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Hello World


Write a basic HTML document

This task is going to introduce you to writing a basic html document. But you'll do it on paper, using a pen, for fifteen minutes. Think of this challenge as the Webmaking 101 equivalent of wax on, wax off (from the original Karate Kid film).

You're going to keep doing this until (hopefully) you can do it without making any mistakes and (ideally) by memory. It's important to be able to do this because this basic html document will form the basis for (almost) every html document you write in the future.
 
Below is the code that you're going to write out by hand. Be sure to copy it verbatim. Every quote, space, capitalisation and indentation is important. When you start writing more complex HTML & CSS you'll see why ;)You can be creative with your Hello World and include your name and a personal message.
 
<!DOCTYPE html>
        <meta charset="utf-8">
        <title> Hello World by Susie Creamcheese</title>
    </head>
 <body>

        <h1> Hello World by Susie Creamcheese</h1>
            This code is written by hand. How awesome am I?
        </p>
    </body>
</html>
 
If you make a small mistake that's ok, but if you make a big mistake then start again. If you manage to get to the end without making a mistake in under fifteen minutes, then start again, but this time doing it from memory.
 
At the end of the fifteen minutes you should have got through a few pages or sheets of paper and have something that resembles the above code.

Task Discussion


  • itsalie said:

    Took me a while, I am not used to writing by hand anymore. Here it is!

    on Feb. 17, 2012, 9:20 p.m.

    Christopher Crawford said:

    I totally need to get graph paper, I keep forgetting to indent lines. Good job and good idea

    on Feb. 20, 2012, 9:50 p.m. in reply to itsalie
  • Douglas Leavitt said:

    We need to know the basics of html very well.

    on Feb. 16, 2012, 7:46 p.m.
  • Keybo said:

    Hated this challenge, but for no other reason than that me and pens don't get along!

    Excuse the poor picture quality, looking at it now I could have written almost anything and nobody would be any the wiser but its the only camera I have to hand, sorry!

    http://keybo87.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/html-by-hand/

    on Feb. 13, 2012, 12:44 p.m.
  • Brad Garlich said:

    All done! That was actually a good excercise. Here's my hand-written code. Beautiful, no?

    on Feb. 2, 2012, 7:16 p.m.
  • Jay said:

    My handwritten HTML post!

    http://jayokey.net/hand-witten-html-challenge/

    on Jan. 15, 2012, 9:08 a.m.
  • Enyert Viñas said:

    on Jan. 11, 2012, 9:39 p.m.
  • rocksandy said:

    One more task done !!! This is painful, but i'm waiting to get to the better & newer stuff !!!

    http://rocksandy.tumblr.com/post/15646698790/hand-writing-html-just-realized-that-typing-is

    on Jan. 10, 2012, 8:24 p.m.
  • Leah said:

    Coding by hand is therapeutic.

    My attempt

    on Jan. 8, 2012, 7:54 p.m.
  • eleonoreft said:

    I loved this exercise! Great way to spend a lazy Saturday evening. Here's my post.

    on Jan. 7, 2012, 9:43 p.m.
  • Sitereader said:

    Hand coding is fun ... upto a point. Still my handcoded page with links to my 3 nearest comment neighbors past. 

    on Dec. 27, 2011, 5:23 a.m.
  • bryzer112 said:

    Writing it out by hand wasn't too bad.  It's only a few lines long.  I can't wait to get to the good stuff.  Here's the paper on my blog.

    http://theroadtobuildingapps.blogspot.com/2011/12/writing-html-by-hand.html

    on Dec. 21, 2011, 12:03 p.m.
  • teejay17 said:

    I wrote it out long-hand; when I say long-hand, I mean I typed it out long hand and abstained from copying and pasting the code. I haven't written with a pen and paper in years! The results of my "long-handed" writing can be found here.

    on Dec. 20, 2011, 12:50 p.m.
  • Joshua S. Williams said:

    Whew! I got it. You would think one would remember this stuff from all the HTML coding in highschool. Time to get this back on track.

    on Dec. 6, 2011, 9:29 a.m.
  • Gary Watts said:

    Success! My final try, from memory, is available at http://gwattsdesign.blogspot.com/2011/12/hello-world-success.html

    on Dec. 2, 2011, 1:42 p.m.
  • alanliddell said:

    This one was tougher than I thought it'd be: http://www.liddellsystems.com/blog/?p=565

    on Dec. 1, 2011, 9 p.m.
  • Gary Watts said:

    Didn't quite complete this- but I'm getting too tired. I need bed! Will give it another go tomorrow.

    http://gwattsdesign.blogspot.com/2011/12/hello-world-first-attempt.html

    on Dec. 1, 2011, 8:22 p.m.
  • Lauren said:

    whoop here it is:      laugh

    on Nov. 28, 2011, 2 p.m.
  • Joan said:

    I should say... <body> seems to be wrongly indented... It is, isn't it?

    on Nov. 25, 2011, 12:59 a.m.
  • Joan said:

    This would be my nth Hello World.

    Here, here: http://electrichail.wordpress.com/

    on Nov. 25, 2011, 12:20 a.m.
  • Anonym said:

    Done! Check out my awful handwriting here smiley

    on Nov. 24, 2011, 10:38 a.m.