Since the explosion of the Internet there has been a flood of HTML editors with each one attempting to out-do the other. The last twelve months has
seen the releases from Microsoft, Adobe, Net Objects and BBEdit compete fiercely. Several have attempted to corner a specific area of the market; for example, BBEdit, a Mac only product, is highly popular with web
developers who want hands-on control of the code. Indeed, the most frequent criticism leveled at the WYSIWYG editors is that despite the ease at which the create web pages, they tend to generate cluttered code that
makes the maintenance of a large website difficult.
Web developers who are unimpressed by these editors may have a second thought with the introduction of Macromedia's DreamWeaver. This release is aimed at
professionals that want to add high-end features to their sites and capitalize on the advancements that 4.0 browsers offer. DreamWeaver offers features that may persuade such developers to take a good look at its
contents. DreamWeaver may be the first visual authoring tool that successfully combines both the flexibility of WYSIWYG with the simultaneous ability to generate clear, easy-to-edit source code.
DreamWeaver is aimed
at developers who wish to improve their website with the inclusion of DHTML (Dynamic HTML), Style Sheets and Layers options. It is not aimed at the novice user, as the abundance of features will be overwhelming. The
projected street price of DreamWeaver ($299 introductory) also makes it one of the more expensive packages on the market.
Taking advantage of the latest Internet advances DreamWeaver includes ten Object palettes that
make the addition of images, placing anchors relatively easy to use. The Properties palette allows the setting of attributes while the Library lets you store frequently used objects and also add elements on each page
(e.g. navigation menus) and then make simple sitewide changes.
The Check Target Browser command allows individual pages (or a whole site) to be tested for compatibility with specific browsers. After choosing the
browser you wish to test your HTML pages in, it will then generate a concise report listing all of the errors found.
The integrated FTP client allows local work to be uploaded to the online site without any separate
application, while the Site window offers a hierarchical view of the entire site. The slick visual tools allow tables and frames to be easily created. Web Developers who have a specific style guide to follow can utilize
its preferences that let rules be set regarding how to write tags. Imported pages can have their code left as-is or checked for errors.
DreamWeaver operates with different windows opened simultaneously. The
first - the WYSIWYG preview page - allows you to preview your work while the second - the HTML source code window - shows all the code in clear, ease to read, lines. All changes that you make in either
one show up in real time in the other screen. The Properties Inspector - a third window - shows the properties of whatever you select; there is no need to use the mouse right-click option to see the properties.
this may allow them to
change and work more frequently in the WYSIWYG windows, as the generated code will prove satisfactory. DreamWeaver ships with full versions of HomeSite 3 (for PCs) or BBEdit (for Macs) which partly compensates for the
heavy price tag. Both Allaire's HomeSite and Bare Bones BBEdit are already excellent products in their own right.
