.
If you’ve ever wondered how websites are built or wanted a behind-the-scenes look at the web, this guide is for you. Viewing a website’s source code is not only a cool skill, but it can also be useful for a variety of purposes, from learning about the structure of a page to checking and editing specific elements.
In this post, we will explain what a website’s source code is and how you can access it in Google Chrome, one of the most popular tools for this task.
What is a website’s source code?
The source code of a website is the set of instructions in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) that define the structure and content of a web page. Basically, it is the “skeleton” of a website, containing all the markup and commands that dictate how the page should be displayed in the browser.
Each element on a web page, such as text, images, links, and videos, is defined in the source code using HTML tags. Additionally, the source code can also include references to CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) files to define styles and layout, as well as JavaScript scripts for interactivity.
How to view the source code of a website in Google Chrome?
Google Chrome offers a simple way to view the source code of any web page. Follow these steps to access the source code in Chrome.
Open the page in Google Chrome
Start by opening the web page you want to analyze in Google Chrome. Just enter the page URL in the address bar and press “Enter”.
Open developer tools
Now, you need to access Chrome Developer Tools. There are several ways to do this:
- Press the F12 key on your keyboard.
- Right-click anywhere on the page and select “Inspect” from the context menu.
- Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + I (or Cmd + Option + I on Mac).
Open source code view
After opening developer tools, you will see a window divided into several tabs. Click on the “Elements” tab to access the page source code view.
Explore the source code
You are now in the page source view. Here, you can see all the HTML code that makes up the page. You can click the arrows next to the tags to expand or collapse the code, allowing you to navigate the page structure.
Additionally, you can use the search function (usually activated with the shortcut Ctrl + F or Cmd + F) to find specific keywords in the source code. This can be useful for finding specific elements such as links or meta tags.
How to extract the source code of a page?
Now that you know how to view the source code of a web page, you may be wondering how to extract that code for later use. Here are some ways to do this.
Copying the code
When you open the source code, you can click on any part of it and press Ctrl + A (Cmd + A on Mac) to select all the code. Then press Ctrl + C (Cmd + C on Mac) to copy it to your computer’s clipboard.
Open a simple text editor, such as Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on Mac, or use an integrated development environment (IDE) if you’re working on a programming project. Paste the copied code by pressing Ctrl + V (Cmd + V on Mac).
If you wish to save the code for future reference, simply click “File” in your text editor and select “Save As…” (or equivalent in your software). Choose the location where you want to save the file and give it a name with the appropriate extension (for example, “.html” for HTML code or “.css” for CSS code).
Saving the page
You can save the page directly from your web browser to access the code later. Depending on the browser you are using, the options may vary, but you can generally do this by right-clicking anywhere on the page and choosing the “Save Page As…” or “Save As…” option from the menu.
A dialog window will appear, allowing you to choose where you want to save the page and give the file a name. Make sure to select the “Full Page” or “Full Web Page” option to ensure all content, including images and styles, are saved.
Click the “Save” button or equivalent to save the page to your computer and then locate the saved file: Now, you can open the file in a text editor or IDE — right-click the file and choose “Open with” to select your preferred text editor.
Inside the text editor, you will see the entire source code of the web page, including the HTML, CSS and, if present, JavaScript. You can review and edit the code as needed.
How to edit a page’s source code in Chrome?
It is possible to make temporary edits to a page’s source code in Google Chrome. However, remember that these edits are only visible in your own session and will not affect the original site for other visitors.
To edit a page’s source code in Chrome, follow these steps below.
- Open the developer tool: As mentioned earlier, open the Chrome Developer Tool by pressing Ctrl + Shift + I (Cmd + Option + I on Mac).
- Locate the element to edit: Use the “Elements” tab to navigate to the element you want to edit in the HTML code.
- Make the edit: Double click on the code you want to edit and make the desired changes. You can edit text, attributes and other HTML elements.
- save Changes: After making your edits, press Enter to apply them. If you want to undo an edit, you can right-click on the code and choose “Revert to original value”.
- Test the changes: Check that the changes appear correctly on the page. Please remember that these edits are only temporary and will not affect the site for other users.
In conclusion, viewing a website’s source code and even making simple edits to the HTML code can be a valuable skill for web developers, designers, and anyone interested in learning more about how websites are built. Google Chrome offers an easy and affordable way to accomplish these tasks.
Now that you know the steps to view, extract, and edit the source code of a web page, you are more prepared to explore and understand the fascinating world of website creation.
If you want to know more about web development, check out our article with the best tips for finding the ideal fonts to use on your website
.
