Tools for creating webpages
To create Web pages and documents such as handbooks that you want to put
on line, which free software to use?
From text processing with HTML saving to online editors, solutions are various!
Open Office
Open Office contains a complete text
processor which can also create lightweight HTML files that are acceptable
as Web pages.
In the HTML format the documents lose a part of their visual quality also
the software is better appropriate for documents such as handbooks, which
will have a Web version and a printable PDF version, which preserves the quality
of the original document.
Kompozer
One of the rare free Wisiwyg software for editing HTML pages, NVU has been created by the Linspire Linux distribution (formerly Lindows) but translated for Windows too. Is functionalities are complete and go even until uploading files on the server (superfluous with a ftp synchronizer). Kompozer is a fork of NVU created to correct its flaws. However, it retains a drawback: when we switch from design display to source code display (or conversely), you return to top, there is no contextual relationship between the displays.
- Kompozer. A fork of NVU for improving the software.
Amaya
WYSIWYG web page editor, standards-compliant and produced by the W3C. It is also a browser and allow to edit pages directly on line and shows errors in the HTML code.
Several tools are incorporatedamong other a command to change the DocType.
It is also an XML, MathML, SVG and CSS editor.
Dreamweaver
This software is far from being free, but old versions circulated on the Web as promotion and were provided on CD accompanying some magazines. If you can found one of these free versions, even if it is five years or more old, it will be quite better than a software like NVU.
Visual Web Developer 2008
After Dreamweaver, it is the most comprehensive HTML editor. Manages style sheets, using of a database, multiple views. When you select a part of text in design mode and switch to HTML source display you remain at the selected part contrary to what happens with Kompozer.
In the starting configuration, VWD does not recognize pages with .php extension as HTML pages. You must add this extension, and to do that, go to Tools -> Text editor (open it) -> Extension file. Add .php and associate HTML editor to it.
The download includes .NET 3.5 if necessary and so may take a while.
Live Writer
Live writer has a restricted use since it works only with Windows and .Net installed, and that it relates only to blogs, to which it is connected (it supports the majority of the formats), it excites bloggers, because it makes it possible to create the pages off line, with a better Wysiwyg interface than what any integrated editor has, and it transfers then the post on the blog once realization completed, with images or videos.
- Live Writer for blogs.
- Airpress. A similar software from Adobe.
- Flock. This gecko-based browser includes an editor for your blog, either hosted or on your own website.
Scribefire
This extension for Firefox and Chrome lets you edit posts from the browser, so to add pages to Wordpress or other software more directly.
The program shares the screen with the pages you visit and allows you to view documentation while writing an article.
CMS
Contents managers have an online editor, often rather poor, which justifies the existence of Live Writer. For the price of a limited look, with uniform page-setting, one profits from an automatic management of the site with classification of the articles in categories, generation of RSS feeds. The Pligg software which makes it possible to create its own digg-like and obtains a great success, the number of such sites increases exponentially!
FCK Editor and Tiny MCE
Two open source online editors. The two software has a complete editing toolbar. It is possible however to interface them to a CMS and two tutorials show how to use them on your own website to make online static HTML pages..
- How to use FCK Editor.
- How to use TinyMCE. It is included by default in many CMS.