HTML5 Basics - Businesses need to know

The text-based markup language, HTML is used for formatting of information often disseminated through internet. This is used for structuring as well as presentation of images and text in user interface. HTML5 is the newest version of the language, incorporating a plethora of features that make creation of content very easy. It was released in 2011 and now it is one of the most used languages. There are quite a number of features that all businesses as well as developers should know about; a few of them are given here.

WebStorage- Thick or native client applications are endowed with several facilities for data storage. Various file systems or databases make using of cookies for data storage an obsolete concept. This is a good thing since there were several problems associated with the use of cookies. Web Storage object helps in storing of page specific data in the applications on the client itself. The storage is of two types- sessionStorage and localStorage. Storage can be done across multiple windows, with better performance as well as security.

Audio as well as video support- The latest version makes using third party media players such as Flash Player totally unnecessary. No more assigning a vast list of parameters for correct playing of media; just using the necessary tags will give the desired results. It also makes defining parameters such as autoplay, width as well as height really easy.

Accessibility- Accessible sites can be very easily created in this language, due to ARIA and semantics. Screen readers can access content effortlessly due to the use of new headings such as footer, header, section, nav, etc. The semantic tags make examination of HTML document easier; thereby the user experience turns out to be better. The elements of HTML documents can be assigned particular roles through ARIA. Moreover the built in roles of HTML5 cannot be overridden which makes assigning of roles easier.

GeoLocation- A business can use the GeoLocationAPI for identification of a user’s current geographical location. This information may benefit the business in several ways; nearby points of interests can be provided to the user. The user can be helped for navigation through this feature as well.

Bettering interactions- All businesses want a dynamic website with better interactions so that the user can be responded to and the user can interact or enjoy the content given there. A drawing tag called <canvas> allows for great animated as well as interactive possibilities. Apart from this there are several other APIs as well that helps in building of a great user experience such as offline storage database, DnD or Drag and Drop, Browser history management, Timed media playback, document editing, etc.

Mobile technology- Mobile technology is not just a fad anymore; it has become a reality with the rapidly increasing adoption of such devices. This means that the application or website of a business will be surely visited by mobile users on their mobile browsers. Development of mobile apps as well as sites is easy with one of most mobile ready tools like HTML5.

Cross browser support- HTML5 is supported by most of the popular, modern browsers. In fact it can make things cross browser friendly as well as easier even in really old IE browsers.

Output mechanisms- Some new elements are there in the language which helps in displaying as well as visualization of information to users like <output>,< meter> and <progress>. Meter generically indicates a fractional value or scalar measurements. Progress represents progress bars while output helps display a calculation result or provides a script’s explicitly identified output.

HTML5 has incorporated plenty of features that have increased the adoption rate of the language. It can sustain the necessities of the current times, which has made it even more attractive for businesses. To get maximum benefits of HTML5, you may consider hiring services of a custom HTML5 development company.

We provide HTML5 offshore development services. If you would like to talk to one of our certified HTML5 developers, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.