Last week, while trying to set up my vtel57.com website, I found a nifty tool that some of you might enjoy using.
I had been serving my webpage on Dropbox/Public folder, but due to a change in policies, they’re no longer allowing the serving of static webpages directly from the Public folder. That sucks, but I can understand their reasoning behind this move.
Anyway, I temporarily had the page served on a pal of mine’s server, but it was too inconvenient to nag him every time I wanted to make changes to the page, which I like to do pretty often. As a result of this, I considered paying for a hosting service (HostGator was my favorite option). However, personal finances are a bit strained these days, so I really couldn’t justify the expenditure.
I searched around for some free webpage hosting services, but none really thrilled me. Then, I remembered that WordPress.com offers all the tools and space you need to host a website for personal or business purposes. Pretty COOL! I started a new site on WordPress and began to recreate my original webpage using their templates and tools. In the process, I was having issues with HTML coding of the static main page.
I usually code by hand in Seamonkey/Composer and then save/view the results in the browser portion of that suite. There was a problem, though. I was coding up my main page and then C/P-ing it to the WordPress editor. The results were OK, but with a few bugaboos in the coding, mostly headings and alignment issues. I kept trying to edit/fix this until I realized what the problem was.
WordPress uses HTML5 codes/tags. Seamonkey/Composer uses HTML4. Uh-oh. Well, fine. I could use the WordPress WYSIWYG, but I didn’t really like the way it worked. I like to hand code/edit my HTML. I could have coded in Leafpad (a notepad app I have installed in Slackware), but I can’t preview that way. This is why I like Seamonkey/Composer. With that WYSIWYG, you could hand code and then view the rendered HTML with the click of a button. What I needed was an HTML5 capable WYSIWYG editor.
I searched around, but could not find an app that was totally satisfactory to me. Also, I’ve gotten lazy in my old age and didn’t feel like building an app for Slackware. Then I realized that there were a few really good online (browser implemented) WYSIWYG editors available. I tinkered with two or three and then made my choice. I like the one I picked due to its simplicity and streamlined interface.
I went with HTML5-Editor. Here’s a screenie…
Click on the image to visit the website.
Anyway, it works very well and makes HTML coding chores very simple should you choose to use the WYSIWYG function. And if you like to hand code, the viewer on the right provides real-time rendering. Pretty spiffy.
I know it’s been about 10,000 years since I posted on this blog. Mea culpa. However, I hope that some of my faithful followers (all three of them) will find this post useful.
Have a great day!
~Eric
