WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors are HTML editors that attempt to display the Web page as it will show on the browser. They are visual editors, and you don't maniulate the code directly. Some HTML WYSIWYG editors also include a text editor, while others are purely WYSIWYG. This is my list of the best HTML WYSIWYG editors for Windows.
Dreamweaver is one of the most popular professional Web development software packages available. It offers power and flexibility to create pages that meet your needs. I use it for everything from JSP, XHTML, PHP, and XML development. It is a good choice for professional Web designers and developers, but if you're working as a solitary freelancer, you might want to look at one of the CS suites like Web or Design to get graphics editing capability as well.
Adobe released Creative Suite 3 in a bunch of different combinations. While you can still buy each product separately, buying a bundle might save you money. But how do you decide between the different versions which one is best for you? I believe that any of these four editions would work for most Web designers: Web Standard, Design Premium, Web Premium, or the Master Collection. But you should buy the edition that works best for your needs.
Expression Web is Microsoft's newest Web editing software. It offers everything professional Web designers have come to expect from a world-class Web editing tool, including HTML validation, WYSIWYG and text editor support, support for CSS and non-HTML pages like ASP, and lots of pre-built templates to start with. The biggest benefit to Expression Web over other top-quality Web editors is the price. But with Microsoft products you get locked into Microsoft - there isn't a lot of native support for PHP or JSP and it doesn't have the photo gallery maker like FrontPage used to.
Expression Studio combines Expression Web with Expression Design, Blend, and Media to give you a full graphic and Web design suite. If you are a freelance Web designer who needs to be able to edit graphics in something more powerful than Microsoft Paint, then you might want to look at Expression Studio. It offers all the features you expect from a world-class Web editing suite. The only drawback (and it may not be a drawback) is that with Microsoft tools you are strongly encouraged to use only Microsoft technologies. For example, there is a lot of ASP support, but very little or no PHP and JSP support.
Adobe GoLive is a powerful Web page editor with all the features you come to expect of a high-quality editor. In version 9, I couldn't easily find the hooks to Illustrator and Photoshop that were there in previous versions, but if you're familiar with these programs you'll recognize the interface. GoLive is a high quality Web page editor, and if you've used previous versions, you'll still be happy with this one.
HotDog is one of the first WYSIWYG editors that I actually liked. And version 7 still lives up to the quality standards. A feature that stands out is the Flash wizard that makes it really easy to import SWF files into your Web pages.
Namo might not be a name you've heard of, but it's a Web suite that deserves looking at. Its graphics and Web editing tools are great and easy to use, and best of all the price is more affordable. Namo Web Editor Suite comes with a graphics program. If you need to edit Flash as well, consider the Namo Web Editor Pro.
Evrsoft First Page Pro offers all the same features as Evrsoft First Page, but with an addition of a WYWIWYG editor. The easiest way to purchase this product is to download Evrsoft First Page and then click on the buy now button.
Kompozer is a great WYSIWYG editor. It is based on the popular Nvu editor - only it is called the "unofficial bug-fix release." Kompozer was conceived by some people who really liked Nvu, but were fed up with the slow release schedules and poor support. So they took it over and released a less buggy version of the software.
Nvu is a great WYSIWYG editor. I prefer text editors to WYSIWYG editors, but if you don't, then Nvu is a great choice, especially considering that it's free. I love that it has a site manager to allow you to review the sites that you're building. It's surprising that this software is free. Feature highlights: XML support, advanced CSS support, full site management, built-in validator, and international support as well as WYSIWYG and color coded XHTML editing.
Do you have a Web editor that you absolutely love or positively hate? Write a review of your HTML editor and let others know which editor you think is the best.
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