Package advice needed

[Richard]

Hello Ritch,
I personally would not use DreamWeaver, Frontpage, etc. I've tried then
and a number of other similar ones. They all have different pros and
cons, but the biggest one has always been lack of control of the output.
This results in bloat (sometimes as much as 4x bigger than a hand coded
document) and sometimes difficulty in getting a document to look they way
you want it to.

The best answer I have found is to find a IDE which is based around
writing code than "drawing" pages. These will have all the features you
might need such as file management, FTP uploading, server file
management, support for java, javascript, PHP, ASP, document previews,
spell checkers and much more. Yet you will still be able to quickly and
easily work at the code level. This is important when tuning documents
for cross browser compatibility.

Technically DreamWeaver, Frontpage etc, are faster. However I have found
that they are often too easy to use and let people who should not be
creating web pages, do so. Just like their are people out there who think
they are programmers because they can draw an interface in Access and
attach code, there are web authors who really don't know what they are
doing because they have never really had to.

Just my 2cents.

www.stoneware.dk/ click the english button.
Extensive library for html, javascript and css including tags and
attributes.
ftp uploading tool is a breeze to use.
nice neat free package.

 

[kayodeok]

Check out the stoneware and acehtml editors.
Both have auto insert modes.
When you type in < a window opens that shows you what's allowed.
Type in something like <br and the window shows what's allowed
in the tag. Two clicks and you have your tag done.

You still do not have any idea what I am talking about so there is
no point in discussing further but while we are on the subject of
Text Editors, I also have a copy of HTML-Kit which does what you
described BUT that is not what I am describing here.

What I am describing is a feature that goes beyond the features you
have described above. I suggest you play with the following text
editors: EditPlus and Vim, and also Emac and Xemacs (which are next
on my playlist) to see what I mean.

Unless you understand the features I mentioned in those text
editors, there is no point in discussing this further.

 

[Gary McPherson]

Using something like dreamweaver and learning how to code are not
mutually exclusive. thousands use dreamweaver and know every single
inch of their code. With someone learning proper coding it is even
better. With on line and type ahead help, built in Validation, and
numerous other project management features. You are probalby better off
using Dreamweaver.

But it's only a tool. You have to know how to use it to make it worth
while.

Couldn't agree more. Unlike most replies here so far, I wouldn't
recommend any one particular package to the original poster - I think
it's best to try a variety of programs and settle with the application
or combination of apps that suits them best. Every developer has their
own preferences, but what's right for designer Y will suit designer Y
just as well.

I hand-code, but use Dreamweaver as my editor of choice for it's file
and code manipulation facilities. If I'm building CSS stylesheets, I
open TopStyle and if I'm working on XML or XSL files, I'll fire up
XMLSpy. The point is to use the right tool for the job that works well
for *you*, and take it from there.

Gary.