WEB PAGE EDITOR

An HTML editor is a software application for creating web pages. Although the HTML markup of a web page can be written with any text editor, specialized HTML editors can offer convenience and added functionality. For example, many HTML editors work not only with HTML, but also with related technologies such as CSS, XML and JavaScript or ECMAScript. In some cases they also manage communication with remote web servers via FTP and WebDAV, and version management systems such as CVS or Subversion.

Object editors

Some editors allow alternate editing of the source text of objects in more visually organized modes than simple color highlighting, but in modes not considered WYSIWYG. Some WYSIWYG editors include the option of using palette windows that enable editing the text-based parameters of selected objects. These palettes allow either editing parameters in fields for each individual parameter, or text windows to edit the full group of source text for the selected object. They may include widgets to present and select options when editing parameters. Adobe GoLive provides an outline editor to expand and collapse HTML objects and properties, edit parameters, and view graphics attached to the expanded objects.
WYSIWYG HTML editors

WYSIWYG HTML editors provide an editing interface which resembles how the page will be displayed in a web browser. Some editors, such as ones in the form of browser extensions allow editing within a web browser. Because using a WYSIWYG editor does not require any HTML knowledge, they are easier for an average computer user to get started with.

The WYSIWYG view is achieved by embedding a layout engine based upon that used in a web browser. The layout engine will have been considerably enhanced by the editor's developers to allow for typing, pasting, deleting and moving the content. The goal is that, at all times during editing, the rendered result should represent what will be seen later in a typical web browser.

While WYSIWYG editors make web design faster and easier; many professionals still use text editors, despite the fact that most WYSIWYG editors have a mode to edit HTML code by hand. The web was not originally designed to be a visual medium, and attempts to give authors more layout control, such as CSS, have been poorly supported by major web browsers. Because of this, code automatically generated by WYSIWYG editors frequently sacrifice file size and compatibility with fringe browsers, to create a design that looks the same for widely used desktop web browsers. This automatically generated code may be edited and corrected by hand. For more on subject, see Difficulties in achieving WYSIWYG below

WYSIWYM editors

What You See Is What You Mean (WYSIWYM) is an alternative paradigm to the WYSIWYG editors above. Instead of focusing on the format or presentation of the document, it preserves the intended meaning of each element. For example, page headers, sections, paragraphs, etc. are labeled as such in the editing program, and displayed appropriately in the browser.