Yes or No for WYSIWYG HTML Editors

[SensoVision]

Hi folks I actually just realize that there was pretty popular topic which disappear somwhere with time... I think that it was lost while I reogranize database... I've found some replies on this topic but not all so feel free to post your opinion once again.

So here is a question, are you using any HTML editors for saving time in HTML code writing if so what is you favourite one?

[Matt999]

Personally, I don't use an editor... but am learning front page at the moment. I think they are a good thing, for making pages fast, however, I like being able to figure out the problem. There is a certain satisfaction to problem solving as well as being agrivating at the same time.  But then again, I think that I will find my pages will be better using the editor, due to more concentration on creativity rather than problem solving... I guess time will tell....

[SensoVision]

Unlike you, Matt, I couldn't say that know HTML good enough to write my page in Notepad Anyway when I decide to make my first page I just didn't have time to learn HTML, so I decide to use Dream Weaver. And I use this program till now, it really good and help to understand HTML basics, and even now when I could write HTML myself, I prefer to use this program to save my time and my nerves Maybe it's little unprofessional but I decide to use it anyway

[revolution]

I personally think the best way to keep total control over your look and feel is to use and editor like notepad, VI, emacs but WYSIWYG editors are good for help keeping you from pulling your hair out by being able to do things like find and replace, highlighting, searching code. I personally use both, advanced editor for 'nix and sometimes bluefish and a new one i found the other day that im impressed with, HydraPHP for saving me alot of headache when i want to do a quick browse to make sure im not screwing up something (which i tend to do alot ;)

[Matt999]

   When I first started, I used a free editor like Valadeo Livesite and Trellix and learned the coding by trial and error.
I am glad I know the basics but If I had to do it all again... I would go with a WYSIWYG editor, with a little understanding of html to fix links or other problems that may arise.  Also, by using an editor you don't have to worry about the browser compatibilty issue, (at least from what I have seen). To find a good free WYSIWYG editor is the ideal, or better yet a WYSIWYG editor for CSS.
My vote is a big YES for an editor.

[islanding]

Well I mostly use notepad or Webmatrix, my site is written in .ASP. I have used and continue to use Frontpage, Dreamweaver 4 & Dreamweaver UltraDev 4. They can Help with management of the site as an overall project.
When you are coding in text editor, you have to test and debug because you don't have a sense of how the total site will react to the new code. I use database and server includes as much as possible to limit this problem in text editor, but you still get a better impression as to the overall site in WYSIWYG.
If anyone is interested this is a great text editor with functions not found in notepad. Happy coding with UltrEdit32  

[kevin]

Personally,  get mors satisfaction knowing that I coded the HTML by hand (notepad).  I also prefer making pages this way because I havn't had the best of luck with WYSIWYG editors.  I find it difficult to design the page the way I like it.  Also, sometimes the editors mess up and you need to know HTML to go in and fix it.
On the other hand, if you need to get a page up fast and are willing to accept the designs offered by the editor, go for it.  You will save a lot of time.
I guess it all comes down to weather you are looking for an exact design and or want the satisfaction of coding the page yourself, or if you need the page yesterday and want to thro something together in an editor.

[susieq]

Hello,
well, funny, it was just yesterday I went against the grain and decided to try Acehtml5 (freebee downlaod etc) out of an Australian pc magazine.  Well, the trouble I got into with the jargon; my beautiful snow leopard page (which I am trying to re-build after a review) was not how I wanted the images and placing of the images to be, it just was not happening. So upon launching and gingerly entering this Aladdins' cave I put an "internal link?" but couldn't find it as an "http://" on the screen and oh, just shows you how silly I am with these things, I couldn't figure out how  they had <a blah blah/a> becasue I didn't have anything in my A drive!!!
Please don't laugh at me.....
Just over a year somebody kindly showed me (the local ISP in between serving customers) how to do it in notepad, he said he always, always uses notepad to maintain control, not knowing what he meant, I continued on to use notepad, and found a list of tags at maricopa and went from there.  I don't understand the jargon becasue I've had not "technical" teaching.  I MAINLY stay with notepad becasue when I make a mistake I know what I have done and mostly, just have to backtrack a bit to undo it!(If I am lucky)
The pictures I want placed only seem to go in place after a lot of <br> and <align> etc everything else is simply a matter of trying to remember the abbreviations for the tags, (I think)
Islanding highly recommend Ultra edit to me saying it is like Notepads big brother, so I tried that also.
To cut a long story short, at the end of the day,
I stick with what I know, I venture out occasionally to see if any of them can get some
thing done for me, becasue I get fed up with trying to do it myself (Notepad and me) sometimes, you know.........then when I guess I've been away from notepad long enough I go back and have another try and it seems to work!! Or, if you like, I manage in the end to get it done.............
Notepad and Me    We're a good team

Susie

[Matt999]

  I will have to say, that I think the defining characteristic is the sense you get from fixing a problem or the learning of something new and making it work.  However, the drawbacks are that it takes alot longer to come up with something good by hand than it does with a editor.  But even with that being the case, I still prefer to peck away at the guts of a webpage, and by doing so, to work with an editor after, is all that much easier... One thing I did find, I think it was mentioned earlier, was that the editors add a fair amount of unneeded coding... One page I looked at, had about 4 inches or more, in height, of non breaking spaces, I was floored! Of course ignorance is bliss, and would have been totally happy, had i not known any better...  There is something to be said for those that build a webpage by hand and I raise my glass to all that take that rocky road.  Solutay! (However that is spelt)

[susieq]

Hello,
yes Matt I totally agree, the job is in the challenge, or have I said that back to front?
I know the text editors are there (everywhere actually).  But I find the very best back-up I have ever had, has come from these very pages of Denis, and  members of this community. The help has always been there, and the offer to help has been unfaltering what say you

Thanking you
Sue

[SensoVision]

here is similar thread on other forum, check it out to see what other people think about HTML-Editors.

[erdnis]

I only use notepad when I'm making websites. Yes, it takes longer than to make it using a WYSIWYG editor, but I feel that I have a lot more control of what I'm doing when I'm using notepad. I haven't really tried to use a WISIWYG editor any much, exept for a lottle bit of dreamweaver, but I didn't really like it.

[ched]

Text editor are for the true hard-core webmasters, no doubt.  I did my first page in DOS edit mode - but when I found Netscape had free Composer - I kind of switched over to that, went with Front Page for a while (didn't like pagemill) - and finally moved up to Dreamweaver.

Since my typing skills aren't the greatest, and I'm happy with maybe 50 wpm, the WYSIWYG stuff saves me a bunch of time.  Then after the page is pretty much what I want, I use a text editor to tweak it.

Just my IMHO for the day.

[Andy]

I was horrified to read so many people are still using notepad for HTML editing. In the old days, IE5 shipped with ... shall I tell you guys or make you suffer??? ... errm ah, what the heck! It came with IE5 and can be found on old CD's inside fpex.cab or something like that. Use winzip to expand it to your hard drive and you have a nice html and wysiwyg editor in one. Oh, almost forgot, it's called Front Page Express but no longer supported.

But, but...but.. don't use that (except to cut and paste to the wysiwyg window to convert to html), use this>>>  1st page 2000 from http://www.evrsoft.com

Another one to investigate is codewarrior , you'll have to search for this.

The main reason to go for html editing for me is to optimise my site for the search engines and wipe out the formatting nonsense from the business apps that try to force the web page to look just like the biz doc.

The ideal editor for me would combine html, wysiwyg and css to get best looking page with minimal code.

[ched]

called .... Dreamweaver ....