1.6 Tools for the Web Designer
While you can
use the barest of barebones text editors to create HTML and XHTML
documents, most authors have a bit more elaborate toolbox of software
utilities than a simple word processor. You also need a browser, so
you can test and refine your work. Beyond the essentials are some
specialized software tools for developing and preparing HTML
documents and accessory multimedia files.
1.6.1 Essentials
At the very least, you'll need an editor, a browser
to check your work, and, ideally, a connection to the Internet.
1.6.1.1 Word processor or WYSIWYG editor?
Some authors use the
word-processing capabilities of their specialized HTML/XHTML editing
software. Some use the WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get)
composition tools that come with their browsers or the latest
versions of the popular word processors. Others, such as ourselves,
prefer to compose their work on a general word processor and later
insert the markup tags and their attributes. Still others include
markup as they compose.
We think the stepwise approach — compose, then mark up — is
the better way. We find that once we've defined and
written the document's content,
it's much easier to make a second pass to
judiciously and effectively add the HTML/XHTML tags to format the
text. Otherwise, the markup can obscure the content. Note, too, that
unless specially trained (if they can be), spell-checkers and
thesauruses typically choke on markup tags and their various
parameters. You can spend what seems to be a lifetime clicking the
Ignore button on all those otherwise valid markup tags when syntax-
or spell-checking a document.
When and how you embed markup tags into your document dictates the
tools you need. We recommend that you use a good word processor,
which comes with more and better writing tools than simple text
editors or the browser-based markup-language editors.
You'll find, for instance, that an outliner,
spell-checker, and thesaurus will best help you craft the
document's flow and content, disregarding for the
moment its look. The latest word processors encode your documents
with HTML, too, but don't expect miracles. Except
for boilerplate documents, you will probably need to nurse those
automated HTML documents to full health. (Not to mention put them on
a diet when you see how long the generated HTML is.) And
it'll be a while before you'll see
XHTML-specific markup tools in the popular word processors.
Another word of caution about automated composition tools: they
typically change or insert content (e.g., replacing relative
hyperlinks with full ones) and arrange your document in ways that
will annoy you. Annoying, in particular, since they rarely give you
the opportunity to do things your own way.
Become fluent in native HTML/XHTML. Be prepared to reverse some of
the things a composition tool will do to your documents. And make
sure you can wrest your document away from the tool so you can make
it do your bidding.
1.6.1.2 Browser software
Obviously,
you should view your newly composed documents and test their
functionality before you release them for use by others. For serious
authors, particularly those looking to push their documents beyond
the HTML/XHTML standards, we recommend that you have several
browsers, perhaps with versions running on different computers, just
to be sure one's delightful display
isn't another's nightmare.
The currently popular — and therefore most
important — browsers are
Netscape
Navigator (the browser portion of Netscape Communicator) and
Microsoft Internet
Explorer. Download the latest versions from their web sites.
By the way, Netscape Communicator includes a fine HTML WYSIWYG editor
called Composer.
1.6.2 An Extended Toolkit
If you're serious about creating documents,
you'll soon find there are all sorts of nifty tools
that make life easier. The list of freeware, shareware, and
commercial products grows daily, so it's not very
useful to provide a list here. This is, in fact, another good reason
to frequent the various newsgroups and web sites that keep updated
lists of HTML and XHTML resources on the Web. If you are really
dedicated to writing in HTML and XHTML, you will visit those sites,
and you will visit them regularly to keep abreast of the language,
tools, and trends.
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