HTML/CSS editors

[nocode]

Hey Guys,

I was wondering what you would recommend for using an HTML/CSS editor? Some have told me to use Bluefish but I can't figure out how to install it. I'm relatively new to all this, so I'm trying to teach myself. Any help would be great! Thanks

Byron

[oldcrazylegs]

Here are examples that you can experiment right on the web site. Even though you can experiment here you cannot save the results to your computer unless you copy and paste the code into windows notepad and save it that way.

HTML Examples
http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_examples.asp

Cascading Style Sheets Examples
http://www.w3schools.com/css/css_examples.asp

These pages will help you understand what HTML tags(commands) and their attributes you can use in your pages.
http://www.w3schools.com/tags/default.asp

These pages will help you understand what Cascading Style Sheets Rules and their attributes you can use in your pages.
http://www.w3schools.com/css/css_reference.asp

Don't be surprised if you don't learn HTML/CSS very fast. Most of us took years to learn to use it proficiently. Even now after 10 years I still don't know it all since it keeps changing all the time.

After you have experimented some on that site then do the following.

==============================================

Learn HTML/XHTML & CSS - Learn to write your own pages by hand it's easy.

FREE! Online Courses:
A) Webonkey HTML Tutorial http://www.webmonkey.com/
B) W3schools http://www.w3schools.com/
C) Watch it done in a flash movie http://visualtutorials.com/
D) Free Web Site Courses http://certification.about.com/cs/testingresources/a/tutorials.htm

Reference:
A) The best HTML/XHTML reference http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_reference.asp
B) The best Style Sheet Reference http://www.w3schools.com/css/css_reference.asp
C) HTML Dom http://www.w3schools.com/htmldom/dom_reference.asp'

Links:
A) HTML Links http://www.websitetips.com/html/
B) Style Sheet Links http://www.websitetips.com/css/


ALWAYS CHECK THE REFERENCE PAGES TO MAKE CERTAIN YOU ARE WRITING YOUR SOURCE CODE THE CORRECT WAY! JUST BECAUSE YOU SAW SOME SOURCE CODE WRITTEN A PARTICULAR WAY IN SOMEONE ELSE'S PAGE DOESN'T MEAN THEY WROTE IT CORRECTLY. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT YOU'LL FIND THAT THEY DIDN'T WRITE IT CORRECTLY. BUT LOOKING AT OTHER PEOPLE'S SOURCE CODE IS STILL A GOOD WAY TO LEARN. IF SOURCE CODE ISN'T WRITTEN THE CORRECT WAY IT CAN CAUSE OBJECTS TO BE DISPLAYED IN PLACES YOU DON"T WANT THEM IN OR EVEN CRASH SOMEONE'S BROWSER. NETSCAPOE 4.X USERS ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE TO CRASHING. MOST OF THE TIME BROWSERS A VERY FORGIVING WHEN IT COMES TO BAD SOURCE CODE. BUT WHY TAKE CHANCES. THE MORE CORRECTLY YOU WRITE YOUR PAGES THE MOER BROWSERS THEY WILL WORK WITH.

Paid Online Courses:
http://www.hwg.org/

FREE! HTML/XHTML Editor:
http://www.chami.com/html-kit/

FREE! FTP Clients (applications):
http://www.trustmeher.net/freeware/cute.htm

When FTPing files from your computer to your online account send text files, HTML/XHTML files, CSS files in the ascii mode. Send image files, movie files, music files in the binary mode. There is an automatic mode that is supposed to detect the type of file you are sending. But it isn't always reliable.

*** HERE IS HOW I LEARNED HTML/XHTML/CSS ***

When you come to a page on the web click "VIEW" at the top of your browser and click on "SOURCE". If you are using Internet Explorer browser the HTML source code will open up in Windows Notepad. In Notepad click on "FILE/SAVE AS" to save the page's source code to your hard drive. In Internet Explorer click on "FILE/OPEN" to open the source code in the browser. Go back to notepad and remove some of the code and click "SAVE". Then in Internet Explorer hold down the "SHIFT" key and click on the "REFRESH" button on the browser's toolbar to see what effect the removed source code had on the page. You will learn a hundred times faster this way.

Something to think about later is.......After you have gotten a little experience with HTML try DOCTYPE, XHTML, and CSS. Then try to validate your pages. Validating checks your source code for coding errors. validating will not work unless you are using the correct doctype and the correct document encoding. Validating is not something a newcomer should bother with. Being new you will make lots of mistakes and won't know how to fix them yet. http://validator.w3.org/

Many libraries world-wide have books related to the Internet, Web and computers in general. They also have CDs and DVDs. Go to your local public library and get the username and password for http://www.firstsearch.org/ You have to get them at your library because that is where you will pick up and return the books after reading them. You can look up the book yourself but they will have to order it for you. Sometimes this can take awhile if the book is checked out by someone else. After reading the books and making copies of certain pages with a photo copier simply return it to them.

By using Firstsearch you can search for any book in the world. Some libraries might charge a small fee but most are free. Even if they charge a fee it will be less than the cost of the book or other item you are ordering. Every Web Design book I have read was acquired in this fashion. :)

[orcrist]

whats your Operating System, nocode? your trouble maybe isnt related to bluefish :) ..i gues it would be tricky to instal it on windows :D
what problems do you have while instaling? any error mesages? have you tried following these steps?:
http://bluefish.openoffice.nl/manual/ch02s02.html

[nocode]

orcrist Yeah, I'm running windows which is why I'm having trouble. The site also said about downloading GTK and some other files, but I didn't even know what I'm supposed to do (even after reading the tutorials). Is there another (preferably free) html editor out there or possibly explain what i'm supposed to do?!! thanks

oldcrazylegs - thanks for all that info. I'll be sure to check it out. I borrowed a book from my friend so I'm going to run through that also.

[kewlceo]

IMHO, the best HTML/CSS editor is TopStyle Pro (http://www.newsgator.com/NGOLProduct.aspx?ProdID=TopStyle). It allows you to preview your CSS while you write it, and test your (X)HTML within the TopStyle output window using the IE or Mozilla engines. It's by far my favorite developing environment. It isn't free, but they do offer a 20-day trial that is fully-functional.

[Kravvitz]

I recommend the editors in the first section of this page (not the "graphical web page generators" (WYSIWYG) ones listed near the end of the page) (http://css-discuss.incutio.com/?page=CssEditors) and my current editor of choice, Syn Text Editor (http://syn.sourceforge.net/).

[orcrist]

aww, man, on windows..dunno, i was jumpin up&down when i suceded to instal it on kubuntu..tho i opted for Quanta at the end :)..dunno, go with those above recomended, i havent tried many, lol. all css i type in manually, if on windows using simple html editor (coffee cup, but if you decide to give it a go, be sure to dl free edition, not trial of pro)
only coz of highlighting & linecount. and of course couple plugins for firefox for troubleshooting,web-dev toolbar (http://chrispederick.com/work/webdeveloper/) being most important (in effect it IS an editor, but lacks that highlithing thingy)

[kewlceo]

I recommend the editors in the first section of this page (not the "graphical web page generators" (WYSIWYG) ones listed near the end of the page) (http://css-discuss.incutio.com/?page=CssEditors) and my current editor of choice, Syn Text Editor (http://syn.sourceforge.net/).
I don't like WYSIWYG "drag & drop" editors, but I certainly don't object to a preview window. Most of the editors at the top of the page are no more than a text editor with syntax highlighting.

[Kravvitz]

I don't have a problem with just refreshing a browser window.

Firefox has the web developer extension that shows CSS changes when you use its "Edit CSS" feature.

Top Style Pro just doesn't seem to be worth ~$80 to me.

[ccemmett]

HTMLkit (http://www.chami.com/html-kit/features/) is FREE and has lots of pretty cool features. I use it like a drug.

-CC

[Arbitrator]

Hmm... I recommend Microsoft WordPad in conjunction with a Web Developer Extension equipped Firefox and a Developer Toolbar equipped Internet Explorer. :p

Actually I use Adobe GoLive now mainly because I can preview what I'm making and the code is color coded.

[Kravvitz]

You recommend Wordpad? Why? There are so many programs out there that are better for writing code in.

Links to the tools Arbitrator referred to:
Beta 2 of the IE Developer Toolbar (http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2006/02/08/527970.aspx)
Firefox (http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/)'s Web Developer extension (http://chrispederick.com/work/firefox/webdeveloper/)