Using Textedit to create webpages

[exupery]

Don't know if this is the proper forum for this but we recently got a new IMAC with Mountain Lion and I find that I can no longer preview a web page in Safari after I have created it with TextEdit as I formerly could on our old computer (Mac Mini System 10.4) It just comes out looking like it did in TextEdit...just plain type. This is after saving it as an HTML file. Any suggestions?

[talmy]

When I click on an HTML file it opens in Safari. I've never tried to edit an HTML file using TextEdit, so I just tried it out -- opened, duplicated, edited the duplicate and saved it. When I click on the new file it opens in Safari with all the HTML tags intact. I can also hit space bar and preview it, then click on "Open with Safari".

Perhaps your TextEdit preferences are set wrong?

[exupery]

Originally Posted by talmy

When I click on an HTML file it opens in Safari. I've never tried to edit an HTML file using TextEdit, so I just tried it out -- opened, duplicated, edited the duplicate and saved it. When I click on the new file it opens in Safari with all the HTML tags intact. I can also hit space bar and preview it, then click on "Open with Safari".

Perhaps your TextEdit preferences are set wrong?

I don't know. Looking at the Preferences just seemed to confuse me even more. Something is just different about this new version, or the new system. For example, I don't see any option to "Save As" in Text Edit now whereas I could in the old version. When you say it "opens in Safari" I am assuming you mean it looks like a Web page, not just a plain text document. Also, if I try to name the file with, ".html" it drops that from the name in the naming box. Another thing that has happened is that once I have tried to open it from Safari it has a lot of other programming appended to the file I created.

[exupery]

Tried making an html file in the old version of TextEdit and had the same problem. Although I was able to use the "Save As" command which is absent in the new version. Now one has to make a duplicate and rename it which seems more cumbersome. A friend is coming over tomorrow and perhaps I can get some answers. Seem to be getting nowhere today. Appreciate the reply in any case.

[talmy]

Originally Posted by exupery

When you say it "opens in Safari" I am assuming you mean it looks like a Web page, not just a plain text document.

Yes.

Also, if I try to name the file with, ".html" it drops that from the name in the naming box.

Sounds like you are creating a new file. When you save it the first time, be sure to select File Format: "Web Page (.html)"

Another thing that has happened is that once I have tried to open it from Safari it has a lot of other programming appended to the file I created.

That's strange.

BTW -- there is a Save As in Mountain Lion. It's Command-Option-S. And uncheck the box "keep changes in original document" otherwise the original will change as well (since the documents auto-save). I just find it easier to Duplicate the document.

[exupery]

Originally Posted by talmy

Yes.


BTW -- there is a Save As in Mountain Lion. It's Command-Option-S. And uncheck the box "keep changes in original document" otherwise the original will change as well (since the documents auto-save). I just find it easier to Duplicate the document.

That's interesting. Thanks for the info. Yes, with the auto save feature it would be safer to use duplicate.