[WEB4LIB] Re: Column on HTML Editors

[Bobb Menk]

Since no one has chimed in with much comment on HomeSite as yet, let me
do so. I've been using it since it was a freebie download known as
HomeSiteX. I currently use version 4.5.2.

Thomas Dowling wrote:
 
> The advantages to using text editors remain in place.  If you really know
> your markup and type with reasonable competence, there's no way a
> menu-driven system can match the speed of typing.  More important to me,
> if you create more than just HTML--say some Perl and PHP, and some plain
> text files for back-end support--you can continue to use the tool you know
> rather than switching back and forth.  And just IMO, it's beneficial for
> an author to spend at least some time with his or her pages in a context
> that's all structure, with no HTML rendering at all.

I agree with this and feel it worth mentioning some of the features I
find extremely useful in HomeSite for doing this kind of editing:

* "Tag Snippets" for non-HTML coding, e.g. Perl, Filemaker, etc. This
lets you save any text you like in a library of self-created "tags".
Makes adding the code for the parts of the page generated by databases
much easier.

* Opens any kind of text file, e.g. cgi scripts, simple text documents,
etc.

* Color-coded text so you can quickly see just what type of element
you're dealing with - and whether or not it's correctly formed.

* Built-in validation to multiple levels of standards (HTML 2, 3, 4,
etc.)

* Built-in ftp/rds so I can open and close remote files directly

* Spell checking across multiple files at once

* Very sophisticated search and replace tools

* Integrated CSS editor (TopStyle Lite)

* Customizable "Code Sweeper" for cleaning up code detritus left by
other editors

* Very easy to customize toolbars that cover key tags for the various
parts of HTML, but Cold Fusion, ASP & Javascript too

* Views of your page both as it will look in any of the browsers
installed on your computer, plus in "Design Mode" which is basically how
it looks in Dreamweaver.

There are plenty of other bells and whistles, but I'm just mentioning
the features I use a lot. I have no connection with the company beyond
my satisfaction with their product.


-- 
________________________________________________
Bobb Menk
Electronic Resources Librarian
MIT Lincoln Laboratory Library, S0-751
244 Wood Street
Lexington, MA  02420-9176 USA
 
email: bmenk at ll.mit.edu
Voice: (781) 981-5354       Fax: (781) 981-2877
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