WYSIWYG or text editor?

[Calum]

Simple question for all the web developers out there.
Please, when voting, include how much web design/creation you do, and what you actually do.
Also, what editor do you use specifically and why?
I'm off out but I'll edit this post with those details when I get back.

[michaewlewis]

I haven't used a wysiwyg editor in years. There's just not as much control with them.
My scope of web development includes html, css, javascript, and php/mysql.
In windows, I use notepad++, and in linux, I use quanta. If they made quanta for windows, I would use that because it does inline help and command finishing....

[Astoria]

html, css, javascript, php, mysql and ajax.

I never used a wysiwyg editor. When I began with webdesign I used Windows Notepad, but that has been replaced by Notepad++ when I started with PHP.

[Aegis]

I am limping along in HTML, making small changes to an existing website.  I removed broken links, added new ones, and need to consider adding pages to present groups of links.  There are prettier ways to do it, I'm sure, but I'm taking things a step (or stagger) at a time.

I'm sure it's best to learn the code, though I do hear the siren song of Dreamweaver...anyone who's ever used it care to comment on it?

[michaewlewis]

I'm sure it's best to learn the code, though I do hear the siren song of Dreamweaver...anyone who's ever used it care to comment on it?

It's one of the best wysiwyg editors out there. Very easy to use and you can view the wysiwyg part alongside the coded part for reference/learning. Go ahead and get it if you don't feel like getting into hand-coding.

[Aegis]

Thanks, michael -- I thought I might cheat with Dreamweaver to do some better things for the website on which I'm working down the line, though I am interested in programming, and I thought to start with HTML, and maybe CSS, just to get me back in the swing of things.  (I did some minor UNIX shell scripting about twenty years ago.)

[Calum]

I used Dreamweaver when I started out because I didn't know any coding whatsoever.
I then got into the coding and quickly ditched Dreamweaver, partly because my trial had run out and it's very expensive, and partly because it took so long to launch.  It also cluttered up my coding.
I started using Notepad, and now use either Notepad or Notepad++.
I really don't like WYSIWYG editors, they have a habit of destroying my web pages by trying to "help" me.
As for what I do, I've edited PHP for an SMF forum I used to run, also websites built with HTML, Javascript and CSS, for my old clan site, my business site, my college work, and any work I can pick up for others.
Aegis - remember that whilst Dreamweaver does offer a realtime preview of the coding, it doesn't always look right - a web browser is still a better option for previewing the pages.  Also, watch out for the coding it inserts - it generally needs a lot of cleaning up when the website is not hand coded.  But I do think that editing it WYSIWYG style and watching the code is a good way to learn, that's how I started off and it really helped me.

[stevejohnson1958]

If you're looking for a good HTML editor...relatively cheap...you may want to take a look at this vendor:  Coffee Cup

They have an editor that's relatively cheap and does eactly what I want it to.

Here's a link to it:  CoffeeCup HTML Editor 2007

It's $50 (USD) and worth every penny...

Compare it to the price of Dreamweaver...

CoffeeCup actually offers some free web design software:  Check it out!

[Aegis]

Thank you, thank you!

I'll have to check out that software -- I do like a good cup of coffee.   

[stevejohnson1958]

You're welcome...

BTW, Calum...

Most WYSIWYG/Graphical Editors do allow you to use text editing, as well.  So you may want to include "Both" in your poll.

Just a thought...

[Calum]

CoffeeCup looks pretty good, would check it out if I was into WYSIWYG.3
And that's a valid point about some people using both, I guess people could vote on what they use most.
But, I'll add both as an option anyway.
Edit: I would do, but I don't seem to be able to

[Computer Hope Admin]

Started with notepad, but after creating a few hundred pages it becomes old, especially when working with tables. Moved to a WYSIWYG editor, currently using Microsoft Expression Web.

[stevejohnson1958]

Have used Dreamweaver and CoffeeCup...still using both, actually.  I gues it depends on price and what you feel comfortable using.

Have never used Microsoft's Expression Web, but checked it out after you listed it.  Seems to be a nifty little program...if it weren't for the price...$299.00.

I guess...if you're making the big bucks...you can afford it...

Thanks for listing that, Nathan...it was worth looking into.  Honestly...I thought Microsoft Publisher was the best they had...

I need to get out more...

[Computer Hope Admin]

Heh big bucks. I actually paid $89.00 for my version. Which is a version that allows you to upgrade from any existing copy of Microsoft Front Page, which is now no longer developed and something I've used in the past. Overall it's a good program, although it's crashed more on me than any previous version of Front Page and Microsoft doesn't seem to have a solution for me.

[stevejohnson1958]

I forgot about Front Page, as well.

$89???  That's not too bad...I saw the Upgrade price, when I did the research on it, after your post.

Was just wondering...

Did Microsoft recommend the full version, as opposed to the upgrade as a remedy for your crash problem?  (Knowing full well that it wasn't an option if you had to pay for it.)  It would just seem they'd have a remedy...but Microsoft is Microsoft.

I just might give it a test drive...just to see how it is.

Thanks, again...

[Aegis]

I have used some of the 'what you see' features to look at code vs. what is produced.  I was going to ask a very general syntax question, but I think I'm going to start a separate thread.

The only reason I'm talking about Dreamweaver is that my better half, who's in school, got Adobe's CS 2 from one school, and the school to which she switched sent her CS 3.  I thought I might access Dreamweaver thru her CS 2.

Since I think I want to do programming, I probably should concentrate on the languages...now, let me run off and post my burning question.

[Computer Hope Admin]

No Microsoft didn't recommend that, if they did I would know I was talking to someone who didn't know what they were doing. The upgrade is the same as the full version on almost all types of programs, if it wasn't it would have the potential to cause a lot of issues. My best assumption is that it has something to do with how my drives are setup and/or how many files it has to open since it seems to only crash occasionally when linking to another page and it's having to scan through thousands of HTML pages and images.

If you're curious about it there is a trial version on their site that allows you to run the full program and play with it.

[stevejohnson1958]

I understand...

What I was thinking, though was that you said you used the upgrade program to upgrade Front Page...instead of a clean install of the program itself.  There is a difference...though it may be slight.

I will try the program...I also noticed the trial version when I visited their web page.

I'll let you know how it goes...only issue is that I don't think I'll be forking out $299 any time soon.

Thanks, again, Nathan...

[DukeIcewalker]

I voted, so I might as well post:

I'm a newbie at web design; Dw CS3 is my graphical designer of choice-- haven't figured it out yet completely though.  It seems to like to create lots of code.  Someday I'll learn how to edit it.

[Aegis]

Yes, I was warned that Dreamweaver was going to generate a lot of code, and your observation bears out that warning.

[CBMatt]

I've never been a big fan of WYSIWYG.  For awhile, I tried using a program called ActualDrawing and it was actually fairly useful, but programs like that tend to have limited functionality.  I have DreamWeaver, but I can't really get myself to use it.  Every time I try, I get frustrated and end up going back to Notepad, which is what I have always used, ever since I first started learning any type of coding.  I write all of my (X)HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP/MySQL codes/scripts in Notepad, unless I'm unable to for some reason.  When I'm debugging errors, I'll switch to Notepad++ to make it a little easier.

[Aegis]

Interesting -- I guess I'd never even considered what software I was going to use to write if I didn't use Dreamweaver.  Right now, my main focus is making corrections and improvements to an existing site.  I'm using HTML Kit for that, and it seems all right.