantic meaning that the text is emphasized. Here is an example:

pThis is some inormal text/i and this is some emitalic text/em./p

Marked Text: mark

The mark element is used to highlight text. This can be useful for drawing attention to specific text sections or for search results. Here's an example:

pThis is some markhighlighted text/mark and some normal text./p

Smaller Text: small

The small element is used to render text in a smaller font size. This is often used for copyright information, legal disclaimers, or secondary content.

pNormal text. smallSmall print text goes here./small/p

Deleted and Inserted Text: del and ins

The del element is used to mark text that has been deleted from a document, and the ins element is used to mark text that has been inserted. These elements are useful for showing changes in content.

pThis is the original text. delThis text was deleted/del and this text inswas inserted/ins./p

Subscript and Superscript: sub and sup

The sub and sup elements are used to render text in subscript and superscript formats, respectively. These are commonly used for chemical formulas, mathematical expressions, or references.

pHsub2/subO (water) and Emcsup2/sup (energy equation)./p

Access and Editing HTML Text

Adjusting the text in HTML can be as simple as opening the HTML file in a text editor and making the necessary changes. Here are the steps to follow:

Viewing Source Code

From a web browser, you can view the source code of an HTML page using the developer tools. To do this, right-click on the page and select Inspect, which will open the developer tools. In the Inspection panel, you can see the underlying HTML code. You can copy this code and open it in a text editor to make changes.

Editing the HTML Source

After copying the HTML code, you can open it in a text editor like Notepad, Visual Studio Code, or any other text editor you prefer. Make the necessary changes to the text within the HTML markup. Once you are satisfied with the changes, save the file and upload it back to the server. Be sure to overwrite the original file to reflect the changes on the live website.

Exporting Text to HTML

Many text processing programs, such as Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or OpenOffice Writer, can export their documents to HTML format. If you are working with a document in one of these programs, you can save it as an HTML file. This file can then be viewed in a web browser or shared on the internet.

Conclusion

HTML provides a powerful set of tools for adjusting and emphasizing text. By using elements like b, i, mark, small, del, ins, sub, and sup, you can enhance the presentation and readability of your web content. Additionally, you can directly edit the HTML source files using a text editor and publish your changes if you have access to the hosting server.

Remember, using the correct HTML elements not only improves the visual appearance of your content but also enhances its accessibility and semantic meaning, making it more SEO-friendly and user-friendly.