Best way to code web pages?

[Aximili23]

Which is the best way to code web pages: to code the HTML yourself, or to use software to do it for you? When I first started learning HTML and making web pages, I tried my hand at MS FrontPage, but it created huge HTML files with lengthy code that I couldn't understand. Manipulating such large, slow-loading files seemed so cumbersome at the time for the very simple project I was making, so I switched to writing the HTML directly using a text editor.

But now that I have a teeny bit more experience, and am more ambitious with the kind of pages I want to create, I'm wondering if my method is too slow or limited. Should I switch to using some kind of web design software? If so, what would you all recommend? I'm looking for something powerful, user-friendly, and most importantly, free. :wink:

I'm incredibly new at web design, and I'm learning completely on my own (I don't even have a book on the topic), so excuse me if this is an obvious question.

Aximili23

[burke]

I'm pretty new as well. However thank the Lord I found Dreamweaver MX.

Highly recommended
*not free though...*

With DW, photoshop and notepad = you can't go wrong.

Drop FP and run, far far away.

[fergu38397]

I use Visual Vision's Hyperpublish. It is fairly easy to learn and costs about $150.00. I bought front page, but haven't learned it well enough to use it. Hyperpublish even has a built in ftp client. Also has a trial period....
Support is good too...I am not trying to put together a page to make me a millionaire tho...the link to them is at the bottom of my page http://www.link2earth.com .

[Annied]

I use Dreamweaver 4 and find it excellent. If you don't mind not having the very latest version, you could probably pick up a copy very cheaply on Ebay or at one of the online shops which specialise in software.

[fergu38397]

Sounds like I need to look at Dreamweaver. I really need something with "slow class mentality", and hate to buy something else like FP which takes a long time to learn, even for the basics. Is dreamweaver fairly easy to learn ?

btw I'm really new...if anyone talking in here has a free website they don't mind another visitor at pls post the url....I like to snoop....

[Annied]

When I started out with Dreamweaver I had absolutely no knowledge of building websites or how to use the software at all. My next door neighbour was the person who actually created www.catsup.co.uk which began life with 8 or 9 pages. He showed me a few basics, to get me started, and I got a bit carried away. (It has 84 pages at the last count.) Since I'm anything but a techie, it follows that it can't be that difficult to get your head around!

I think you said you were OK with html, but for anyone that isn't, the tutorials at http://htmlgoodies.com also helped me tremendously when I started.

[fergu38397]

No, I know little about html, know a bit about networking and routers, but no programming. It's just a new hobby I'm trying to pick up...

BTW your site is very impressive.
Of course one would assume that any one with the ability to decode cat behavior would naturally be adept at the cryptic confusion that is html...

[Annied]

No, I know little about html, know a bit about networking and routers, but no programming. It's just a new hobby I'm trying to pick up......

Then I'd definitely recommend http://htmlgoodies.com . The basic html tutorials are just what they say - basic, but they're very well written and easy to follow.

BTW your site is very impressive.
Of course one would assume that any one with the ability to decode cat behavior would naturally be adept at the cryptic confusion that is html...

Thank you - compliments are always very welcome!

There's nothing complicated on the Catsup (www.catsup.co.uk) website though. I only do basic, but it's amazing how you can adapt a little knowledge and make it go a long way. There are plenty of clever people around who write scripts and then allow you to use them. If you can copy and paste, it's surprising how many features you can include. Where the html tutorials helped me was that I could see how to customise the scripts. That's how I was able to add things like the quiz and the puzzle pictures. Working out the machinations of a Siamese mind is far more difficult!

[fergu38397]

I'm beginning to untangle the html a bit, htmlgoodies.com helped. I ran across a free editor called First Page. Here's a link - http://www.evrsoft.com/1stpage2.shtml . I will try it for a while before laying out more money, but if I do buy another one I think I'll try Dreamweaver based on everyone's praise...

[Munki]

I use Dreamweaver and Fireworks MX. It really does help to have a basic knowledge of HTML even with a WYSIWYG tool though.

[Aximili23]

Thanks everyone for your advice! :)

To fergu38397: I tried First Page; I wasn't too impressed. I haven't taken more than a superficial stab at it so far, so it might have powerful features I haven't discovered yet, but at the moment it just strikes me as a fancy and unnecessarily complex text editor. I'm looking for something that makes visual design and layout easier.

Like you, I'll probably try Dreamweaver, because of everybody's praise.

Advanced Happy New Year!

[DavidRehm]

Get yourself a book on the latest web standards - xhtml 1.0 and css ~1 - start playing around in notepad, check out pages like mine (www.davidrehm.com) <G>, and goto #html on EFNET for 'moral support' and to answer questions on compatibility and quirks.

[Purecheese]

Gotta say I completely agree with the trend here - go and get yourself a copy of Macromedia Dreamweaver. even if you can't afford MX, version 3 or above does the job + can be picked up fo next to nothing second hand or from stock clearances / ebay etc.
Why do I agree? I may be a qualified hardware engineer, but I have VERY limited knowledge of coding. Reguardless, I managed to put up a fairly decent site for my local games club in only two days with the aid of dreamweaver. I tried a few other WYSIWYG editors like HotDog, but found them pretty unfriendly.
You can check out the site at http://home.btconnect.com/sh/stirlingwargamers/ (as you can see, we haven't even got a proper domain yet!) but it gives you an idea of what this luvvurly application will let you do.
Please note: this is only using the VERY BASIC functions available, imagine what you could do if you took the time to learn all it has to offer!!!

[Hugmaster]

Hi

The best way to build websites, is the way that works for you.

Example...

I learned enough HTML to get me by so I could fix bugs if I needed to. I then purchased an HTML Editor called Webweaver, which was both good enough for it's purpose, and easy enough to learn. My definition of easy is not having to visit the help files more than once a session.

I then got a copy of FP2k. I really don't know what everyone is going on about regarding FP creating bloated code...yes if you not going to use Style Sheets, of course any tool will produce more code than is necessary. But you have to learn the fundamentals of Style Sheets (CSS), it'll make life much easier in the long term.

Check out my own website at

www.bigmix.co.uk

Even take a look at the code to prove there is no more than you would reasonably expect.

Curently, I'm using FP2k, Webweaver and the olf fashioned way of hand coding when I get little bugs to fix.

Good luck

Darren

[Blueberry]

Being a freeware freak, I believe that if you want a "powerful" free WYSIWYG editor, you can do no better than WebDwarf http://www.virtualmechanics.com/products/dwarf/
(Not recommended, I hated it)

If you want free software for webpage building, you had best stick with the text editors :P Sad but true.

[J_V_Enterprises]

As a bit of a masochist, I hand code and use VI as the editor.

[oldsalt]

I find the best way to code web pages is using what coding is all ready on the web and the note pad to change it to fit my site. My main page at [no website found]All New Wave Gifts[/url] the category listing opens all sub pages in a new browser window. That’s a new trick I learned when I started my link exchange campaign for the store. My link page dos the same as well, that way a visitor hitting my site I don’t lose to a add link so fast.

After a two hours of browsing the web I have saved and marked some of the better HTML display tricks used by good sites, designed by novices to real pros. I cut and paste into test files and when I have it looking good it becomes part of my site.

My site however presents a problem or three to me some times and I would love to hear some comments and tips from this forum please. :?

1. My products pages are generated using a MS ACCESS database and my own VBA(Visual Basic for Applications) coding. I’m having one heck of a time getting the VBA code to generate a descent description and keyword META TAGS for these pages. The nice thing about the ACCESS database is, I use the same information that I use to generate the printed version of my catalog, and it beats hand editing all most 100 files.
2. I created the site this way because, I hate those graphics loaded sites that take up to 10 mints to load over my 28.8 modem. I have taken some of the these links to my local public library that lets you use a internet computer station, and has a T1 feed to it. And those sites still take over 30 seconds to load. The pages on my site load in a fraction of a second on the library computers. However the site seams to lack some thing, please check it out and let me know what you think, and I do mean be totally honest, I would like to turn this site into a very good site and still maintain the load speeds.

[webmoriar]

I do all mine in notepad and Evrsoft 1st Page 2000. I will say that I had a friend do my tables in Frontpage since tables in a non-WYSIWYG are very difficult to do.

[webado]

I use an old version of Dreamweaver. I used to use MS Word as well, but it's only good for a first draft. Once you edit anything it gets messy. MS Word is ok for setting up complicated tables, and just copying the generated html code to wherever you need it. It's almost better than DW, or at least easier for THAT.

[UixChickx]

I am totally pathetic at html, although I did have a valid W3C XHTML 1.0 once, don’t ask me how, it was pure luck and its never happened again.

I bounce from Dream MX and FP2002 although I use to use word as well, also Outlook Express with its edit mode lets you do some silly things with html. I use Dream MX to validate in all browsers, FP to piddle about. Topstyle is quite good for CSS editing though, well worth a looksee. http://www.bradsoft.com/download/index.asp < Topstyle Pro

[ianpurton]

Sometimes unless you have hidden graphic design talents then writing a site yourslef in HTML can be a false economy.

The design does have a bearing on how customers view the credibility of what you are trying to sell and a good design could pay for itself in the long term.

[Jebise]

You could compliment your HTML knowledge or speed your creation of pages by using something like HTML Tidy.

It also depends on what type of websites you want, what other languages you know (PHP, JavaScript, C++, etc), and what you can work better with.