Using an HTML editor

No matter what subject or topic you are reading about you are going to find differing opinions. The same holds true when it comes to using a text editor to write your code. Some say it's ok, some say it's a no no. I fall under the no no category.

Why not use an editor tool?

The reason is simple. How are you going to learn how to write HTML code if the software you are using does it for you? A WYSISWYG (what you see is what you get) editor, is software that, when you enter the < to begin a line of code, a menu appears with a list of tags, you select which tag and the editor enters the code for you.

Before you make the leap to a wysiwyg you should already be able to correctly write HTML tags in a basic text editor such as "Notepad".

A wysiwyg is a great tool and they can and will assist you in writing your web pages. That's what they are for, to assist, not do it for you. Eventually, you'll become comfortable writing your own HTML, This is the point when you can consider a an HTML editor.

For those of you who can't wait, here is a list of editors that you can investigate.

For MS Windows

For MacOS X

You can also try version tracker or C|NET for a more comprehensive selection.