HTML Editors & Translators
HTML Editors
HTML Editors |
HTML Translators |
Going Further
HTML editors attempt to make the HTML transparent to the
user in the same way that a wordprocessing program like
Microsoft Word makes the formatting of a document
transparent to the user: you just type in the words and
click a few buttons to indicate formatting preferences,
and the computer does the rest. It is (approximately) an
extension of the "what you see is what you get" (WYSIWYG;
pronounced "wizz-ee-wig") mode of document editing to the
production of HTML documents.
A Simple Example
For example, suppose we wanted to create the hypertext
link
<a href="http://www.techcorps.org/">Tech Corps</a>
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With an ordinary editor we would just type this into the
file in the appropriate place. With a typical HTML editor,
we would type in plain text in the usual way that text is
entered, but when we wanted to make such a link we would
instead click an appropriate button and the following text
would appear automatically
with the cursor of the editor indicated by the ^ symbol,
ready to insert the missing text for the Web address. Once
that is typed in, we can then move the cursor to the right
and type in the missing "Tech Corps" text.
Advantages of HTML Editors
This approach has several advantages over entering the
hypertext verbatim with a normal editor:
- It isn't necessary to remember
the exact form of more complicated HTML constructions
like links; the computer supplies the format, we just
have to fill in the blanks.
- Since the computer supplies
a significant part of the syntax for such a tag, this
reduces the chance of a typing error in the tag. In addition,
if you are not a very fast typist, this may increase your
speed and make it less tedious to produce HTML documents.
- In more sophisticated versions
of such editors, the computer might even make some additional
checks for consistency. For example, it might test to
see that the address we have entered has a syntax that
corresponds to one of the valid Web address forms.
But the HTML editor does not do everything because it
still needs information that only you can supply. For example,
you still have to insert the Web address for the link. However,
in some cases you may even avoid having to type that. For
example, it may be an address that you can copy out of a
hotlist with the mouse and paste into the editor.
Links to Some HTML Editors
There are many programs available to do HTML editing.
These generally fall into two classes: (1) programs specifically
designed as HTML editors and (2) wordprocessing programs
that allow them to perform HTML editing functions.
Some common commercial programs illustrating the first
category include Macromedia Dreamweaver,
Microsoft FrontPage,
and Adobe GoLive.
Such commercial programs include sophistications like visual
layout of tables and frames, drag and drop insertion of
figures, automatic conversion of image formats, and automatic
setting of background transparency for images. If you can
afford them, they are probably well worth your while if
you are a novice HTML programmer, and they can be very useful
if you are going to do serious web development.
There are also numerous shareware HTML editors in this
category. One is HTMLed
Pro. It offers options for customizing the format elements,
including the ability to specify font size, color, and typeface,
plus menus for easy insertion of subscripts, superscripts,
and special characters such as &, <,>, and (r), and insertion
of Java applet and script tags. It also has a tool to simplify
the creation of forms and toolbar buttons to allow one-click
viewing of your work in either Netscape or Explorer.
An example of the second category is the "Save As Web"
option in later versions of Microsoft Word. This allows
you to layout a document in the usual Word wysiwyg mode
and then convert to a web page by simply choosing to save
the document in HTML format. (But a word of caution should
be offered here. The HTML code generated by Microsoft Word
seems to grow increasingly complex with each new release
of Word. This can be a problem if you should ever need to
access the code and edit it by hand. While earlier versions
of the program generated HTML code that could be comprehended
and modified fairly easily, the code generated by the Office
2000 version of Word is so complex that it should be touched
by only the most intrepid HTML code hackers.)
We also refer you to a comprehensive list of other HTML
editors for Windows
and for various
platforms, where you may find other programs that are
even more a fit to your needs and tastes.
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