Anchor tag basics in HTML - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Anchor Tag Basics

📖 Scenario: You are creating a simple webpage for a local library. You want to add links so visitors can easily find the library's homepage and the contact page.

🎯 Goal: Build a basic HTML page with two anchor tags. One link should go to the library's homepage, and the other should go to the contact page.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create an HTML skeleton with <!DOCTYPE html>, <html>, <head>, and <body> tags

Add two anchor tags (<a>) inside the body

The first anchor tag must link to https://www.locallibrary.com with the text 'Library Homepage'

The second anchor tag must link to https://www.locallibrary.com/contact with the text 'Contact Us'

Use the href attribute correctly in both anchor tags

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Creating navigation links is a fundamental skill for building websites that help users find important pages easily.

💼 Career

Web developers frequently add and manage links to connect different parts of a website or to external resources.

1

Create the basic HTML structure

Write the basic HTML skeleton with <!DOCTYPE html>, <html lang="en">, <head> including <meta charset="UTF-8"> and <title>Library Links</title>, and an empty <body> tag.

HTML

    
    Library Links


    

Hint

Start with the basic HTML page structure. Remember to include the lang attribute in the <html> tag and the charset meta tag inside <head>.

2

Add the first anchor tag for the homepage

Inside the <body> tag, add an anchor tag <a> with the href attribute set to https://www.locallibrary.com. The link text should be exactly 'Library Homepage'.

HTML

    
    Library Links


    

Hint

Use the href attribute inside the <a> tag to set the link destination. The text between the tags is what users will see and click.

3

Add the second anchor tag for the contact page

Below the first anchor tag, add another anchor tag with the href attribute set to https://www.locallibrary.com/contact. The link text should be exactly 'Contact Us'.

HTML

    
    Library Links


    Library Homepage
    

Hint

Remember to place the second anchor tag inside the <body> tag and below the first link. Use the correct URL and link text.

4

Add spacing between the links for readability

Add a line break tag <br> between the two anchor tags inside the <body> to separate the links visually.

HTML

    
    Library Links


    Library Homepage
    
    Contact Us

Hint

Use the <br> tag to add a line break between the two links so they appear on separate lines.

Practice

1. What does the <a> tag do in HTML?

easy

A. Creates a clickable link to another page or resource

B. Defines a paragraph of text

C. Inserts an image into the page

D. Adds a heading to the page

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of the <a> tag

   The <a> tag is used to create links that users can click to go to other pages or resources.

2. Step 2: Compare with other tags

   Other tags like <p>, <img>, and <h1> serve different purposes such as paragraphs, images, and headings.

3. Final Answer:

   Creates a clickable link to another page or resource -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Anchor tag = clickable link [OK]

Hint: Anchor tag always creates clickable links [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing <a> with <p> or <img>
• Thinking <a> adds images or text formatting
• Ignoring the clickable nature of <a>

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to create a link to "https://example.com" with the text "Visit Example"?

easy

A. Visit Example

B. Visit Example

C. Visit Example

D. https://example.com

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the correct attribute for link destination

   The correct attribute to specify the link URL is href inside the <a> tag.

2. Step 2: Check the tag and attribute usage

   <a href="https://example.com">Visit Example</a> uses <a> with href and link text correctly. Other options use wrong attributes or tags.

3. Final Answer:

   <a href="https://example.com">Visit Example</a> -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use <a href="URL">text</a> for links [OK]

Hint: Use href attribute inside <a> for links [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using url instead of href attribute
• Using <link> tag instead of <a>
• Omitting href attribute

3. What will the following HTML code display in the browser?

<a href="#section2">Go to Section 2</a>
<h2 id="section2">Section 2</h2>

medium

A. A link that opens a new tab to a page named 'section2'

B. An error message because href cannot start with #

C. A clickable link labeled 'Go to Section 2' that scrolls to the heading 'Section 2' on the same page

D. Plain text 'Go to Section 2' with no link

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand href with # and id attribute

   The href="#section2" links to an element with id="section2" on the same page, causing the page to scroll there.

2. Step 2: Check the displayed content

   The link text 'Go to Section 2' is clickable and scrolls to the heading labeled 'Section 2'.

3. Final Answer:

   A clickable link labeled 'Go to Section 2' that scrolls to the heading 'Section 2' on the same page -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   href="#id" scrolls to element with that id [OK]

Hint: href="#id" links inside same page [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking # means new page or error
• Expecting new tab to open
• Ignoring id attribute connection

4. Find the error in this anchor tag code:

<a href="www.example.com">Example</a>

medium

A. href attribute should be written as link

B. Incorrect closing tag, should be <a />

C. Text 'Example' should be inside quotes

D. Missing protocol like https:// in href URL

Solution

1. Step 1: Check href URL format

   The href value 'www.example.com' lacks the protocol (http:// or https://), so the browser treats it as a relative link.

2. Step 2: Understand correct URL usage

   To link to an external site, the URL must include the protocol like 'https://www.example.com'.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing protocol like https:// in href URL -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   External links need full URL with protocol [OK]

Hint: Always include https:// for external links [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting https:// causes relative link errors
• Using self-closing tag incorrectly
• Misnaming href attribute

5. You want to create an email link that opens the user's email program to send mail to "[e-mail]". Which anchor tag is correct?

hard

A. Send Email

B. Send Email

C. Send Email

D. Send Email

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the correct protocol for email links

   Email links use the mailto: protocol in the href attribute to open the email client.

2. Step 2: Check each option's syntax

   <a href="mailto:[e-mail]">Send Email</a> uses mailto:[e-mail] correctly. <a href="email:[e-mail]">Send Email</a> uses wrong protocol 'email:', while others lack the protocol or use incorrect formats like 'mailto://'.

3. Final Answer:

   <a href="mailto:[e-mail]">Send Email</a> -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Email links use mailto: prefix [OK]

Hint: Use mailto: before email address in href [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using email: instead of mailto:
• Omitting mailto: prefix
• Adding extra slashes after mailto: