Web Design in a Nutshell

DHTML Tools

Many web designers rely on WYSIWYG tools and editors that make it possible to see the effects of creating and editing immediately. There are many DHTML WYSIWYG editors available today. They may or may not suit your needs.

The previous relatively simple examples demonstrate that hand coding DHTML can be complicated and arduous. Differences between Netscape 4.0 and Internet Explorer force web designers to write two sets of code for each function. This doubles production time and creates code that is difficult to read and maintain.

There are many tools that create DHTML for you behind the scenes. Some of these tools are narrow in focus and provide specific functionality while others such as Dreamweaver and Fusion are full packages with which you can create and maintain whole websites as well as write DHTML code.

It is beyond the scope of this book to provide working details of WYSIWIG DHTML tools. Each of these tools have their own pros and cons. Commercial tools with full DHTML support are likely to provide a more robust implementation and better support to users. However, these software packages require a larger investment. If you only want simple animations or style changes, a shareware tool may be the best way for you to go.

Luckily, most web authoring tools are available for free download over the Internet on a trial basis so you can experiment and choose the one that suits your needs. Please remember to register and pay for any shareware you continue using after your ...