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LSW
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Alternative Editors for Web Development - [July 2008]

Well, before you can get into Accessibility, you have to be able to write code (and because this is a list I already had finished), so my first official post is a list of Editors you may choose from.

You can write code in something like Notepad, but face it, syntax coloring to spot errors, spell checkers and the like are all good tools to have. So with no further ranting I offer to you this list of possible editors to choose from. Some I have used, some just heard of.

I have organized it in operating system, Windows, Mac, Linux and then sub divided into Freeware and Shareware. Also a few other editors are mentioned specializing for say PHP.

This page may be added or subtracted to as new programs arrive or fall away so you will need to stop by once in a while. You will see at the bottom the last time it was edited.

You may also leave comments, but keep in mind that this is to help people, so no flaming. If you noted specific problems or such than feel free to note these, or that as a beginner you found a program quite difficult....... please add only the information that can help someone make a decision and not "It Sucks!", if you have a solid reason for not liking it, then note it, what is missing or not well done.

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HTML Editors

Big Boys

Adobe Dreamweaver - (Formerly Macromedia Dreamweaver) The development Standard. Odds are if you try to get a job the company will be using this so it is better to know how to work with it. As excellent site management tools. Works as both code and WYSIWYG per Layout view. Windows / Mac
Adobe GoLive - (Ending development and sales on April 28, 2008) Has never really been able to pressure Dreamweaver, however is said to have greatly improved under the Adobe CS line. Windows / Mac
Microsoft Expression Web 2 - The new Expression series of development tools, Expression web is the normal WYSIWYG editor that replaced the retired FrontPage series. It is more standards compliant and a far better tool than FrontPage. Reduce complexity and ease data integration by using powerful design tools and task panes to design for ASP.NET, PHP and XML. Seamlessly integrate Web design and development teams with the powerful combination of Expression Web 2 and Visual Studio 2008.
Microsoft Visual Studio - Likely the premiere tool for developing Microsoft .NET Framework ASP applications and pages. Most commonly used with Visual basic or more and more C#. This tool is build explicityly for dealing with .NET solutions.

Windows

Freeware

HTML-Kit - My favorite under freeware. Offers many languages and extensions, supports PHP and up through C++.
1st Page 2000 - a very good program I used for two years. It is now a bit old in the tooth as it was written by a high school student in Australia, he is now a college student working on his degree, it is expected that a new version will be released once he finishes school.
NOTE: Also there are rumors that this program has a virus. This is not true. Years ago a computer magazine re-packaged it and offered it together with a extension called "Buttons from Hell", this additional packet included JavaScripts that triggered virus alarms but were not viruses. Most new virus programs no longer fall for the false signal.
Amaya - Suggested by Les below, I must say it looks impressive, supporting such modern technologies as SVG, MathML 2.0, XHTML 1.1. It is a production of the W3C itself.
Vim - I played with this in school, actually meant for Linux it has a steep learning curve as it works more with command line sort of work. But if you take the time to learn it is is very powerful. Vim is charityware
Nvu/KompoZer - originally made for Linux, it is also available for Mac and Windows. It has been re-vamped. It is a WYSIWYG and good for those with little knowledge of HTML. I know many people in forums who swear by it.
NoteTab - I have never built a site with this but often use it just to check source code of sites I visit, it is quick loading. Windows free and shareware depending on version.
Emacs - Loved by a few. It is GNU and is basically a Command line editor like a DOS window. Takes a lot of getting used to, but is considered a classic.
Arachnophilia - This is a program that has been around a while. I have never used it, but have heard often that it is very simple and therefore is a excellent editor for beginners learning HTML.
selida - Another editor I have come across in forums, so it does have a following but I have no personal experience with it.
Phase 5 / Proton - this is a German editor by Ulli Meybohm. It is very popular, also English language I believe and I have met an odd person in the US and Canada who do use it. I originally used it for a short time in school as Phase5, however it seems to have had a name change to Proton.

Shareware

skEdit - Never used it but was suggested to me in a forum. Shareware (but quite affordable I find).
HotDog - This program has been around for sometime. It was often supplied in computer magazines in Germany. I have not heard of it in years but it is still out there. It is a name in the industry, but I know no one who uses it so cannot say much more about it.
CoffeeCup HTML Editor - I have used CoffeCup software and generally it is very good. I have not however used the editor, but have heard good things about it.
AceHTML - A shareware editor with a decent reputation.
NetObjects Fusion - Ok this is tricky. This software has rated well often. It is especially good for creating e-commerce sites and Database driven web sites. What keeps me from praising it however is the way it works. Even the worst editors allow some access to the HTML behind the web site. Fusion however uses it's own propriety code created as you drag and drop elements on the screen. Only once the web site is finished and is to be published, is the propriety code then translated into HTML. This means at no time can you switch to HTML view to tweak a element. This program goes out of it's way to keep you away from the code, so it is fine for those with no interest in learning how to really build sites. PC Pro Magazine liked it and claims it creates accessible web sites, that I do not believe so will see if I can get a copy to test one of these days, till then, it rates well but I dislike your inability to modify code during development. You will find a full review in the link to Urban75 listed at the bottom of this page.

Mac (with special thanks to the members and management of Mac Community Feedback who supplied me with info as I am not a Mac user.)

Freeware

Creatext - I think about the most popular pure Mac editor, highly recommended to me.
Nvu - originally made for Linux, it is also available for Mac and Windows. It is being re-vamped and is said to be earmarked to replace the editor for Mozilla, it is also being released as a extension for Firefox. It is a WYSIWYG and good for those with little knowledge of HTML. I know many people in forums who swear by it.
Emacs - Loved by a few. It is GNU and is basically a Command line editor like a DOS window. Takes a lot of getting used to, but is considered a classic.
Taco HTML Edit - Sorry, no info.
Taco HTML Edit is a full-featured HTML editor and PHP editor distributed as freeware. As an HTML editor, Taco HTML Edit empowers its users to rapidly create their own web sites. It is designed exclusively for Mac OS X and has many advanced features including spell checking, live browser previewing, PHP previewing, syntax checking, and much more. - the web site

Shareware

BBEdit - I have heard of it but know little.
BBEdit is the leading professional HTML and text editor for the Macintosh. Specifically crafted in response to the needs of Web authors and software developers, this award-winning product provides a plethora of features for editing, searching, and manipulation of text. BBEdit transforms text with high performance.
Rage Web Design - Sorry, no info.
PageSpinner - Sorry no info.
Page Spinner is the easy-to-use, professional HTML editor for Mac OS supporting HTML 3.2, HTML 4, XHTML, PHP, SSI plus additional Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer extensions and a built-in JavaScript generator.
Tag - Sorry, no real info or experience with this one.
Tumult HyperEdit - Sorry, no real info or experience with this one.
Coda - This is a Mac tool, so I can not say how well it works but I have heard good things about it and it certainly sounds interesting for Mac users. Worth reading up on.

Linux (with special thanks to the members and management of Linux Linux LINUX who supplied me with info as I am not a Linux user.)

Freeware

Vim - I played with this in school, actually meant for Linux it has a steep learning curve as it works more with command line sort of work. But if you take the time to learn it is is very powerful. Vim is charityware
Nvu - originally made for Linux, it is also available for Mac and Windows. It is being re-vamped and is said to be earmarked to replace the editor for Mozilla, it is also being released as a extension for Firefox. It is a WYSIWYG and good for those with little knowledge of HTML. I know many people in forums who swear by it.
Quanta - Sorry, no info on this.
Quanta Plus is a web development tool for the K Desktop Environment. Quanta is designed for quick web development and is rapidly becoming a mature editor with a number of great features. - the web site
Kate (KDE Advanced Text Editor) - Sorry, no info on this.
Kate is a multi document editor, based on a rewritten version of the kwrite editing widget of KDE, offering all the features of that plus a bunch of its own. Kate has been been moved to the kdebase package, and is a built in part of your favorite desktop since release 2.2.
Emacs - Loved by a few. It is GNU and is basically a Command line editor like a DOS window. Takes a lot of getting used to, but is considered a classic.

Other languages

CSS

TopStyle CSS - My choice for CSS work, also comes in a free light version, at least older versions of it.
EditCSS - A Firefox Extention suggested by tpattison below.
Cascade - Free CSS editor suggested by Les.

PHP

EditPlus2 - My earliest editor for PHP programming, really nice tools and plugins. I still use it sometimes.
PHP Designer - A freeware PHP editor with a decent reputation, from the creators of HTML Gate.
Rapid PHP - PHP editor, never used it but it comes well praised to me. Shareware / Windows
Zen Studio - A very good program, I have used it before and was impressed. But also recall it being a bit complicated. It is not free but I think worth it for the hard core PHP programmer.
CodeLobster PHP Edition - I have never used it but it was suggested to me for this list by "oldkiller". It is a free editor.

XML

Xopus XML Editor - shareware, browser based XML editor, have no more info on it the what the site says.
Xopus is a browser based in-place wysiwyg XML editor. Xopus allows users to edit XML data in an intuitive word processor like way while keeping the document valid. - the web site
XMLSpy - Likely the default XML editor on the market. Shareware.

General programming Editors

Eclipse - This maybe slightly misleading to call it an editor. It is more a framework for languages to be used. It is a stand alone app, download, unzip, and place the file wherever you like on your HD, then start it. It will first allow you to choose where to save your projects. Then you need to run the updates from the help menu. Once done, do a search for whatever language you wish to work in and eclipse. If the web site is for eclipse they will give you and URL to a server with the language packet you want. Choose a New Remote server, name it and paste the URL in and update and Eclipse will download and install the packet needed for that language. It supports Java, PHP, C/C++ & Coldfusion for a few I know of. It is free and for all Platforms.

Editors for CMS

Xstandard - XStandard is said to write the Purest standards based code of any WYSIWYG editor. It is meant for Content Management Systems (CMS), it opens in your default browser (NOTE: It uses Active-X so only works under Windows OS at this time). (NOTE II : XStandard is currently being developed for OS X, it is currently in Alpha testing, I will add it's release here when ready)
GWD Text Editor - I have never used it but it was praised in a couple of forums. Windows Shareware
GWD Text Editor is a powerful general purpose editor for plain text files and integrated developer environment for Borland C++, Java and Euphoria compilers. - the official web site
TinyMCE - another WYSIWYG editor meant for use in a CMS. This will work under Mac, Windows and Linux.
WYM-Editor - This is still in the Alpha phase so it is really not ready for use by beginners. Only those with experiance should try this at this time. It does however look interesting and I will be watching it. It pays close attention to standards and accessibility. One of the developers is a member here (see farther down the thread).
widgEditor - from my understanding this will work with both Mac and Windows.
FCKEditor - This too is a CMS editor that works on all operating systems.

Finally, Urban75 has a very good Group Test of WYSIWYG Editors covering many of these.
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[Edit 17 times, last edit by LSW at Jul 18, 2008 3:11:37 PM]

[Apr 14, 2005 1:44:51 PM]

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admin
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Re: Alternative Editors for Web Development

Great post!

applause

I think I will use it in the next newsletter!

Good job!
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Stefan Mischook

Video Tutorial Store | Web Templates

[Apr 15, 2005 11:43:32 AM]

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Les
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Re: Alternative Editors for Web Development

Hi LSW

The most impressive list I have seen anywhere, 'Top Job' mate. nerd

There is one from W3C I have on my list/ AMAYA its a WYSIWYG html/CSS

I am trying out the NVU Editor you suggested
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Tomorrow never comes, make the most of today

[Apr 15, 2005 12:25:34 PM]

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tpattison
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Re: Alternative Editors for Web Development

I find the FireFox extension EditCSS very good. It displays a page's CSS in the sidebar, which you can edit and see the changes in real-time. Nice!

EditCSS

Tim
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Pavonis Mons | Listen of the week: "Residue of Desire" by Acumen

[Apr 15, 2005 1:32:35 PM]

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LSW
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Re: Alternative Editors for Web Development

@ Les & tpattison- have added them to the list. Thanks.

[Apr 15, 2005 2:36:50 PM]

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Les
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Re: Alternative Editors for Web Development

Hi LSW

Going to try out the Editors you have mentioned, apart from FP and DW which I have used.

Just started on the NVU, its easier for for those using FP and DW same principles except --you cannot use border colors in the html table properties/ you have to switch over to CSS I think.

One of the things i notice in NVU is that the 'font' tag is in use in the output code, i thought it was deprecated ??

Did a bit of a page with tables , image and text , it validated as transitional html 4. that would not have occurred in FP.

still trying to figure out the CSS editor/ as it does not work yet/ probably me ? testing the NVU forum to see if the support is good.

I looked at the AMAYA editor for download, in dial up about 58 minutes, sad

will look into it later in week.

Will create a page in NVU and produce on here, in time. cool

Les
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Tomorrow never comes, make the most of today
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[Edit 1 times, last edit by Les at Apr 15, 2005 6:12:55 PM]

[Apr 15, 2005 6:11:43 PM]

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LSW
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Re: Alternative Editors for Web Development

That Les is the old arguement against WYSIWYG. If you really want a fast, slick Standards based web site you have to do it by hand. You can still use a WYSIWYG editor like DW as I do, but only in code view.

Amaya looks promising being from the W3C, other than that the best WYSIWYG that really outputs good standards based code is XStandard.

[Apr 16, 2005 5:44:05 AM]

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Cashan
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Re: Alternative Editors for Web Development

When I asked at a computer store, what program to buy, to do my site (I'm a rank beginner...really smelly...) I was told to buy the SJ Nama Webeditor 6...

It has all different types of praise for it (prominently printed on the cover) but I've had very little luck with it, so far, in building a site.

Although I'd like to learn how to code, eventually, right now I just need to build a professional looking ecommerce site for my products.

A customer, yesterday, told me to scrap everything and just get Windows Publisher. She does all of her sites in that. Said she first played with geocities, and then chucked her nursing career, got into webdesign (got a degree in it) and now just does site work.

I'm getting a little confused. Helo please?

Cashan

[Apr 16, 2005 9:20:19 AM]

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LSW
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Re: Alternative Editors for Web Development

She is a Web Designer and uses Windows Publisher? Naja - what ever works for her, I wouldn't use it.

Basically you simply need to learn HTMLfirst, then you can use any of the listed editors and do a good job.

[Apr 16, 2005 10:56:45 AM]

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IPscrIPted
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Re: Alternative Editors for Web Development

I'm using Phase 5 here in Chicago, IL. Prettyn good editor, especially if u have apache w/ php installed on that machine, it can preview php scripts right in the preview window. Never knew NVU is avaliable for linux, gonna get that right now, making it easier to edit on the linux machine than on the server.

[Apr 16, 2005 11:13:03 AM]

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