A Step by Step guide to actually learning markup languages

Step One: Only memorize the syntax!

For example - doing HTML (writing informally, because we haven't DTDs yet, not exhaustive)

terminals

{<, >, &, a..zA..z0..9, ..., }

nonterminals

{ <, >, />, etc. }

sentences

<nameoftag attribute="value" attribute="value">stuff</nameoftag>

head

must have a title

html

head, body

Step Two: internalize what the markup language achieves

This varies so much for each person and each markup language. Markup languages are intended to add a layer of information to an existing object. They are used in combination, they each have a purpose.

Draw it, outline it, color it, dance it, who cares, there's a big difference between a flowchart diagram, a wireframe diagram, a mindmap, a webpage mockup and a set of usecases, yet all respresent a website.

-- HilaryHolz - 08 Jan 2009