HTML5 & CSS only require a simple text editor

This Page's Contents

Introduction to Editors

WYSIWYG

Which Editor Decision Time

List of Web-Authoring Packages and HTML Editors

Windows Notepad Free with Windows. Hard work hand coding

Note tab Lite Free Download. Hand coding made easier with tag insertion features.

Front Page Not recommended

Word  Not recommended

Arachnophilia Free.

Introduction

HTML code that you write to produce a web page is only a text file and can be written in the simplest of text editors such as Notepad, which comes as part of Microsoft Windows.

In text editors such as notepad all the code must be entered either by hand or copied from tutorials such as this and pasted into the text editor. This is called hand coding and an excellent way of learning how to write the HTML code.

Life can be made easier for the programmer by using better editors or Web-authoring Packages, which will automatically insert HTML code for you, this is often achieved by selecting an icon in the editor. Students using these better editors or web authoring packages should ensure that they look and learn the code produced automatically by the program.

In theory it is possible to create an excellent web page or site using these packages, without understanding any HTML code. In practice, from time to time, things do go wrong and you are required to go into the raw source code to rectify the problem.

WYSIWYG

WYSIWYG pronounced Whissy Wig. This stands for What You See Is What You Get

This means that you are working with a representation of the finished page as it should appear in a browser. Browser tend to render Web Pages slightly differently so finished web pages you create should be checked in different browsers.

Representation

I say representation because additional information is often included on the WYSIWYG screen such as coloured dotted lines for tables without a border. Div tag outlines

Browser displays

You will soon learn that each browser displays a lot of the code slightly differently. Some browsers will not recognise code that is specific for another browser. Because of this your page may work in one browser and be a total mess in another. The most common browser that produces odd results is Internet Explorer especially it's older versions

Which Editor Decision Time

Before choosing an editor you may like to consider the future and answer the following.

• I want an editor just to do a course such as the Open universities course T183 - Then all you need is a free or reasonably priced Editor such as KompoZer that the OU uses for it's course
• I wish to produce web pages/sites for other people or gain knowledge in the use of one of the top products. - Then you need one of the top authoring packages.Dreamweaveris one of the best for this. If you are a student and at this stage not producing commercial sites look into the student licence for Adobe Dreamweaver

List of Web-Authoring Packages and HTML Editors, and useful information on them

Dreamweaver

Dreamweaver is the best Web Site Editor & authoring tool available

You can purchase a licence to use Dreamweaver as a Stand alone program or included in a choice of 3 different Suites of programs. This is based on a monthly fee.

Also usually massive discounts are available for Students, proof of student status is required.

More information

Kompozer Editor. No HTML5 Support

A free web WYSIWYG Editor.

Because it has not been updated & no longer supports HTML5 - NOT RECOMENDED

Download from Kompozer.

We have wrtten hints on using Kompozer throuout the HTML & CSS Tutorials, but I have not updated these because Komposer does NOT support HTML5 & CSS3

More information Kompozer Editor

Windows Notepad

Simple Text Editor. Included with Microsoft Windows

 

More information Notepad

Note tab Lite

Good award winning Text Editor with HTML tag insertion. The lite version is Free

Extracted from there site: The ultimate free Notepad replacement and a handy HTML editor. Handle a heap of files with a tabbed interface. Search files, strip HTML tags and format text quickly

http://www.notetab.com/

HTML- Kit

A great HTML editor for Windows

Try or purchase the latest version or obtain a free download of an earlier version from:

http://www.chami.com/html-kit/

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word can also save documents as a web page. Unfortunately the code produced is very verbose and would probably confuse you. For this reason I can not recommended this program for producing Web pages. Some of the better Web authoring packages such as Dreamweaver 'Clean up Word produced HTML documents.

NOT recommended

Arachnophilia

Highly praised FREE HTML editor

http://www.arachnoid.com/arachnophilia/

Ensure you read & follow the instalation steps which are more involved than usual.

HTML kit

Very good reports on this

Has a good preview mode. Pick the browser to preview in.

FREE, lots of facilities. Highly recommended

http://www.chami.com/html-kit/

http://www.chami.com/html-kit/features/

Namo Web Editor

WYSIWYG Editor

The Namo Web Editor has appeared on several magazine cover disks. The Editor has a WYSIWYG interface, allowing you to see each web page as you build it, making it easy to create web pages. Just type in text as you would like it to appear, and use the built in tools to improve the appearance with graphics and design features.

www.namo.com

Front Page DISCONTINUED

Front Page is available as an individual program or as part of the Microsoft Office premium package. Microsoft Office premium is also available with a student licence discount

The code produced by FrontPage is not standard and not all hosting services are able to host these pages. If you use FrontPage then ensure your host allows FrontPage extensions

NOT recommended