HTML editor: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 06:00, 29 December 2021

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{{Short description|Software for editing HTML}}

{{refimprovemore citations needed|date=August 2019}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=JulyDecember 20112021}}

{{Html series}}

An '''HTML editor''' is a [[Computer program|program]] for editing [[HTML]], the [[Markup language|markup]] of a [[web page]]. Although the HTML markup in a web page can be controlled with any [[text editor]], specialized HTML editors can offer convenience and added functionality. For example, many HTML editors handle not only HTML, but also related technologies such as [[Cascading Style Sheets|CSS]], [[XML]] and [[JavaScript]] or [[ECMAScript]]. In some cases they also manage communication with remote web servers via [[File Transfer Protocol|FTP]] and [[WebDAV]], and [[version control systems]] such as [[Subversion (software)|Subversion]] or [[Git (software)|Git]]. Many [[word processing]], [[graphic design]] and [[page layout]] programs that are not dedicated to [[web design]], such as [[Microsoft Word]] or [[Quark XPress]], also have the ability to function as HTML editors.

==Types of editors==

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===WYSIWYG HTML editors===

{{unreferenced| section|date=September 2016}}

[[Image:W3c amaya 10 fullmode enwiki xfce4therapy.png|thumb|250px|[[Amaya (web browser)|Amaya]] 10 HTML editor]]

[[WYSIWYG]] HTML editors provide an editing interface which resembles how the page will be displayed in a [[web browser]]. Because using a WYSIWYG editor may not require any HTML knowledge, they are often easier for an inexperienced computer user to get started with.

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;Different browsers and applications will render the same markup differently.

:The same page may display slightly differently in Internet Explorer and Firefox on a high-resolution screen, but it will look very different in the perfectly valid text-only [[Lynx (browser)|Lynx]] browser. It needs to be rendered differently again on a PDA, an internet-enabled television and on a mobile phone. Usability in a speech or braille browser, or via a screen-reader working with a conventional browser, will place demands on entirely different{{clarifymeclarify|date=October 2020}} aspects of the underlying HTML. All an author can do is suggest an appearance.

;Web browsers, like all computer software, have [[computer bug|bugs]]

:They may not conform to current standards. It is hopeless to try to design Web pages around all of the common browsers' current bugs: each time a new version of each browser comes out, a significant proportion of the World Wide Web would need re-coding to suit the new bugs and the new fixes. It is generally considered much wiser to design to standards, staying away from 'bleeding edge' features until they settle down, and then wait for the browser developers to catch up to your pages, rather than the other way round.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/People/Bos/DesignGuide/designguide.html |title=An essay on W3C's design principles |publisher=W3.org |access-date=2013-10-23}}</ref> For instance, no one can argue that CSS is still 'cutting edge' as there is now widespread support available in common browsers for all the major features,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/#browsers |title=Cascading Style Sheets |publisher=W3.org |access-date=2013-10-23}}</ref> even if many WYSIWYG and other editors have not yet entirely caught up.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/#editors |title=Cascading Style Sheets |publisher=W3.org |access-date=2013-10-23}}</ref>

;A single visual style can represent multiple semantic meanings

:Semantic meaning, derived from the underlying structure of the HTML document, is important for search engines and also for various accessibility tools. On paper we can tell from context and experience whether bold text represents a title, or emphasis, or something else. But it is very difficult to convey this distinction in a WYSIWYG editor. Simply making a piece of text bold in a WYSIWYG editor is not sufficient to tell the reader *why* the text is bold -– what the boldness represents semantically.

;Modern web sites are rarely constructed in a way that makes WYSIWYG useful

:Modern web sites typically use a [[content management system]] or some other [[template processor]]-based means of constructing pages on the fly using content stored in a database. Individual pages are never stored in a filesystem as they may be designed and edited in a WYSIWYG editor, thus some form of abstracted template-based layout is inevitable, invalidating one of the main benefits of using a WYSIWYG editor.

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|___location=Boston

|isbn=978-0-321-50363-3

}}</ref> It should not be considered ready for the World Wide Web, until its HTML and CSS syntax have been successfully [[Validator|validated]] using either the free W3C validator services ([http://validator.w3.org/ W3C HTML Validator] and [http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/ W3C CSS Validator]) or some other trustworthy alternatives.<ref name="RefactoringHtml"/>

[[Accessibility]] of web pages by those with physical, eyesight or other disabilities is not only a good idea considering the ubiquity and importance of the web in modern society, but is also mandated by law. In the U.S., the [[Americans with Disabilities Act]] and in the UK, the [[Disability Discrimination Act]] place requirement on web sites operated by publicly funded organizations. In many other countries similar laws either already exist or soon will.<ref name="RefactoringHtml"/> [[Web Content Accessibility Guidelines|Making pages accessible]] is more complex than just making them valid; that is a prerequisite but there are many other factors to be considered.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/|title=Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0|publisher=W3.org|year=2008|access-date=2013-10-23}}</ref> Good web design, whether done using a WYSIWYG tool or not needs to take account of these too.

Whatever software tools are used to design, create and maintain web pages, the quality of the underlying HTML is dependent on the skill of the person who works on the page. Some knowledge of HTML, CSS and other scripting languages as well as a familiarity with the current W3C recommendations in these areas will help any designer produce better web pages, with a WYSIWYG HTML editor and without.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/Guide/ |title=Dave Raggett's Introduction to HTML |publisher=W3.org |date=2005-05-24 |access-date=2013-10-23}}</ref>

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{{HTML editors}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Html Editor}}