Authoring Web Pages using editing

In the beginning, all Web pages were written "by hand", using plain text editors. Web authors had to know the ins and outs of the HTML scripting language, and the task could quickly become very tedious. Soon after the number of people designing Web pages grew, "HTML Editors" began to appear on the market. These were basically text editors with special features for pasting common HTML tags into documents. Examples of this kind of authoring tool are HomeSite and HoTMetaL. For the most part, it is necessary to know the basics of HTML to use these programs effectively. These HTML pages are then sent to the server hosting the Web site with a separate FTP program.

Today, however, there are more sophisticated Web authoring tools available which do not require the author to know any HTML at all. You simply paint the page as you compose a document in a word processor. Two popular applications of this type is Netscape Communicator and Microsoft Front Page, which allow you to type up a Web page in a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) environment, without dealing with or editing any HTML script directly. You simply enter in the contents of your page, using conventional formatting styles such as variable font sizing and text alignment, and these tools transparently translate it into the corresponding HTML script. Images are inserted into documents with the push of a button, and typing in the name of the picture file to insert.

These types of applications usually integrate the process of uploading the finished pages to the server, with no separate FTP program needed. In Communicator, for instance, there is a Publish command which automatically transfers the current document in the editor to the server. WebCom is very excited about the development of these WYSIWYG editors, as it will allow more people to publish on the Web with less technical knowledge needed.