Types of Web authoring tools

see the slides illustrating these types

1. text editors

e.g. Notepad
You type the content text and the HTML tags, and then open the file in a browser to see how it looks. The format in the editor (e.g. line breaks) has no effect on the format in the browser, which is determined by the tags. Not recommended except occasionally necessary to fix problems created by other editors.

2. specialist text editors

e.g. Html assistant
You type the content text and it inserts the HTML tags visibly, and then open the file in a browser to see how it looks

The remaining methods create complex and possibly non-standard HTML which will be hard to edit later in a text editor.

3. Office applications

Create or amend a document in Word, Access, PowerPoint, or Excel and then Save As HTML to generate a Web 'equivalent' which may loose some features. Not recommended for complex Word documents; OK for simple ones. Web presentations from PowerPoint and tables of data from Access. Keep the original Office document for future versions! Office 2000 is more sophisticated the Office 97, but still PC and MS biased.

4. web page editors

e.g. Netscape Composer, Frontpage Express, AOLpress
You type the content text and it inserts the HTML tags invisibly, and you see how it looks as you edit it (more or less). A good choice for new documents that only need to be on the Web.

5. web site editors

e.g. Frontpage, Dreamweaver, NetObjects Fusion, HotMetal
Like web page editors but with additional features for creating and editing many linked pages. The 'web' or 'site' they create is an integrated collection of files. They have 'styles' that can be applied to all pages, and can generate navigation links automatically.

6. web site generators

e.g. CALnet, HTMLgen
Similar to 5 but do not look like a web page when creating it. They allow you to enter content in a structured format or database and save it, and can then generate a collection of web pages that are designed as an application, for example a tutorial. The database makes maintaining content easier. Also quiz generators such as CASTLE and QuestionMArk Perception.

7. Adobe Acrobat pdf files

Acrobat writer can create .pdf (portable document format) files from Office and HTML, looking on screen as they do on printer. The free Acrobat reader is installed as a browser  helper. Built-in navigation and zoom. Good for handouts for viewing on screen or printing, and long documents. Quick to produce from the original.