I was sort of dragged kicking and screaming into hand coding. When I first started web design I learnt everything in Dreamweaver. It wasn;t that I didn't know much about HTML, it was more that I liked to draw things with the mouse instead of entering numbers and using trial and error to get it right. Unfortunatly the company I'm in now didn't have DW and weren't entirely prepared to buy it, so I hand code everything now.

Originally Posted by prissed

Or do what I do. Hand code your site in dreamweaver.

ditto.

prissed,

one thing I am missing from my old days of using Ultra Edit, is the column mode. Does Dreamweaver have something similar?

For those that don't know. Column mode in Ultra Edit sets it so that your mouse highlights vertically instead of horizontally, and lets you edit this way too.

Naw. No column editing that I know of in Dreamweaver.

Untra Edit is pretty cool for the hand-coders...and a heck of a lot cheaper than DW.

Is there a link to Ultra Edit? Liz

http://www.ultraedit.com/index.php?n...howpage&pid=10

Thanks, prissed. Liz

It's a great program southernlady. It has the preview in browser option same as DW, but just many more hand-coder friendly features.

Does DW have macro creation?

I've switched from PC to apple recently so I'm still getting used to the apps.

Eversince I switched to CSS, DWMX is not helping me very much with the layers.
I use handcoding 75% and using DWMX for 25%.

I use editors like Crimson Editor for my coding purposes. It's very good.

Well, at the risk of being shunned, I have to vote FOR Dreamweaver (as well as hand coding). I do not believe that not knowing how to hand code is right, but there is nothing wrong with ultilizing every tool you can. I program EVERYTHING in DW, including PHP, CFM, ASP and JSP, as well as ASP.net, VB.net and all JavaScript and VBScript. The only thing I do not code in it is Java, which I use Edit Plus for. AND, I know every one of these languages and can hand code them, I simply choose to get a little help.

I have built my own code libraries and templates, utilizing DW for it's interface. This makes me very efficient and I usually build 50-100 sites per year, as well as maintain my past clients. Without DW, I couldn't handle even half of that business!

The WYSIWYG's have been tainted by those who simply do not take the time to learn what they can do for you. Dreamweaver is NOT an easy package to learn and a lot of its functionality is hidden or hard to figure out, but it certainly is well worth it when you do!!

I do strongly believe in knowing your language BEFORE getting into the WYSIWYG equivalent. Just my 2 cents...

I have stopped using Dreamweaver and gone to notepad to code HTML, and I am learning lots of stuff gets realy intresting!

For people that are just learning should use the split view property (shows HMTL and Editor), that way they can see the workings.

I now use hand coing a lot more than the editor part. The only time I use the actual editor is when I need to put in special scripts and things like rollovers (I just can't get it to work without that javascript at the top).

Problems with the editor part (WYSIWYG)

1) If you press enter it creates a new paragraph. The only way to do a line break is to hand code it yourself.
2) The alignment of everything seems to change by it's self. It is like it has it's own mind.
3) Can't think of any more but I know they are out their.

--twitch

shift and enter makes a line break ( <br> )

Oh yeah...forgot about that little thing called the keyboard shortcuts. Stupid me.

--twitch

no problem - it's good to know how to hand code it as well!

I always thought learning by yourself is right. I don't want to turn to a program for help i just wanna learn myself.
The simple and hard way. Dreamweaver isn't really needed if you know your stuff if you don't know anytihng about coding, "Hit The Books"

In alot of ways dreamweaver has nothing to do with knowing your stuff. I personaly use it for syntax highliting and the built in FTP stuff. I like it because I can edit all kinds of files in one editor (the syntax highliting thing again). I personaly love using it however hardly ever use anything other than the code view.

I do use it for site building, but certainly agree the program has many other features, even for a hand coder.

I agree with what a lot of people have said in here

I think you need all the above the more tools in your arsenal the better you are at anything....With most things in life to get them done right and quick you need the tools for the job and you need to know how to use them...the best part of WYSIWG editors is how they incorporate FTP into them...basically WYSIWG editors are like a design window to the host server you are using...to me it seems that way anyways

OK hope I don't offend anyone.
I USE DREAMWEAVER. Yes I do and I'm awfully proud of it
I make my layouts in Photoshop and slice them down. I code some "details" in Crimson Editor. So I know how to do it and I could make my pages that way. But I chose to work more on the way my page looks.

I don't mean to offend anyone when I say there are few sites entirely coded that look apealing. I know there are people who really know their stuff and have the time, knowledge and talent to make the sites look awesome too. In many cases the sites are bland and nothing catches the eye.

My clients and the visitors don't care the site has clean or dirty code. They care about how it looks. Does it work? OK, then it's coded OK. Does it look good? Yes? Then I guess I'l hire this designer. When I make a site my clients are inetersted in the way it looks, if it's beautiful, with a pleasant colour scheme and so on. They don't care about coding, they have no idea what that is.

I have made some sites and I have the feeling they are not the worst. Some are quite filled with info and stuff. It would have taken me years to code everything. Instead I finished in days. I spend 2 days with the layout so that I'm certain it is catchy

I know you are right too, but I want to benefit from the extra time and offer my clients sites that have been worked in the smallest detail. If you can prove me I can code a site as fast as I can generate it in Dreamwever, then I'll throw it away. I'm not a "code" artist and don't intend it. I'm not an idiot because I don't code, I just want to take it the easy and fast way. I want to be able to do many sites and believe me I work them very hard. I just want to get the car, not run the whole way

That's my decision and many others'. Before you judge us, try to see the reasons. You can be a great coder and/or a great layout designer. The idea is to be content with the result and to have happy clients.

Respect.

Nice post....and if you want clean code you can just use a validator after the fact and clean up the code...since clean code means faster load times and browser compatibility (not allways)

Preach on brothers and sisters