OK, I got bit by the bug. LOL I've been beating up my ISP's web building tools and got something started. I WANT MORE! Any good suggestions on reasonably priced editors from some of the TRUE gurus around here?

ATHUDDRIVER HOME

HANG IN THERE!!!

Don

[This message was edited by Cue-bald-1 (Don) on 09-05-03 at 10:09 PM.]

This is what the elitists will usually tell you, but they're right. Use Notepad. (Or Wordpad). It comes free with Windows. It's a text editor.

The catch -- you have to know a little about HTML, which is pretty simple stuff actually. There are tutorials all over the web. If you spend any amount of time doing webpages, you eventually learn this stuff by osmosis anyway.

The good part is that you can steal code from other webpages that you like by looking at their source and doing cut and paste into your own webpage.

There are some things that are easier to do with WYSIWYG editors like the ones I think you're talking about.

If you want to get even fancier, there are server side things like php and asp and perlscript. If you don't pay for your own server though, it's not worth learning it.

Stay away from Flash. It's evil. Everybody but the other Flash fans will hate you for inflicting it on them.

Sorry Don,

I dont know of any good cheap programs

I've got FrontPage (WYSIWYG) and WebEdit Pro

but i too think learning a bit if HTML is the way to go

i mean, if you use a drag&drop program - if somethign isnt working just right - and you dont understand code, you wont knonw how to fix it.

I also learned in notepad

there are a lot of good free teaching sites out there.. i used to use Joes Web tutor a few yrs back. just do a quick search and find something that grabs your fancy.

and like Doc said.. if you see a page you really like the style of, you can copy the coding
View | source and it will come up in note pad

have any more Q's... fire away

nice start btw. Didnt know you were ATC. tough job.

Terese
LCE Member since 12/00
My LC web site

Hey, Don. Just checked out your site, but wrote you note in the Avatar thread.

I'm not technically inclined, but I know a bunch of people who use Front Page. There's also a real cheapo call webEasy, but I think you may be beyond that.

172/108/108
Zone since 4/98

Macromedia Dreamweaver gets my vote.

I agree that learning html is ~highly~ desireable, but certain things can be very confusing, tedious and time consuming to write out in Notepad (building tables, setting up frames, or javascripting, etc.). That's were web-building applications are very handy. Still, there're times when you have to get under the hood and tinker with the code, so it's well worth taking the time to learn HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language).

Dreamweaver has a reputation for building the "cleanest code" and for ~not~ re-writing any code you've already hand written without a go ahead from you. You can open the coding window and edit the html to your heart's content or work with the WYSIWYG editor.

By "clean" code, I mean compliant with the World Wide Web Consortium standards. This means your pages are less likely to break on different platforms and less likely to cause problems for users.

Adobe, a great software company in my opinion, makes GoLive for developing web pages. I've never had the opportunity to learn that one, unfortunately.

I was very disappointed when my old company required us to use Frontpage2000 at work; and it was very frustrating at times to get pages to work right. Frontpage does have some powerful features, but they don't always behave consistently. After the company converted everything to Frontpage2000, everyone (from the web adminstrator to the systems support to the content developers) felt it was a big mistake, but one we had to live with. Funny thing was that everyone pointed the finger to someone else for the decision, saying "Well that decision was made before my time" - the old blame the predecessor for every wrong move ploy. The configuration of Frontpage extensions on the server turned out to be very touchy and highply problematic.

If you don't want to spend money or go searching for freeware, here are some handy freebies:

You can use Word to make web pages by simply saving the Word document as an html file. The Word document re-writes it's formatting instructions into HTML code. But it produces frightful code, full of extraneous and ineffiencent formatting instructions.

Netscape Navigator comes with a built in editor called Composer. It's not bad for a freebie, but it ~will~ re-write your code, and it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of full-bore programs like Dreamweaver, Frontpage, or Adobe GoLive.

Otherwise, for freeware or shareware, you could go to www.tucows.com and search for html editors.

~~~Teelbee

174 (Mar. 2002, highest weight), 164 (Jan. 2003, begin LC)
164/135.5/137-134
"remember, amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic."

Thanks everyone!!!!

I've done some "reverse engineering" of web codes in the past and I know what you mean about borrowing some good ideas. LOL

Yes, I have also seen what WORD does to html codes. Gives me a headache. LOL

Quick question, does anyone know the code to open a page in a separate window? I have a few thumbnail ideas where I just want to show an enlarged picture without changing the page.

TANX!

HANG IN THERE!!!

Don

[This message was edited by Cue-bald-1 (Don) on 09-05-03 at 12:01 PM.]

OK, I discovered BLANK to open up a link in a new window. My next mission, how to size it.

LOL

HANG IN THERE!!!

Don

For my pesonal webpage I cheated and used geocities.com. When I get the extra bucks I'll sign up and have my own name hosted and do my own page.

For the web site I'm developing at work, I started out tagging everything up in HTML and used wordpad. Then I got smart and told my boss to buy FrontPage and now I'm using that.

It's really good to have the HTML knowledge, however, because you can use that to fall back on and I still use it in FrontPage.

By the way...don't use FrontPage Express. If you're gonna do it, do it right and get the full version.

My two cents...

April
352 / 205 / 180
5'10", large frame, size 13 shoe
www.geocities.com/aprilreinhardt

I use Netscape Composer too when I'm in a hurry. I do the first rough draft of the webpage with that and then go back and tweak it however necessary. It's a great quick-and-dirty way to get started.

OK folks, take a look at this.
http://home.insightbb.com/~athuddriv...b/lowcarb.html

It is very rough but it is something that made me feel good as I did it. I'm no Hemingway so any comments here or via email are greatly appreciated!

HANG IN THERE!!!

Don

testing

HANG IN THERE!!!

Don
http://home.insightbb.com/~athuddriver/index.html
href="http://home.insightbb.com/~athuddriver/index.html"><!--BEG_E5--><!--END_E5--><!--BEG_E6-->[ATHUDDRIVER'S
HOME]</a><o></o></b></p>

SHEESH! Won't do that again. LOL

HANG IN THERE!!!

Don
http://home.insightbb.com/~athuddriver/index.html 1.00A

I played around with building a web site this morning, but could not follow the instructions given by my ISP. I guess I am going to have to have my step-son "talk" me long.

Susan ( AKA Northwest)
207/178.5/160

Hi Don,

Avoid the WYSIWYG editors like the plague.

The best text editor for me is Macromedia's Homesite. No matter what else I try, I go back to it. Used it for about 5 years now since the shareware version. I don't remember the cost but it's pretty reasonable.

The best freeware editors are Evrsoft's 1st page 2000

Evrsoft Home Page

and an old favorite of mine, Arachnophilia, which is "Care Ware" (you'll have to read it for yourself )

Arachnophilia

Keep plugging away! Looking good so far!

Steve

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Teelbee:

Macromedia Dreamweaver gets my vote.

SNIPP!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have to agree with a lot you said. I've been skunking around various developer sites and after I unleashed my trial copy of Dreameweaver on just 1 of my pages and told it to clean up Word's mess, I could see a HUGE difference. Heck, I could even follow some of the code too! That was educational by itself.

I liked that Dreamweaver also highligted questionable code and gave a reason why it was not standard. I used the dual display of code and page and have learned a lot already.

I don't think that writing code "cold" will be something I will "enjoy". he he he But I have enjoyed finding the code that I didn't liek what it did and replacing it with what I want.

THANKS!

HANG IN THERE!!!

Don
http://home.insightbb.com/~athuddriver/index.html
http://home.insightbb.com/~athuddriv...b/lowcarb.html