Website development software. Website creation in HTML. HTML editors

The most popular language of website development is HTML (hypertext markup language). There are a lot of programs for website creation in HTML. Some of them are HTML editors, others are server or client-side script editors or CSS (cascading style sheets) editors. All of them often visualize the process of editing so that your are able to see how a certain element will look on your site.

Each website consists of web pages, and each web page, in its turn, consists of the code written in HTML, that is responsible for the page design, and the content proper. That is why it is impossible to create a site without such software as HTML editors. What are the most popular HTML editors? What can you do with the help of HTML editors? Let us try to figure it out.

HTML editors can be subdivided into two conventional main groups: text HTML editors and visual HTML editors. In text HTML editors you can write and edit HTML code manually. And with the help of visual HTML editors you can create web pages using visualized components even if you do not know HTML.

Notepad

So, the most safe and reliable editor is a common Notepad text editor that is usually built-in into Microsoft Windows operating system. To write the HTML code of a web page in Notepad, you do not need any additional tools – it is enough to launch Notepad, write the HTML code in it and save the document using .html extension. However, if you are going to write and edit the HTML code in Notepad, you have to know HTML really well and write the code very attentively, because manual writing of large amounts of code increases the probability of making mistakes.

Notepad ++

Notepad++ in the extended version of common Notepad; it is supplied separately and is usually free. In Notepad++ HTML tags are usually highlighted with color font, and developer can distinguish the code from the main text of the page visually. That is why possible mistakes and drawbacks in the code are easier to find, however, the work in Notepad ++, as well as in common Notepad, requires competent knowledge of HTML.

Microsoft FrontPage

Microsoft FrontPage is an HTML editor that is included into MS Office software package. Microsoft FrontPage is a visual editor (WYSIWYG – What You See Is What You Get), but in Microsoft FrontPage you can also edit the code manually. Microsoft FrontPage interface is similar to Microsoft Word interface. It is familiar to most users, that is why Microsoft FrontPage is very convenient for those who are making their first steps in web design. Microsoft FrontPage offers three operating modes: Normal, HTML, and Preview.

In the Normal mode the user can edit the text and images like in a common text file. Microsoft FrontPage editing tools allow to format texts, add tables (including even MS Excel tables!) and images, create bulleted and numbered links very easily, even if the user does not know HTML.

In the HTML mode the user can view and edit the code of the created web page, and in the Preview mode he can see how the created web page will look in the browser.

Macromedia HomeSite

Macromedia HomeSite is one of the most popular HTML editors. This editor helps to quicken the process of creating the HTML code of the pages and site in general. The workspace is divided into three parts. The first part is a window with your HTML code, the second is the list of documents that are stored on the user's hard drive, and the third contains various toolbars that can be adjusted by the user to his own taste. During the process of writing the HTML code HomeSite provides the user with convenient tooltips that contain the list of possible attributes for the current tag, highlights the tags according to a certain color scheme, that can be modified, puts the most frequently used tag on the toolbar so that you can access them easily.

Adobe Dreamweaver

Adobe Dreamweaver is a popular visual editor, that allows you to edit HTML codes freely and easily. If you know the hypertext markup language well enough, you can use the Code mode. In this mode the workspace contains only one window for editing the code. If you do not know HTML or know it not very well, you can use the Design mode; in this mode you will see how your site is going to look after you finish the work. Do you want to write the code yourself and at the same time see the estimated result of your work? You are welcome: the Split mode displays two windows – one window for common editing and one window for visual editing of HTML codes. Besides, if you forget any HTML tag, Adobe Dreamweaver will give you a tooltip with all variants of tags and their attributes that are available in this part of the document.

Pros and cons

Among the advantages of text editors, such as Notepad and Notepad++, we can name their simplicity and accessibility. Besides, text HTML editors are often free, they do not create “unnecessary” code (it allows to reduce the size of a web page). However, an essential disadvantage of such editors is the inability to see the created page in the process of writing the code and necessity of intimate knowledge of HTML.

Among the advantages of visual editors we can name the opportunity to view the created page in the process of writing the code, the availability of tooltips and tag highlighting, the possibility of easy and convenient insertion of different objects into the page without the knowledge of HTML. The disadvantage of visual editors is their high cost – good visual HTML editors are paid. Besides, many HTML editors create “unnecessary” code that increases the “weight” of the page.