What is the best web design tool for a newbie?

[CaptainCaveMann]

Ever heard of WebEasy Pro 5.0 for pc? Thats the genra im looking for but for the Mac platform. Can anyone help me out? I want to make a web page for myself but i have pretty much no experience, so i need a really simple and easy program that will help me make the page then transfer it to my comp and then to my web space. :confused:

[HenMaster6000]

If you think you'll be doing this a lot, I'd recommend just spending the money on Dreamweaver. I was a newbie about 8 months ago, and picked up Dreamweaver really quickly. I tried a couple of easy-first time programs (like Web Design 2.2) and they made it hard to get done what I wanted. I used my friend's copies of Dreamweaver and Fireworks and really liked what I saw.

I think that the trial versions of both are free downloads. They don't have any limitations as far as export (maybe Fireworks does), but expire in 30 days. You might as well give them a try, especially if your project is short term.

[scem0]

The best thing a newb can do IMO is learn HTML & CSS.

Those two tools together can do a bunch. After that, PHP or Javascript.

But if you just want to throw a page together, something like the WYSIWYG editor on Mozilla should work fine.

scem0

[iJon]

RapidWeaver is good for real easy nice look pages. Personally I am a GoLive CS fan. I use GoLive, bought myself a GoLive book, and a HTML & CSS book and I am golden. Just like scem0 said, next would be a JS and PHP book. Just build as you go. For doing CSS, CSSEdit is a great program as well.

jon

[munkle]

There's always Freeway (http://www.softpress.com/en), which is meant to be fairly easy to grasp although some of the code it spouts might be questionable.

Personally I would go for Dreamweaver and a good XHTML & CSS book. Learning curve might be marginally steeper but it's worth it in the long run.

[varmit]

Text edit. As soon as you can understand the basics of the underling code, the faster you can make pages later.

[ChicoWeb]

Dreamweaver. Hands down.

[maya]

I cannot recommend any quick web design application such as Dreamweaver or GoLive, let alone freeway or so forth.


I use a basic text editor and Safari along with other browsers to test that it works with all the browsers and has no issues.

Learn HTML, CSS, so forth when you do so you do not need applications to do something you already understand.

All those application generate fat code, and this will either load the site slow or not proper at all. I don't trust those applications. :)

[maya]

Text edit. As soon as you can understand the basics of the underling code, the faster you can make pages later.


Learn to understand what is being done and you will not need to cheat and get lost in translation. :)

[deputy_doofy]

I cannot recommend any quick web design application such as Dreamweaver or GoLive, let alone freeway or so forth.


I use a basic text editor and Safari along with other browsers to test that it works with all the browsers and has no issues.

Learn HTML, CSS, so forth when you do so you do not need applications to do something you already understand.

All those application generate fat code, and this will either load the site slow or not proper at all. I don't trust those applications. :)

I completely agree. I have never actually used Dreamweaver or GoLive, but my freehand HTML, CSS, and javascript continue to get better and better. On Mac, all I need is BBEdit. On Windows, all I need is Wordpad. :D

[maya]

I completely agree. I have never actually used Dreamweaver or GoLive, but my freehand HTML, CSS, and javascript continue to get better and better. On Mac, all I need is BBEdit. On Windows, all I need is Wordpad. :D


We all have to take baby steps, if we try to walk without falling we risk loosing a lot more down the road.

I still learn new things everyday when I code and I love it, no one can be a pro at coding however we learn and hold on to that knowledge better than just using a generator. :)

[betsbillabong]

If you go to Webmonkey (http://webmonkey.wired.com/webmonkey/authoring/html_basics/) you'll find lots of good tutorials. I've linked to the HTML Basics area, but there's tons of other authoring/design stuff there.

BBEdit Lite (http://www.barebones.com/products/bblite/index.shtml), which is a free download, is a good text editor for HTML; I've never used Text Wrangler or the full BBEdit, but I imagine they're a lot more full-featured. I've always found BBEdit Lite sufficient for my needs; it's definitely enough for learning HTML.

If all you want is a simple webpage, you can learn what you need in about two or three hours, possibly less. Probably easier than learning Dreamweaver, too. If you want a more involved webpage, you may want to look into a software package. I've never used them, but there's no point in reinventing the wheel by learning CSS, etc, if you're only going to be making one site for yourself (as opposed to getting into designing websites for others).

Oh, and take Maya's advice: try your website out on a number of browsers and platforms. You'll be surprised how different they can look!

One last tip: less is more. Good, simple design is often easiest to navigate, and newcomers often overuse eye candy like flash animations.

[Stampyhead]

People learn things in different ways. Some people are visual, and for those people Dreamweaver would be the best way to start out. Other people are more technically minded and work best when they have their hands right in the code. Those people would be best starting with a text editor and an HTML (and CSS) book. I belong to the first group and I was only able to learn HTML after becoming completely comfortable with creating web pages in Dreamweaver. I don't think there is any right or wrong answer. It's whatever works best for you.

[Josh]

For writing/editting html I recommend SubEthaEdit.

For writing/editting CSS, I recommend CSSEdit.

For transferring the files from your computer to the web (FTP), I recommend Transmit.

(all programs I mentioned can be downloaded from the web. Google their names to get the url)

As for actually learning the stuff, you can't go wrong with trial and error ;)

Viewing source that other people have created, disecting it, and trying out what they did is also a good way to learn HTML/CSS quickly.

Online tutorials are pretty good too.

[rock6079]

check out WebDesign (ragesw.com) or bbedit , you can find em at versiontracker.com

the best way to learn is practise and patience, and dont try to remember everything at once, thats the best advice i can give

[zimv20]

no one can be a pro at coding
eh?

[maya]

Someone had recommend HyperEdit, and this is a great text base editor which will show you the changes right away in real-time. I gave this application a test drive and its great I like it a lot. It will also break down any peoples idea of learning with visuals since this is faster then GoLive or Dreamweaver. Sure you will have to make png files for buttons, banners, etc... However this little application is very productive and easy to use.

Trial and Error is the best learning tools. People up here have posted some great links and methods, just remember the shot cut is not always the best method. :)


All the best to you. :)

[whocares]

For writing/editting html I recommend SubEthaEdit.

For writing/editting CSS, I recommend CSSEdit.

For transferring the files from your computer to the web (FTP), I recommend Transmit.
(...)


I second Josh on all is recommendations :D

I also second everyone here saying you should learn HTML. It's really quite simple and easy. A few online tutorials should be enough to get the general idea of things - then head over to w3c.org for complete HTML/XHTML specs (a bit overwhelming for the beginner though).

Also, when you get interested in PHP, maybe check the MySQL database server - and maybe learn that too.

[davecuse]

I'm glad everyone has picked up on CSSEdit. I've been using it forever, and it's the best thing since sliced bread!

When I was first trying to understand HTML, the best tool I ever found was "View Source". Surf, find something you think looks cool, and figure out how they did it. Once you get past the stages of simply copying what other people have done and begin to understand why things work the way they do, a simple text editor for the HTML and CSSEdit for the CSS will be all you need.

Although I was not aware of it at the time I think that the W3 Schools are a godsend, they helped me pick up on PHP faster than I would have imagined possible.

Dreamweaver is crap, as are most WYSIWYG programs. Sure they'll shoot out some sloppy code that looks right in one browser, but if you run into a problem in some obscure browser, you'll never be able to figure out why. Plus learning proper semantic coding will allow your site to work long down the road when people are viewing your pages on devices other than a personal computer.

[drive428]

I too have been looking to learn HTML and found this awesome site (http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_examples.asp).

[jimsowden]

I have no idea about it, but what about Contribute?

[ChrisBrightwell]

If you're looking for a free WYSIWYG HTML editor, check out Composer, which is included with the latest versions of the Mozilla Suite (http://www.mozilla.org/products/mozilla1.x/).

[mactropy]

When I make purchase decisions for myself, I don't really look at my current needs/abilities but more at what I would like to do with the product on the near (~6 months) future. That way I can make sure that I neither buy a product that is out of my league (meaning I too dumb to use and probably will be in the future) nor waste any money by buying a beginner's product and then a more advanced one a few months later.
Regarding your question: I bought Dreamweaver right after I got my first Mac in 2001 and it took me a couple of days to figure out how to use the interface. The learning curve was not too steep and I managed to put the product to good use.
But: try to assess your needs before you make a purchase.
I have used RapidWeaver also, as well as Frontpage (shame on me!).

[zimv20]

Plus learning proper semantic coding will allow your site to work long down the road when people are viewing your pages on devices other than a personal computer.
is anyone here coding for and testing on non-desktop/laptop devices, like handhelds?

[Josh]

is anyone here coding for and testing on non-desktop/laptop devices, like handhelds?
Someone may not be coding *specifically for* non-desktop devices, but many devices today can browse every site there is.

I know I sometimes check my site using my cell phone.

The internet, websites in particular, are not just for computers any more :)

[zimv20]

Someone may not be coding *specifically for* non-desktop devices, but many devices today can browse every site there is.

not so much coding for non-desktop device X, but using good practices (CSS-enabled separation of style/content, XHMTL extensions, non-image buttons & links, RSS feeds, et. al.) and then going so far as testing their pages on Palms, phones, etc.

just wondering who here is paying a lot of attention to that stuff.

[mms]

Make sure you're learning correct XHTML and CSS. Using tables for design is out; CSS is in. Learn those and that knowledge will be useful for a while to come. w3schools.com is great for learning correct web design. Then, validate.
http://validator.w3.org/
http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/

Phones and Palms shouldn't be too troublesome if you keep the content (HTML) and design (CSS) completely separated as in XHTML strict.

[chueewowee]

[QUOTE=Josh]"For writing/editting html I recommend SubEthaEdit. For writing/editting CSS, I recommend CSSEdit.For transferring the files from your computer to the web (FTP), I recommend Transmit. As for actually learning the stuff, you can't go wrong with trial and error ;) Viewing source that other people have created, disecting it, and trying out what they did is also a good way to learn HTML/CSS quickly."


Agree with all this and add no more.

[davecuse]

is anyone here coding for and testing on non-desktop/laptop devices, like handhelds?

I haven't been yet, mainly because I don't have any of these devices to test on. Does anyone know of an emulator that could be used for testing how a site would look on a handheld device? I couldn't find anything with a quick search on SourceForge and Google

[WoD]

If your site is built correctly you should not need to test it on a handheld device - basic semantic HTML is, quite simply that... basic.

Something like:
<h2>My Title</h2>
<p>A paragrapht</p>

Is hardly likely to require testing.

If you need to test it on handheld platforms, you are doing it wrong. If you REALLY want to make sure your site is easy enough to use on a mobile platform then you should consider using Lynx browser or another text based browser, or simply turn off your stylesheet. If you can still navigate the site then you are doing it right.

Use lists for links, headers for titles, p for paragraphs and tables for valid tabular data (NOT layout). If you use the correct markup then your HTML will have meaning even without CSS.

The below example could be a page title, a paragraph, a subheader, a random quote.. anything!
<td>Something or Other</td>

The below example should only be a level one header
<h1>Something or Other</td>

Many people are scared away from HTML itself by all this code bloat and proprietary markup, when PROPER HTML is really an easy-as-hell dead simple way of identifying a few lines of text.

Oh, and Dreamweaver is an EXCELLENT tool which has been with my throughout my entire development career, it only produces rubbish code if the user is incompitent. However you should not use Dreamweaver from the outset, because you will be too tempted to rely on WYSIWYG and will never learn HTML.

[liketom]

i'm looking into contribute 3 right now and for what i want it is ok but nothing fancy. i have used dreamweaver a few times but felt it was too much too soon so i went back to basics and looked at contribute .

start small think big