An Introduction to HTML 5: Doctype, Header and Nav Elements

Unless you’ve kept your computer unplugged from the Internet in the last few months, it’s probable that at this point you know that the W3 Consortium has been busy preparing the drafts that will give the HTML 5 specification its definitive form. Even though the official release of HTML 5 hasn’t been scheduled yet (at least at the time of this writing), it’d be useful to take a first look at some of its brand new features. This way, you can learn how to put them to work for you when most modern browsers make the big move and start offering more solid support for them.

However, before I start exploring the most relevant facets of the HTML 5 specification, a word of warning is in order: first, keep in mind that many of the topics that I plan to cover in this article series are naturally subject to change by the W3C without prior notice, meaning that all examples that you will see here should be evaluated with due caution; and second, I don't intend to provide you with a full reference of the specification, since you can always check the W3C’s website for more thorough information about a specific item.

Having clarified those points, in this and subsequent tutorials of this series I’ll attempt to offer you a friendly, easy-to-follow introduction to using the most useful elements bundled with the new specification. This way, you’ll be able to perform basic tasks such as creating valid HTML 5 documents, or doing more complex things, like creating semantic headers, footers, sidebars and much more.

Does my proposal sound interesting enough for you? Then click on the link below and start learning how to put HTML 5 to work for you!