Introduction
HTML editors allow you to create and edit web pages without having to type in
HTML tags. Much like word processors, HTML editors use buttons and a graphical
interface to allow users to point and click their way to new web pages. Although
you don't need to know HTML to put up pages with some editors, learning HTML
basics would help in understanding and troubleshooting your pages, as well as
building more sophisticated features into your web work. With newer editors
(including all the editors reviewed), you can have the best of both worlds as
almost all editors allow you to open two windows - one with the editor and one
with the HTML for the page. This allows you to work in both the editor and the
HTML within the same application and see the changes made on either side as
soon as they are made.
Editors have steadily improved over the last couple of years both in ease of
use and their ability to create sophisticated pages. Even the most diehard HTML
programmers have begun to switch to editors as they have become more WYSIWYG
(What You See Is What You Get). Editors save innumerable hours of typing HTML
tags by offering easy such as table and frame editing, press and click javascript
such as rollover images or dropdown menus, and auto image-mapping, and have
allowed for easy manipulation of the HTML source code of a page within the editor.
The differences between web page development tools are becoming less and less
noticeable and this can make choosing the right package very difficult for aspiring
developers. Many companies are trying to provide the largest amount of features
possible in each package thus, making things even more confusing for the consumer.
Although many editors have the same features, people come to find editors they
believe are better than others. Although some editors do offer more features
than others than, most of the time a preference for one is simply because of
a graphical interface that seems easier to use. The best thing to do if you
are in the market for an editor is to try them out, study the features that
each editor offers, and find the one that is most appropriate for the kinds
of pages you are constructing. Most companies offer an evaluation version of
their editors that can be dowloaded and used for an evaluation period. The most
popular web editors on the market right now are Dreamweaver, Adobe GoLive, and
Allaire Home Site, and Microsoft's Frontpage is also widely used. What follows
is a brief description of these editors, and links to sites where you can find
further information and evaluation copies of each browser. We've also included
a short mention for Netscape Communicator, as this is the editor that comes
free with Netscape Navigator, and is available (along with Dreamweaver) in all
microlabs on MSU's campus.
Netscape Composer (top)
More Info and Free Copy: http://home.netscape.com/communicator/composer/v4.0/
Netscape Composer is a browser that comes with a built-in HTML editor. The Netscape
editor is a good basic editor, easy to learn and is offered for both PCs and
Macs. Most importantly it is free. These options make it a wise choice for classroom
use, and is a great choice for beginners. Because Netscape is a basic editor,
it doesn't offer some of the features included in more advanced editors. Netscape
isn't always WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get - in other words, the page
you construct may not look the same in a browser or vice versa). It doesn't
have a frames editor, and doesn't easily allow for integrated work on the HTML
source of a page. It does have a built in FTP program, but it isn't as user
friendly as other programs. Even with these cons, the Netscape editor is a great
way to get students and beginners started at putting up pages. However with
more advanced and user-friendly programs available on most campus computers
at MSU, Netscape may be in the final phases of becoming extinct.
Frontpage 2000 (top)
More Info and Evaluation Copy: http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/
Microsoft's Frontpage 2000 is an excellent editor that comes with loads
of advanced features. Like Dreamweaver, GoLive and Allaire, Frontpage has an
excellent table and frames editor, allows for integrated work on source codes,
and is WYSIWYG. But Frontpage is highly PC-centric with some of its advanced
features, like animated banners and auto mouse-overs, optimized only for Internet
Explorer, thus limiting your audience. Frontpage is made for Macs, but the version
for Macs is not as complete as the version for PC. Frontpage is a bit more expensive
than some other editors, but comes packaged with a bunch of extras - a nice
site management application, image editor, and clip art library. Front page
also works well with other Microsoft products including their popular Office
suite of tools.
Allaire/Macromedia (top)
HomeSite http://www.allaire.com/Products/HomeSite/
($99.00 Suggested Retail)
HomeSite is aimed at users who either already know HTML code or are willing
to learn. Also the draw of HomeSite (also known as ColdFusion Studio) is the
compatibility with ColdFusion and CFML code. What ColdFusion and CFML allow
the designer to do is make web pages much more dynamic by creating pages which
are capable of collecting user information and tailoring the page accordingly.
For example, the ColdFusion language can allow the designer to collect subscription
information or customer billing information, and instantly store them on a database
for later retrieval. Do not be fooled by the low price tag because if you plan
on running ColdFusion on your web-server, you will need ColdFusion Server. In
short HomeSite (ColdFusion Studio) is ideal for users who are looking for an
excellent text based design program and are considering making their web pages
dynamic.