EDITORS
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HTML Editors - Text Editors
HTML EDITORS
BEST HTML EDITOR AROUND: Stone's WebwriterThis editor (code editor, not WYSIWYG) is absolutely excellent, I'm using it right now to write this page. I write basic HTML, but you can do everything with this. It's like a really improved version of the old Allaire Home Site, and it's free, unlike Macromedia's new version.There's a tab interface, so you can easily copy and paste from a document to another, an Internet Explorer based preview inside with no need to save the file. You also have a toolbar with the most common functions, but most of all an extremely useful resource tabs side bar, which includes file and project managers, a site map and most importantly a Library with tree structured commands (that can be inserted with a click) for HTML, special charachters, CSS, Java Script and the priceless User Codes, the most useful feature. You just set whatever tags you use most frequently and then you can always insert them with a double click. If you wait one or two seconds, there are also tips while you write, for example you can click an attribute from a drop down menu after writing the tag. And if you learn the cool keyboard shortcuts you won't ever need to waste time with the mouse again. All this at only 970 KB, which means the program is really fast to load and work. Stone's Webwriter is free for personal use and you can remove the beginning nag screen with a free registration. There isn't an extensive HTML but you can, as suggested by the author, download the Web Design Group reference here (the Windows Help) and connect it as a help file to the editor. I recommend to set the options to your preferences, I think there's better syntax highliting than the default. A peerless editor, no other software makes so easy and fast tag writing and site management. Rating: 10/10 Stone's Webwriter home page Download page |
 A screenshot of Stone's Webwriter, click here to view it larger. |
SO THINK
- Right, writing code is better (see the Do It Yourself page). But if, though very easy, you can't learn it, or for whatever reason you prefere working in What You See Is What You Get mode, then use at least this program, the best WYSIWYG editor around.
In this free version there are some limitations: there's a five seconds nag screen at the beginning, a nag bar at the top of the page and you can open only one document each time, this means if you have to work with two files at the same time, you always have to close the first, open the second and so on. A bit slower, but you get used to it. I used So Think before finding out code writing with a good editor is easier and gives you more control. All the other WYSIWYG editors are worse.
You just have to remember you can access the page properties, like background color and stuff, only by right clicking on the page. Anyway working both in HTML and Design mode and having internal IE based preview is great. There's a toolbar with the most common functions, and there's good syntax highlighting (though no word wrap), unlike Front Page, Word and FP Express, where you can't decide the code font, or Netscape Composer, where tags aren't even highlighted.
Also, the Preview mode is the best, you can work on the page almost as it'll be seen on the Preview, then on the actual browser by visitors. Bots, Java, DHTML and complex stuff mess up the look of the page on other editors, but also simpler things can look very different. Most importantly, So Think still does mess with the code, but not as much as the others (Word especially, never ever use it).
So you want to make a page like you do with Word, but you know Word and the others won't let you work decently on your site. Here comes So Think, which gives you the most control possible on your site for a WYSIWYG editor.
So Think home page
TEXT EDITORS
BEST TEXT EDITOR AROUND: EditPad LiteThis editor has everything you need for text. Of course, unlike Notepad, there's a toolbar, and, like the best programs, has a tab Multi Document Interface. It features also clickable URLs, so you actually have a text file displayed as a plain text E Mail message. The URLs must be fully qualified, with the http:// scheme.You also have search and replace, and a button to quickly change the display font. The set up, zipped, is 538 KB, so you obviously have a heavier program than a simple text editor, but the additional features make it worth, and it still loads very fast unless you have a 10 years old machine... Rating: 10/10 EditPad Lite home page and download. |
 Click the button to go to the EditPad Lite home page. |
CRIMSON EDITOR
There are good reasons to get this editor as well. You need a text editor for text, and probably you prefere to view your text with a variable width font, like Times New Roman, comfortable for reading. But you're also curious about the HTML code source of the pages you visit on your browser, and then a fixed width is better, even better with syntax highlighting (and you don't want to change the font each time you pass from text to HTML).
So here we have an editor with that feature on a tab interface with a toolbar, though the syntax has a small bug. It mistakes the apostrophes of text for code commas, colouring all the subsequent text in the paragraph. The solution is to set the constants black in the options, where you can also set it as the default Internet Explorer source viewer simply by clicking a box, without having to browse in your Windows registry.
Crimson Editor home page
METAPAD
If you simply want Notepad with a toolbar, and clickable URLs, this is the editor for you. It doesn't have a multi document tab interface, but the executable is only 76 KB and loads instantly, so if you have a slow computer this is definitely the right thing.
Metapad home page
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Site started: 26 Jun 2000. This page last modified: 25 May 2003.
The screenshot is taken from Stone's Webwriter site.
The button is taken from EditPad Lite site.