For HTML, what editing software is available?

To create HTML files, you can use simple text editors, or desktop applications such as word processors, to manipulate code by hand. You can also use specialized HTML authoring systems to automate the coding.

On this page:

• Text editors
• Word processing and presentation software
• Web browsers
• Web authoring tools

Text editors

If you prefer to code HTML by hand, you can use a simple text editor to create web pages. Common text editors for Windows include Notepad and WordPad; both programs are standard in Windows. For Mac, TextEdit (standard in Mac OS X), TextMate, and Alpha are popular. Also for Mac, BBEdit is a combination text and HTML editor. Major Unix text editors include Nano, Pico, Emacs, and vi. If you plan to control the precise layout of your web page by manipulating the source code, these are the cheapest, stablest, and most efficient options.

Word processing and presentation software

Desktop applications with HTML editing capabilities include Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Corel WordPerfect. These and many other desktop application programs incorporate HTML editors. You can use these editors to design a simple web page quickly. You can also convert word processor documents or slides from a presentation into web pages. Some applications allow you to add graphics or animation. In some cases, the code generated by these applications may be long, non-standard, and difficult to modify.

Microsoft Office (which contains Word and PowerPoint) is available for free via IUware Online to Indiana University students, faculty, and staff. For more information, see IU's software agreement with Microsoft.

Note: If you use a text editor or other desktop application to create web pages, be sure to save these files with the .html or .htm file extension. Also, avoid filenames with two or more words unless they are linked by dashes or underscores. For example, the following filename would not work:

But this filename would:

Web browsers

The SeaMonkey Internet application suite from Mozilla includes an HTML editing program. For more, see the SeaMonkey web site.

Web authoring tools

Dedicated HTML editing programs offer a variety of web-oriented features not found in other programs. Many allow you to quickly and easily incorporate Java applets, JavaScript, animated graphics, web forms, and many other advanced features. These programs also allow you to quickly design whole web sites with dozens of different pages. An example of a web design program is Adobe Dreamweaver. A freeware web design program called Amaya is available from the World Wide Web Consortium.

Adobe's Dreamweaver, and a great deal of other Adobe software, is available to IU students, faculty, and staff for download via IUware Online, or on DVD through campus bookstores. For details, see What software is available through the Adobe agreement, and how can I get it?

Note: The built-in publishing features of older web authoring tools, including FrontPage and versions of Dreamweaver before MX 2004, use insecure FTP; consequently, you cannot use the built-in file transfer features of these programs to move web pages to Mypage at IU. Check your web authoring software for a secure upload option.

For more information about freeware and shareware HTML editing programs for Mac, Windows, and Unix, see Yahoo's web page about HTML editors.

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