What inexpensive web design software could I use?

[Martinscholes]

I need to sort out my website.

I had it checked out and there are a large number of errors showing up. I use my host's online site creator.

So, I would like to design my site myself and ftp it to the host.

What inexpensive easy-to-use web design/creation software do you recommend, please?

[MrGamm]

Wow... Good question...

I recommend using PhotoShop... It's a really good way to visually get your ideas scratched out... It has a really nice slicing tool which will translate the graphics for use with the web.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31fvaN9jA-Y

The last desktop WYSIWYG editor I used was DreamWeaver. When I used it was still broken. Not all functions would work. Maybe it has improved.

Some people prefer FrontPage...

Flash is easily one of the least intuitive programs in existence. It more akin to animation program which decided to become an authouring program, rather than a page layout program.

If you are someone who is looking to do business. I would hire someone to do it. Just drop the money and get it over with.

If your a hobbiest, or have the extra time to learn. Use a text editor like BBedit, or UltraEdit 32 and start learning HTML.

W3Schools Online Web Tutorials


Of course... there are about a million other options available to you...

desktop WYSIWYG editor - Google Search


This is a good list as well...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_HTML_editors


In any event... The expensive programs usually come with a free 30 day trial.

[wige]

If you are looking for a feature rich, free HTML editor, my favorite was FirstPage, before I started using DW for work.

Check evrsoft.com for a list of features and the download.

[CarolSLC]

To design, I use graphics software to piece together mockups of my home page and a sample secondary page, and play with it till I get the look I want. Then I build it. Any of them will work. PhotoShop is the ultimate, but expensive and harder to learn, in my opinion.

If you're looking for software that will generate the code for you, rather than you coding it in HTML yourself, it seems like Dreamweaver is still the most popular. FrontPage has been replaced by Expression Web. I don't know anything about it. I saw code generated by Frontpage years go, and it was terrible looking.

I just code the sites myself using HomeSite as my editor. But you have to know html and css to do that.

good luck.

[NetMassimo]

Visual editors always create code that is someway "dirty". You can try free editor KompoZer, which has a visual editing mode and a source editing mode so that you can see the code, learn HTML while you're developing a site and in time clean the code automatically created and start writing it directly.

[DBLL]

There is no way photoshop can compete with hand coding, its fine to use PS to create the various graphics, but its very unprofessional to use it in place of solid hand-coding.

Frontpage should just plain never be used, its a broken and outdated editor. It was also discontinued in 2006!

Dreamweaver is also more or less useless, and i don't think anyone being serious about his/her work would use such WYSIWYG tools, actually most I've spoken to say they spend most time in code view.

Note however, there are many free alternatives, so there is no reason to even considering buying editors like Photoshop or Dreamweaver. Paint.Net can easily replace Photoshop, i haven't found anything i was unable to make in Paint.Net as of yet.

Notepad++ can easily replace the source view in editors like Dreamweaver, but many of us still simply use the standard text-editor in our os.


A lot of beginners often inquire about available WYSIWYG editors, some even go as far as to resort to templates. While templates can be fine, i surely wouldn't use them without understanding the code down to the last letter, I'd might even optimize the CSS if it was badly coded.

The best advice anyone can give you, is to learn how to code your pages by hand.

[bryansmith]

For Design use GIMP

For HTML editing you can use coffeecup, pagebreeze or eclipse

[SmartOnlineBIZ]

Did you try Nvu >>
www.nvu.com
www.kompozer.net

[NetMassimo]

NVU has been dead for some years, KompoZer is carrying on its legacy though its development seems very slow.