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Web Design Software for a Newbie

P

ptadier

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 6, 2013
2
0
Toronto
Hello all, I'm planning to build my first website and trying to decide between Sandvox and RapidWeaver. These both seem to be decent products and cost the same around $80.00.

I plan to display fine art on the site as a tribute to an artist and his life's work.

Can you help me to decide which app to go with?

Thanks ... Pat
 
Try out different ones and see which one you like best.

Some say start out with a "vanilla" editor, Textedit or Notepad to really learn HTML and CSS.
Take a look here, there are some links to editors used for web design:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/171456/

There's a ton of software for editing websites out there, some is free like Textwrangler.
Coda 2 and Sublime Text 2 are very nice products as well that support very handy extensions.

http://panic.com/coda/
http://www.sublimetext.com/2

Of course it all depends on, whether you're looking for more of a "drag and drop" thing or an actual editor, where you handcode everything and what you want to accomplish.

Download multiple editors and play around in the interfaces, pick the one that you feel most comfortable with.
 
Hi ptadier,

What is the goal of creating a website for you? If it is to learn HTML, CSS and JavaScript I would shy away from RapidWeaver as RW is a template driven system. Now if the goal is to quickly get a website up and running then yes, RapidWeaver is a good tool.

Coda2 is a good application. If the goal is to learn HTML you can always start with just TextEdit, TextWranger or any other text editor and a good reference.

I suggestion MAMP (I have MAMP Pro) so you don't have to hassle with getting everything going for viewing your website locally (called unit testing).

If you can wait a few months I would go to KickStarter and support Macaw ($99 to get in on V1 of the app). It is visual too but generates HTML5 compliant HTML and CSS.

While I have no vested interest, outside of having just put my $99 in for Macaw, I own the above software, RapidWeaver, Coda2 and MAMP Pro.

I believe the apps mentioned have trial periods so you can download and evaluate for yourself which one you like best.

Take care,
 
Web Design Software for a Newbie

I'm going to say something different. Unless you don't to get into coding, don't bother with complicated programs. Get a nice template service like Wordpress or Squarespace to hang your pretty pictures. Learning HTML to build a site isn't needed anymore. I had a 12 year old build a site a week ago in a couple of hours which looked better than what I charged for in the golden age of HTML design. Check. Squarespace.com
Has metrics, phone uploading, cart services and looks great.

If you are a serious programmer then it's a different story.
 
ptadier said:
Hello all, I'm planning to build my first website and trying to decide between Sandvox and RapidWeaver. These both seem to be decent products and cost the same around $80.00.

I plan to display fine art on the site as a tribute to an artist and his life's work.

Can you help me to decide which app to go with?

Thanks ... Pat
Click to expand...

Another option you might want to consider is Freeway Express. It has some nice flexibility and is under your price point. There is a bit of a learning curve, but that's the case with most web design software. Don't forget you'll also need a hosting provider and domain name as well. If posting pictures is your primary goal, give squarespace a look.
 
what is the difference between Hammer, Coda 2 and Espresso?
 
Last edited:
musio said:
I'm going to say something different. Unless you don't to get into coding, don't bother with complicated programs. Get a nice template service like Wordpress or Squarespace to hang your pretty pictures. Learning HTML to build a site isn't needed anymore. I had a 12 year old build a site a week ago in a couple of hours which looked better than what I charged for in the golden age of HTML design. Check. Squarespace.com
Has metrics, phone uploading, cart services and looks great.

If you are a serious programmer then it's a different story.
Click to expand...



I think Dreamweader is best web design tools fo newbe.
 
1) Save your dough... download WAMP(windows) or MAMP(mac) to create a local server on your computer.

2) Download Netbeans, Eclipse, or just a simple text editor to create the code.

3) Build the structure of your site using HTML5.
4) Make it pretty by adding CSS, don't try to make it pretty with step 3, just make it organized.
5) Animate it with javascript and/or jquery. For example smooth transitions for a slider lightbox.
6) Learn quite a bit about web development.

Or you could just get a free wordpress site and drag and drop your pictures into a predesigned template. Site up in 20minutes.
 
If this is not a career for you just a way to get your art up for folks to view, musio is right. Just purchase a wordpress theme from a reputable source and have at it. If you go the wordpress route there are 2 books I would recommend. "The Tao of Wordpress" and "Digging into Wordpress". Both fantastic books.

If you want your site to be unique you are gonna have to put some work into it. That means designing your site and coding it from the ground up.
 
Last edited:
ptadier said:
Hello all, I'm planning to build my first website and trying to decide between Sandvox and RapidWeaver. These both seem to be decent products and cost the same around $80.00.

I plan to display fine art on the site as a tribute to an artist and his life's work.

Can you help me to decide which app to go with?

Thanks ... Pat
Click to expand...


Not about software..but as a photographer and painter...
Do you have any copyright issues.....

For web building I use CS6 Dreamweaver...for none coders there are truck loads of ready made templates.
 
K.I.S.S.
RapidWeaver.
Learning html and css on notepad is not a good use of anyones time, better to be productive than learn how to code. I drive a car... I really don't need to be able to rebuild an injection system... I need to GET there. So be productive and while you're building your site look at the code from time to time to see how things are done... if you want.
I prefer Dreamweaver.
 
Hi

I would suggest you that you should go with..RapidWeaver because it will get website up and running in quick time..
 
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