When designing websites, I usually code it in Dreamweaver so it will catch my mistakes as I make them, then I will click into design mode and see the results so far.. but if it doesn't look right I'll just preview it in the browser. I still have to run it through a validator like W3 to catch the errors, especially the CSS ones. Anyway, I find Dreamweaver is a pretty good program, it makes it faster to code websites when the dropdown lists popup with your available options.

 

Anyway, what program do you use to code your websites, and why do you use it? What do you like about it that would make me want to switch?

I used to code it by hand, but is hard to keep up with it, so I am starting to use Dreamweaver.

I use dreamweaver. I used to work in design view a lot, but now I find that I write the code by hand and use the design view as just a preview as it doesn't necessarily display what is coded correctly. It's best to upload stuff and check your page layouts etc online instead.

I use Dreamweaver as well but its not the best thing to do. Coding by hand is better. Its more of a learning and perfecting tool than using a program.

yeah, but when you've learnt to code by hand you can use dreamweaver and take advantage of the hints,shortcuts and features and save time...that's what I do.

 

I'd much rather use dreamweaver and be able to use the find and replace feature sitewide, than have to go into every file of a site and change things manually - it's far too time consuming.

I agree with Eskymo - I used to code in notepad - for ages actually, then I wised up to Dreamweaver, the sytnax highlight tool is great and the 'browse' fuction when adding images speeds so much time.

 

I mean... I know how to code by hand (and I still do), but when you type:

'background' and the different options that appear make life so much easier, and coding so much quicker...

 

I will say that it's design view is absolutely shocking, if any of my pages actually looked that what shows there, I'd end my career now!

 

Dave

Dreamweaver Code View = The Best in the World

Dreamweaver Design View = Just as bad as those drag and drop programs... wait a second! It IS a drag and drop program at that point!

 

I say code in Code View, and Rarely look at the Design view, even as a preview. It hardly ever shows anything correctly.

yeah, but when you've learnt to code by hand you can use dreamweaver and take advantage of the hints,shortcuts and features and save time...that's what I do.

 

I'd much rather use dreamweaver and be able to use the find and replace feature sitewide, than have to go into every file of a site and change things manually - it's far too time consuming.

 

Pretty true. I never looked at it in that way. Do you think coding a language with Dreamweaver would be smart for a new coder that doesn't really know the language? Take, for example, PHP.

not sure as I don't code php myself.

I do a lot of my writing and editing in the Microsoft Notepad program. I have a html editor that I use as well called Coffee cup. I wanted to ask about that Dreamweaver though. I have heard that it adds weird extra characters to things, do you have that problem?

even though there are other programs which also offer syntax highlighting, but i've kind of grown used to dreamweaver.

I use PHP Edit. Very nice to use on PHP powered sites.

I use Dreamweavewr 8 and XAMMP.

 

XAMPP is a little server programme that is so easy to install. What it does is literally create a server on your PC, just for you. It supports (and includes, and installs, PHP, MySQL and HTML)

 

Then I can do this.

 

I create a new dreamweaver project, and set it to edit on remote server directly.

 

You create a file under your HTdocs of your XAMPP install.. Then have a browser open and goto http://localhost/mysiteorwhatever

Its great.

I have MAMP on my mac for my personal server. just means i can run joomla and stuff.

I use Dreamweaver to code, It's quick and easy, I do most of it in Design View as i can't code much, I would like to learn how to code by hand and not using Design View as sometimes it does f*** up, does anybody have any tips or links where I could expand my php and html knowledge further?

 

Any help is appreciated.

 

Michael.

dreamweaver CS3 code mode. i code b hand and it saves me time because i can catch any errors.

I switched to dreamweaver from notepad, as I am used to hand coding things I still do, but will cheat and take advantage of the features in dreamweaver while coding as it is quicker to type part of it then all of it

I started off in dreamweaver, but now wish I had started in notepad just for simplicity and to learn scripting from the ground up.

 

Saying that though, I can't fault the macromedia studio 8 package

I have read many times that Dreamweaver design view is 'bad' or 'wrong' but after a lot of searching no-one seems to discuss exactly why it is so bad.

 

I am only just starting off learning about web design and the tutorials I am doing at the moment explain everything in design view. Don't get me wrong I understand that becoming used to the code view is important to see whats going on but I am curious as to why design view is so shunned when to the outsider it looks quite useful?

How come I didn't notice this thread ages ago?

 

I love my WeBuilder - it loads in seconds (unlike DW), handles all web file types and is fraction of the price. What's better, for me anyway, is that my money goes to the developers and not lining shareholders pockets

I use notepad. It came with the computer, and it loads in about... 1 second. Can't really top it.

I use notepad. It came with the computer, and it loads in about... 1 second. Can't really top it.

 

 

notepad++ syntax highlighting, easier faster and more useful and loads in about a second too

 

 

sorry loads of black text just scares me I find highlighting so much better as it makes it easier to find sections of code quicker...but that's just me

 

 

(although normally I use Dreamweaver for coding as thats what my work has and so its just easier that way)

I tend to use notepad++ when I'm mixing lots of PHP with HTML... Normally I can tell the difference though, but the syntax highlighting does make it easier to troubleshoot.

I make use of Dreamweaver to keep track of all my sites and for FTP etc. I use the Design View pane less and less as my knowledge of coding gets better . As someone else posted, I also make use of MAMP to run stuff like Wordpress, Joomla etc on my machine.

 

As for CSS, I use CSSedit by macrabbit (sorry PC users, it's a mac only app.) - and I would recommend it to everybody! It's awesome and has helped be gain a much better understanding of CSS.

Ello

 

Hmmm... there's a bit of a history behind Deamweaver and I...

 

I managed to talk the company I work for in to sending me on a course to learn how to use Dreamweaver instead of sitting there fumbling through it without any prior knowledge. Then once I got the basics on how it works I stubbornly decided to not use it (after all that). And I ended up just using notebook because Dreamweaver wouldn't let me put the elements where I wanted them.

 

Then one day in utter frustration and being seconds away from picking my notebook up and throwing it out the window, I opened the coding up in Dreamweaver and looked through the coding using the code inspector. And I've been using Dreamweaver since.

 

So in a crazy way you could say Dreamweaver saved from a R6000+ bill for a new notebook.

 

The Pro's of Dreamweaver are definitely that you can view the codes better. It has specific tag colours that help you visually separate code and then also the collapse tags in the column on the side that allow you to expand and compact code tags, which further helps you spot any misplaced tags. And also the split view is such a bonus, you can look at how your codes affect the page as you code.

 

Oh and another handy function of Dreamweaver is that it makes linking much simpler, especially if you're working on your computer, not the internet, and pictures are in different folders to your html files.

 

The con's are that Dreamweaver does have a tendency to randomly place tags in strange places, especially if you've already hand coded stuff and later decide to add things through the Drag and Drop method (you'll find chaos). I'm sure there are a few more con's, but I spend more time trying to make my coding multi browser compatible than I do experiencing problems with Dreamweaver.

 

So in my opinion Dreamweaver is pretty good to use for webbuilding.

 

Keep sane,

 

Cari .

Lol, i don't really know how to use dreamweaver, or other WYSIWYG editors. I use Coda (mac) because it has syntax-highlighting, number lines, shift-right and left (what is it called? I mean.. the tool that requires command+shift+] shortkey).

 

before I use coda, I used Crimson Editor. Crimson Editor is a good choice for windows user

I too like Dreamweaver and basically its code view....

as working in Design View destroys the alignment and indentation of code...

I also like Dreamweaver because it's easier for me to detect errors unlike with notepad.

I use the Design View pane less and less as my knowledge of coding gets better . As someone else posted, I also make use of MAMP to run stuff like Wordpress, Joomla etc on my machine.

 

When it comes to design, Dreamweaver's Design View is handy. Its just an 'approximation' view, but unlike hitting refresh, or configuring servers local and afar, Design View is instant, realtime, and requires virtual no configuration.