Overview of Web Tools

Module W21c

Audience and Objectives |Aboutthis document...

Contents

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Simple tools for writing HTMLdirectly


If you know HTML and like to work in itdirectly, you really don't need much to get your Web pages up! All it takesis a simple text editor on any computer. Any computer! Of course,most people don't really want to work directly with HTML.Even if you know it well, it's not as quick or efficient in most casesas using a WYSIWYG editor. Still, it's oftenhandy to be able to go in and make quick repairs or adjustments with atext editor. Here are some examples:

Text editors

  • DOS:
    • Edlin will work! (does anyone remember Edlin?)
    • DOS Edit
    • Many, many simple text editors and early word processors. But wordprocessors often have to be told to save as simple ASCII text - that is,to leave out the formatting!
  • Windows:
    • Notepad
    • Wordpad (be sure to save as text)
    • All word processors. But some of the newer word processors willautomatically use WYSIWYG mode to edit existingHTMLfiles,and when you create a new file, you'll need to be sure to have it saveas text if you write the HTMLcode yourself.
  • Macintosh
    • SimpleText
    • All word processors - but the same cautions apply in Mac as in Windows.
  • Unix
    • vi
    • pico
    • any other text editor.

HTML editors


HTML editors are regular text editors withthe added intelligence to be able to help you with HTMLtags.They do things like color-coding what you write, so you can see what isa tag, what's text, and when you forget to enter a closing tag it's easyto spot where the problems are.


Free WYSIWYG tools forcreating HTML


WYSIWYG tools - What You See Is What You Get! Most people will gravitateto WYSIWYG whenever possible, because it savestime both during the learning process (does that ever stop?) and duringeveryday editing. It's so much easier to do a good job if you can see theresults (practically) right away! And if it's free...what a deal!

Netscape Composer


Netscape Composer has a great advantage in convenience for Netscapeusers: not only is it free, but if it's your normal browser, you don'thave to run anything else all day!

How does Composer stack up against other HTML tools?Pretty well! It lacks the ability to do frames, and if you want to writescripts, it's a bit clumsy, but for most information-based Web sites, it'squite adequate. Anyway, it's what I'm using now, so I'd betternot say anythingtoo bad about it, or it might quit on me!

Get it at Netscape... 
A module with instructions for Netscape Composer: W32c
 

FrontPage Express


FrontPage Express is listed as a features of Microsoft Internet Explorer4.0. I have not been able to access it. Here is the description from theIE Help file:
FrontPage Express
Use FrontPage Express to create and publish Web pages. FrontPage Expressincludes templates that make it easy to create the Web page you want. Plus,it's compatible with Microsoft FrontPage.
Note: In general, Front Page is known to produce HTML code thatis not standard - it does not work with all browsers.
Get Internet Explorer at Microsoft...

AOL Press


AOL Press started out as a freeware product of a small company. WhenAmerica Online purchased that company, they took the WYSIWYGeditorand continued made it freely available to everybody. It is now a robustand full-featured HTML editor.

Get AOLPress or read more aboutit...
 

Tools for putting office documents into HTML


If your Web site is part of an organization that creates lots of informationusing common office software, you'll be glad to know that most newer officesoftware is ready to save information in HTML format.Caution:it may not come out the way you expected! You may have a fair amount of"cleaning up" to do, but it's a good start. Not everyone who creates informationin your organization will necessarily want to useHTMLeditors!

Word Processors


These office word processors let you save in HTMLformat,so that a document prepared for paper publication can also be put on theWeb. But the results are not always what you'd like! Most requirea lot of re-touching. That's because word processors offer much more controlover fonts and layout than HTMLdoes.

Spreadsheets


Spreadsheets provide two advantages: doing calculations (includingdates!), and organizing information in clear row-and-column format. Whenyou translate a spreadsheet into HTML the resultis usually a table, but new calculations will no longer be performed. HTMLdoesn'thave the built-in calculation capability of a spreadsheet, meaning thatif you want to update the HTMLpage frequentlywith new calculations, you'll need to keep the spreadsheet handy and translateit to HTML often.

Presentation Managers


Presentation managers create the "slide shows" used to make businesspresentations and liven up classroom lectures. You can save them to HTMLin a couple of ways: to capture the graphics, they will have to save eachslide as a separate graphic, which takes a lot of space and download time.To save space and time, the outline can also be saved as HTML,but that leaves out the graphics! 

Database Software


Database software lets you put information in, then get it back outin many different formats. It's possible for Web pages to display "live"database information - that is, they can go into a database on a server,request information, and have is "served up" with HTMLasthe output. But to do that, you need a server and server software thatcan handle the task. Though it's available, this module does not coverit. 

A simpler solution: without a server you can still get information froma database and save it in HTML format - butas the database is updated, the HTML versiongets outdated. If you are willing to have somewhat outdated informationon your Web site, or if you're able to update the site frequently, youcan use "Save As HTML" in these (and probablyother) database programs:

Dedicated Web-page Editors


For the professional Web designer, these products are the essentialevery-day tools! They take you beyond the capabilities of the free Webpage editors.

Gee Whiz! Tools


"Gee Whiz! - look what this cool Web site does!"

Whether you want your Web site to knock people's socks off, or justprovide some interactive information, you'll want to check out some ofthese tools. They provide more than the ordinary static Web page...or evena few animated images.
 

JavaScript Libraries


JavaScript is a language that can be put directly into HTMLpagesand run there. If your audience has any of the more recent browsers, they'llbe able to see the special effects created by JavaScript. But what if youdon't want to learn JavaScript yourself? You can get clip-scripts, justas you can get clip-art.

Java Component Managers


Although it has a similar name, Java is not at all the same as JavaScript.They both provide a Web page with active and interactive components, butunlike JavaScript, Java is not part of an HTMLfile.Instead, a separate file with the Java program is written, and anotherprogram - a "compiler" - is used to translate that into a code file thatcan be used on many kinds of computers to perform an action. To use Javain Web pages, the HTML code of those pagesneed only refer to the Java code file.

But again, what if you don't want to learn to progrm in Java? Thereare programs that allow you to take Java Web-components, known as "applets"or "beans," and put them together without knowing Java. For a review ofthese tools, see PC Magazine's Web page, www.pcmag.com/features/java98.Here are some of the tools:

ShockWave


Shockwave is a standard for putting multimedia actions on the Web.You can see Shockwave in lots of sites using motion. Get the details (including"raves"!) at http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/

Fireworks


A tool for creating Web effects, both spectacular and useful. Designedto integrate with other Web page production tools. http://www.macromedia.com/software/fireworks/

Other tools


Yes...there are lots of others!

Web Site Management Tools


When you have lots of Web pages on your site, it helps to have toolsto manage them!
(For more detail, see module W66h,Web Site Maintenance Tools.)

What they do


What do you need Web site management tools for? Here are some examples:
  • Site maps, on-screen and printed
  • Visual overview of page links
  • Syntax checking for HTML, JavaScript, and otherlanguages
  • Automatic link checking
  • Template library management
  • Control of dynamic elements (Java, scripts, CGI...)

Examples

And here are some general resources...


 About this document...

Audience:

This is for people who want to know how to create Web pages,and the range of tools available, from simple HTML editorsto gee-whiz Java workbenches.

Objectives:

When you successfully complete this lesson, you willbe able to...
  1. Identify commonly available tools for writing HTMLdirectly;
  2. Identify free and commonly available WYSIWYGtools for creating HTML;
  3. Identify tools for putting office documents into HTML;
  4. Identify high-end Web-page editors;
  5. Identify Web site management tools;
  6. Identify tools for adding multimedia and interactivity to Web pages;

Module W21c:

This document is part of a modular instruction series in Computer InformationSystems. For more information, see the overviewor the list of modules in this series, W:World Wide Web. This document has been used in the following classes:CIS260.

Author:

LaurenceJ. Krieg

Institution:

Department of ComputerInformation Systems, WashtenawCommunity College
History:Original: 29 Nov 1998
Last modification: Wednesday, 07-Nov-2001 13:03:30 EST 
Copyright:Copyright © 1999, Laurence J. Krieg.
Instructors: You may point to this file in your Web-basedmaterials.
Students: you may make a copy for your personal use.
All other uses: contact the author, LaurenceJ. Krieg for permission. Email krieg@wccnet.edu