Anchor

An anchor is a term used in World Wide Web (WWW) publishing to denote the beginning and end of a hypertext link. In the Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML), an anchor is signified by the following tags: <A HREF="link"></A>, where <A> and </A> represent the HTML mark-up codes for anchor. Used in conjunction with <A HREF>, which is used to link a WWW user to another location, an anchor provides the information necessary to transform text into a hyperlink.

URLs:

NAME Attribute of the Anchor Element

A very good explanation of anchors and hypertext links

HTML Resources

A One-Stop shopping tour of the HyperText Mark-up Language

Print Resources:

• HTML Sourcebook. Ian S. Graham. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. New York. 1995. (ISBN 0 471-11849-4)

Detail:

The anchor is the most important tag available to the Hypertext Markup Language, which is a very simple programming language used in electronic publishing on the World Wide Web. The significance of the HTML anchor is that it provides a springboard from which a user can jump from one document to another. The term document is used loosely here, as an anchor can contain a link to a text document, sound, graphic image or movie. Along with other HTML codes, the anchor transforms simple text into an interactive field for education and entertainment.

HTML

While a novice might initially find an HTML document intimidating when viewing it as a text file outside of the Web, any time spent learning the simple language will reassure him/her that publishing on the Web is easily within the reach of anyone reading this document. The simplicity of HTML has enhanced the explosion of the World Wide Web in the last few years. The fact that just about anyone can create an HTML document to promote a favorite hobby, a business, or him/herself ensures that the current progress of WWW growth can only continue to expand in the future.

Publishing on the World Wide Web

The before-mentioned URLs and printed resources provide enough information to instruct beginners in the process of learning HTML. Other factors to consider in publishing on the Web include:

Where will the document reside?

Anyone who wishes to publish on the Web must store the document on a server. Universities often have server space available to students, faculty and staff for non-commercial purposes. Likewise, some companies now provide the same resource to their employees. For those who do not have access to a server through these means, there are some commercial server providers available. If providers exist in a given area, they should be listed in the phone book under, "Computer Networking" or "Computer Services."

What is the purpose of the WWW page?

Many server providers will treat commercial versus non-commercial pages differently. As a commercial page is a form of advertisement, users should expect to pay more to publish this type of information on the WWW, if they are allowed to publish it at all.

Publishers must adhere to the policy of acceptable usage (AUP) as stated by the provider. Depending on the provider, a user may be restricted in the amount of storage s/he may use, the hours at which s/he may log on, the services and resources connected to, and the content of the document.