The file extension HTM is associated with HTML or Hypertext Markup Language, which is a coding standard established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) for web page publishing online. HTM stands for Hypertext Markup and uses a three character extension for operating systems which do not read file extensions with more than three characters.
The HTM file extension is a web file type which contains source code in plain text format that defines data structure for a web page. HTM files can be read by any web browser and are similar to HTML specifications. The files define the elements which are displayed when a user accesses a web page using a web browser. The elements include text styles, colors, tables, images, and other components you commonly see on a web page.
The file extension HTM serves basically the same function as the HTML extension; however, HTM files are an earlier file extension to HTML and used with earlier web development applications. For this reason, HTM files are not as common, but they still can be opened and viewed using a variety of current applications for web page design and development and text editing applications.
HTM source code is commonly viewed from the server side and is not seen by users browsing the Internet with a web browsing application. If you are using a web browser, you typically see the end result of the source code rather than the code itself. Most browsers offer a tool for viewing the web page source code which is commonly located under View on the main toolbar and by clicking on Page Source from the drop-down menu.
How to Open HTM Files
Since the file extension HTM can be opened using multiple programs and applications, double click on the file to see if it will automatically open in a default program you have installed on your PC. HTM files are commonly stored in plain text format, so you may already have a program which will open the file.
If you are using Windows or Mac OS X, the HTM file extension can be opened with Adobe Dreamweaver CS6, which is a web page development application that is part of the Adobe CS6 Creative Suite of applications. You can also use Adobe ColdFusion Builder 2, which is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that assists with building ColdFusion applications. ColdFusion is a method used for building dynamic and interactive web page content and involves the use of HTM source code. Both applications are available for download on the Adobe website.
The file extension HTM can be opened using a variety of different web browsers which work with different operating systems. Some of the web browsers include Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Google Chrome, and others. Most of the web browsing applications can be used with Windows, Mac OS X, and the Linux operating system. You can also use a web browser to view the source code contained in an HTM file by using the View feature on the web browser toolbar as described above.
Since the HTM file extension typically contains source code in plain text format, you can open and view the contents of the file using any text editing application. If you are using Windows, you can open HTM files with WordPad, Notepad, or TextPad. For Mac OS X, HTM files can be opened using Apple TextEdit, MacroMates TextMate, BBEdit, or MacVim. For the Linux operating system, you can use gEdit, AbiWord, Nano Editor, or Vim to open the file extension HTM.
