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iMacZealot

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Mar 11, 2005
2,237
3
I'm going to the Apple Store tomorrow and I have been designing a website for my sister. We purchased a great service package from PowWeb that came with its own drag-n-drop software, but it only lets us build five pages. Is there something simple that I can buy that doesn't require some sort of computer jargon to use? thanks!
 

steveedge

macrumors member
Nov 2, 2005
65
0
Atlanta, Georgia
Yes & No

Most hosting providers do provide site builder tools now (as you described) that will allow you to build a site within the templates they provide without knowing any code, however, if you want something more, you will need to know at leaset some HTML or you will need to use a CMS (Content management system) which is an application that allows you to build a site without any HTML knowledge. Many hosting providers provide CMS scripts as part of your web hosting package. There are also free CMS applications available. try doing a Goggle search for "free cms"
Choose one (if you go that route) that is easy to install and configure. Some of them are a nightmare.
So, yes there are some HTML applications that allow drag and drop of certain elements of a site, but if you are using an HTML editor of any kind you will need to know at least some "jargon".
Good Luck. :)
 

iMacZealot

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Mar 11, 2005
2,237
3
The web builder that I've been using has allowed me to design my own template. Templates are provided, although after fooling around a while, I was able to make my own template that was nothing like the others. My sister is an artist and I was able to create a banner that had one of her paintings on it with her name on every page without having to manually make it for each page.

There are some limits with it, though. I can only design five pages, and she wants more than that.

Although I do have iWeb, I do not want to use that because she wants to keep the same theme. Artists are very specific with color, and the color scheme on her website (maroon titles with navy text and bars on a creme yellow background) is nothing like the iWeb templates.

I need something that I can easily design a page that looks very similar, if not the same, to the ones I have already designed. I don't want something like iWeb that has a media editor and puts things in specific rows, etc. I want no music, Flash, or video. All that's on the website is text and a lot of photos of paintings. I am also tinkering around with the idea of having a form with the submit button that lets the viewer sign up for the mailing list.

I have been sampling Microsoft Word (on a Mac, of course) and creating HTML documents on that. The thing i hate, though, is that the banner photo starts at the way top left of the page, and MS Word allways wants to leave some space at the top left.

I don't mind learning a little code, but I don't want to learn a new language. I probably will never design another website except for maybe my .mac one.
 

mac.FINN

macrumors member
Feb 16, 2006
78
0
Canada
I picked up Adobe GoLive really quickly. Though it seems very daunting, if you've done any web design in the past it's pretty intuitive. I would suggest getting a book or dvd to learn with though. Also, you're gonna have to drop a pretty penny to pick it up too. I've no idea what it costs alone, but it comes in the CS package $$

:D
 

Foxglove9

macrumors 68000
Jan 14, 2006
1,631
248
New York City
I was a Pagemill user for the longest time but dropped it after I upgraded to OS 10.3 and didn't bother reinstalling OS 9 on my computer. I loved how easy that was to use, even if it is a bit dated now. I haven't found anything comparable to it yet.

I tried Shutterbug and Rapidweaver and neither seem to be able to import any of my old .HTML files or an easy way to convert the dozens of web pages I have. The template idea kinda bugs me for some reason, but they are at least pretty easy to figure out and use.

Dreamweaver and GoLive and not the simpliest but for now that seems to be the only other alternative for drag/drop type web page layout.
 

Zab the Fab

macrumors regular
Nov 26, 2003
145
121
PLEASE do yourself a HUGE favor and check out FREEWAY from http://www.softpress.com before you choose !

I didn't get Golive or Dreamweaver at ALL, I'm sorry to admit. Freeway on the other hand I learned in 20 min. !!! I wouldn't use another web-program even if I was paid, but that's just me.

Zab the Fab
 

Foxglove9

macrumors 68000
Jan 14, 2006
1,631
248
New York City
After trying everyones suggestions I find the best is NVU for a simple web layout program, very similar to the old Pagemill 3.0.

Thanks for the link PBGPowerbook. :)
 

dylan

macrumors 6502
Jul 9, 2005
368
0
Blocks is a RapidWeaver Plugin that adds drag and drop functionality. Try it out!

EDIT: forgot to add the link. Columns and collage are cool too.
 

Eraserhead

macrumors G4
Nov 3, 2005
10,434
12,250
UK
iMacZealot said:
I have been sampling Microsoft Word (on a Mac, of course) and creating HTML documents on that. The thing i hate, though, is that the banner photo starts at the way top left of the page, and MS Word allways wants to leave some space at the top left.

I don't mind learning a little code, but I don't want to learn a new language. I probably will never design another website except for maybe my .mac one.

Word is an awful web editor, it creates this code:
Code:
<html xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word"
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">

<head>
<meta name=Title content=Hello>
<meta name=Keywords content="">
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=macintosh">
<meta name=ProgId content=Word.Document>
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11">
<meta name=Originator content="Microsoft Word 11">
<link rel=File-List href="Hello_files/filelist.xml">
<title>Hello World!</title>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
 <o:DocumentProperties>
  <o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
  <o:LastAuthor>Matthew Hutton</o:LastAuthor>
  <o:Revision>1</o:Revision>
  <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
  <o:Created>2006-04-11T13:46:00Z</o:Created>
  <o:LastSaved>2006-04-11T13:46:00Z</o:LastSaved>
  <o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
  <o:Lines>1</o:Lines>
  <o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs>
  <o:Version>11.515</o:Version>
 </o:DocumentProperties>
 <o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
  <o:AllowPNG/>
 </o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
 <w:WordDocument>
  <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
  <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
  <w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
 </w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
 /* Font Definitions */
@font-face
	{font-family:"Times New Roman";
	panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	mso-generic-font-family:auto;
	mso-font-pitch:variable;
	mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;}
 /* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
	{mso-style-parent:"";
	margin:0cm;
	margin-bottom:.0001pt;
	mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
	font-size:12.0pt;
	font-family:"Times New Roman";
	mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;}
table.MsoNormalTable
	{mso-style-parent:"";
	font-size:10.0pt;
	font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@page Section1
	{size:595.0pt 842.0pt;
	margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt;
	mso-header-margin:35.4pt;
	mso-footer-margin:35.4pt;
	mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
	{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
</head>

<body bgcolor=white lang=EN-GB style='tab-interval:36.0pt'>

<div class=Section1>

<p class=MsoNormal>Hello World!</p>

</div>

</body>

</html>
Which can be simply expressed as this code:
Code:
<html>
   <head>
    <title>Hello, world!</title>
   </head>
   <body>
    <p>Hello, world!</p>
   </body>
</html>
 

Foxglove9

macrumors 68000
Jan 14, 2006
1,631
248
New York City
:eek: LOL ...


Eraserhead said:
Word is an awful web editor, it creates this code:
Code:
<html xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word"
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">

<head>
<meta name=Title content=Hello>
<meta name=Keywords content="">
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=macintosh">
<meta name=ProgId content=Word.Document>
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11">
<meta name=Originator content="Microsoft Word 11">
<link rel=File-List href="Hello_files/filelist.xml">
<title>Hello World!</title>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
 <o:DocumentProperties>
  <o:Template>Normal</o:Template>
  <o:LastAuthor>Matthew Hutton</o:LastAuthor>
  <o:Revision>1</o:Revision>
  <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
  <o:Created>2006-04-11T13:46:00Z</o:Created>
  <o:LastSaved>2006-04-11T13:46:00Z</o:LastSaved>
  <o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
  <o:Lines>1</o:Lines>
  <o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs>
  <o:Version>11.515</o:Version>
 </o:DocumentProperties>
 <o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
  <o:AllowPNG/>
 </o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
 <w:WordDocument>
  <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
  <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
  <w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/>
 </w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
 /* Font Definitions */
@font-face
	{font-family:"Times New Roman";
	panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	mso-generic-font-family:auto;
	mso-font-pitch:variable;
	mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;}
 /* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
	{mso-style-parent:"";
	margin:0cm;
	margin-bottom:.0001pt;
	mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
	font-size:12.0pt;
	font-family:"Times New Roman";
	mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;}
table.MsoNormalTable
	{mso-style-parent:"";
	font-size:10.0pt;
	font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@page Section1
	{size:595.0pt 842.0pt;
	margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt;
	mso-header-margin:35.4pt;
	mso-footer-margin:35.4pt;
	mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
	{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
</head>

<body bgcolor=white lang=EN-GB style='tab-interval:36.0pt'>

<div class=Section1>

<p class=MsoNormal>Hello World!</p>

</div>

</body>

</html>
Which can be simply expressed as this code:
Code:
<html>
   <head>
    <title>Hello, world!</title>
   </head>
   <body>
    <p>Hello, world!</p>
   </body>
</html>
 

dpaanlka

macrumors 601
Nov 16, 2004
4,868
30
Illinois
Yes, definetely NEVER used ANY Microsoft-branded product for WYSIWYG web page creation, unless you enjoy the suspense of trying to guess just how differently your page will be handled by various browsers.
 
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