Viewing a website’s HTML source code is helpful to many people, including web developers, designers, and those curious about how a webpage is constructed. By checking its source code, you can learn much about a site’s organization, design, or features. This guide is about inspecting HTML source code with your browser’s built-in tools and other source viewer applications.
Why Inspect HTML Source Code?
Before we go through exactly how to do this, it’s also helpful to know why inspecting HTML source code can be beneficial to:
Debugging and Troubleshooting: Find and correct problems with your web pages.
Learning: How are other websites structured and designed?
SEO Ranking: Check for meta titles and descriptions, and focus on page ranking.
Personalization: Customize and improve your website.
Tools You’ll Need
There are a few ways you can check out the HTML source code. Here are the most common:
Web Browsers: New browsers, such as Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, all come with built-in developer tools.
HTML Online Viewers: Some sites (such as View Source and CodePen) allow you to view the source of your HTML files online.
Text Editors: You’ll want to see the code as you work, and programs like Notepad++, Sublime Text, and VS Code are good for that.
How to View HTML Source Code in Google Chrome
With its powerful developer tools, Google Chrome is a browser commonly used for web development. Here is how you can view the source code of any webpage in Chrome:
1. Open the Website
Here is the link to the site you would like to view.
2. Access Developer Tools
Right-click on the page, and click on “Inspect” or press Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Opt+I (Mac).
3. Explore the Elements Panel
The developer tools will appear with the “Elements” panel in focus. Here is the HTML page structure.
You can hover over the HTML tree to highlight web page parts.
4. View and Edit HTML
Click on an HTML element to see its information. You can also directly edit HTML in the panel by double-clicking on elements or right-clicking and choosing “Edit as HTML.”
5. Verify CSS and other resources
Use the “Styles” panel to view and edit CSS properties. You can dig around “Console,” “Network,” and the other tabs for more advanced strategies.
How to View Page Source HTML in Firefox
Then there is Firefox, another good browser for development. Here’s how to check HTML source codes with Firefox:
Open the Website:Go to the site you want to take a look at.
Access Developer Tools: Right-click on the page and click “Inspect Element,” or press Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Opt+I (Mac).
Explore the Inspector Panel: The Inspector panel will open, and you can view the page’s HTML and CSS.
Hover to highlight a section of the web page.
View and Edit HTML: Clicking any HTML element allows you to inspect it and change it.
Go to the “Rules” tab and edit the CSS properties.
Using Online HTML Viewers
If you’d rather not use browser-based tools, web-based HTML viewers are another option:
1. Visit an Online HTML Viewer:
Sites like View Source or CodePen allow you to see and tweak the HTML online.
2. Enter the URL or HTML Code:
Paste the address of the website or the HTML code you want to check.
3. Analyze and Edit:
Inspect the HTML and adjust anything. Many of these allow you to see live previews of your edits.
Using Text Editors
For a deeper look and editing experience, text editors are the way to go:
Open the HTML File: Open the HTML file you want to inspect in a text editor like Notepad++, Sublime Text, or VS Code.
Explore and Edit: You can see the HTML and edit it as you like. Text editors usually have plugins, syntax highlighting, code folding, etc., to keep you on an even keel.
Conclusion
Checking out a site’s HTML source code is one of the best things a web developer and designer should do. Whether diagnosing a problem, researching other websites, or optimizing your pages, knowing how to access HTML is essential. With the help of tools such as browser development tools, online HTML viewers, or text editors, you can discover much about any website’s structure and how it works.
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