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Website Design Tools |
Web Design Tools
There are a lot of HTML editors out there as well as a whole lot of
other web and graphic design suites. Some HTML editors are text based
only, although some text based HTML editors allow you to preview
how the code will actually look. Other HTML editors have full WYSIWYG
(What You See Is What YOu Get) editing capabilities, while there
are also HTML editors that have limited WYSIWYG features. The price
range for HTML editors is from free to several hundred dollars.
Full WYSIWYG HTML Editors
Macromedia Dreamweaver
Microsoft FrontPage
123 WysiWyg HTML Editor
My first choice for HTML editors is Macromedia's Dreamweaver. It has an easy to use, intuitive user interface and state of the art design tools. It allows you to split your screen top and bottom and work in both the Source Code and the WYSIWYG Design View windows simultaneously allowing you absolute control over what your pages look like. With a customizable user interface, you can work the way you need to. You can design intricate CSS-based layouts and designs easily with tools that allow for quick selection and control of page and site wide style properties. There is a built in graphics editor that Macromedia Fireworks technology. Dreamweaver allows you to develop HTML, XHTML, XML, ASP, ASP.NET, JSP, PHP, and Macromedia ColdFusion websites. It has cross-browser code validation feature that automatically checks tags and CSS rules for compatibility across all the leading browsers. But, since even if the code will work, the web page can look different in different browsers. Dreamweaver also allows you to configure browser preview for multiple browsers. I have internet explorer, netscape and opera configured for browser preview so I can see how every page I create will look in each of the three most popular browsers |
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Dreamweaver has a complete site management system with a built in FTP client that allows you to configure either automatic upload to the web server every time you save a modified file or no upload if that's want you need. Provides easy integration with all other Macromedia products such as Flash, Fireworks, and other design and development tools in the Macromedia Studio MX suite.
One of the nicest features is the Property Inspector that enables quick, comprehensive property editing that makes getting it perfect a no-brainer. Dreamweaver also includes professional-quality, pre-built layouts and code, including site structures, forms, accessible templates, and JavaScript functions for client-side interactivity and easily integrate databases.
This is the editor I use to create and maintain all of my web sites. I have used many of the other HTML editors and can say that Dreamweaver is absolutely the best HTML editor available. It is also the most expensive.
I would also recommend this multimedia tutorial for learning Dreamweaver, Learning Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004. It's not cheap but definitely worth it. It provides the following.
- Sample movies available via lynda.com, see for yourself!
- 9.5 hrs of movie-based training for Dreamweaver users with Garo Green
- Perfect for the beginner or the existing Dreamweaver user who wants to get up to speed with MX 2004.
- Walks you through all the essential features of this web design tool
- Also covers accessibility, CSS, site management, rollovers, forms, frames, how to get your site online, and much more!
When I first started building websites I used FrontPage, mostly because it didn't require me to have any knowledge of HTML and, at that time, it was included in my copy of Office Premium. FrontPage includes the professional design, authoring, data, and publishing tools needed to create dynamic and sophisticated Web sites. FrontPage's user interface provides three tabs in the main window, the Normal tab which is WYSIWYG design view, the HTML tab that shows you the actual code and the Preview tab which shows how the page will actually look. The major disadvantage with this setup is that you can only look at one tab at a time. Finally, with FrontPage 2003, Microsoft has included the ability to use a split view to see modifications made in the Design View automatically updated in the Code View. In the past if I want to check the code on something I am doing, I'd have to highlight the part of the page I want to check and then switch tabs. I can't work on it simultaneously. Being able to work on both the design and the code simultaneously makes it so much easier to "tweak" the code to get that web page just perfect. |
FrontPage 2003 provides most of the capabilities of Dreamweaver but tends to be limited to Microsoft only technologies such as Active Server Pages, JScript and Microsoft Visual Basic® Scripting Edition (VBScript) none of which can be used with any web server except Microsoft Internet Information Server. You can manually code JavaScript, but all of the shortcuts and libraries are dedicated to Microsoft technology.
There are also a bunch of cool features such as DHTML and dynamic buttons that are available by clicking on a menu in Frontpage but require the installation of FrontPage Server Extensions on your the hosting web server to work. The good news here is that FrontPage Server Extensions are available for both Apache and Microsoft web servers. (Approximately 65% of all internet web servers are Apache servers.) Make sure to check if your hosting company will install them before deciding to use FrontPage.
Front Page has really great XML web site databases integration tools. But again, they only work with Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services on a Windows Server 2003 server.
Front Page's biggest disadvantage is it's inability to automatically update your website as you modify each page. This is really only an issue for large websites. But, on larger sites, it does become an issue because it is time consuming to have to manually upload everything.
I still use frontpage for some of my client's sites that were originally developed with it and rely on Microsoft technology. I would not recommend purchasing an earlier version, but FrontPage 2003 is considerably less expensive than dreamweaver and overall is a very good product if you don't mind being locked into Microsoft's technology.
I would also recommend the following hands-on tutorial for learning Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003 Step by Step .
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If you don't want to get trapped into Microsoft's technology but don't want to pay the primium price for Dreamweaver, then thsi is the editor for you. It has an easy to use interface, good instructions, has the capabilities of the more expensive editors that most people would actually use and is easy to learn. I reviewed this program and liked what I saw. There has been a need for a product somewhere between the more limited free HTML editors and the expensive professional programs. With the bonuses the creators are currently offering, it’s also a very good value since last I checked it's still under $100. Click Here for more information on 123 WysiWyg HTML Editor.
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