Snippets for SharePoint 2013 masterpages and layouts

A snippet is an HTML representation of a SharePoint component or control such as a navigation bar or a Web Part. By using the Snippet Gallery in Design Manager, you can quickly add SharePoint functionality to your HTML master page or page layout.

To insert a snippet:

1.       Browse to your publishing site.

2.       In the upper-right corner of the page, choose the Settings gear, and then choose Design Manager.

3.       In Design Manager, in the left navigation pane, choose Edit Master Pages or Edit Page Layouts, depending on what type of file you're editing.

4.       Select the name of the master page or page layout that you want to add snippets to.

5.       To open the Snippet Gallery, choose Snippets in the upper-right corner of the server-side preview.

6.       On the ribbon, on the Design tab, choose the snippet that you want to add to your page.

To Understand the markup in an HTML snippet check url:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj822367.aspx#UnderstandMarkup