Website editing software ranges from free text editors to expensive packages with advanced features. There are three main types: text-oriented, object-oriented, and WYSIWYG. Free and paid options are available, with some including tools for multimedia content creation.
Website editing software can be anything from a free text editor that comes with an operating system (OS) to an expensive package that can handle things like cascading style sheets (CSS) and extended markup language ( XML). Typically a certain level of experience is required to manually edit website files using a text editor, but the basic operations of dedicated editing suites can be used without any knowledge of hypertext markup language (HTML) or any other code. The three main types of website editing software are text-oriented, object-oriented, or use a “what you see is what you get” (WYSIWYG) interface. Each of these variants can have different uses, and there are typically both free and paid options available in each category. Some website editing software suites may also include tools for creating elements such as images, animations, and various multimedia content.
Text editors are the simplest form of website editing software. If a web designer has extensive knowledge of HTML and other code, editing text can provide a quick way to make small changes to a site. Text editors can also be used to create entire websites in the absence of more complicated software. Any text editor can be used to code HTML from scratch, but there are also purpose-built text editors. These programs may include features such as color coding of various code elements, error checking, or an Integrated File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client.
A slightly more complicated form of website editing software can be known as object-oriented. This type of software typically allows a web designer to visually organize their code in more advanced ways than just color coding. Object-oriented editors can also be integrated into larger WYSIWYG editors, allowing a web designer to work more intimately with individual objects.
Some of the more complex website editing software is often referred to as WYSIWYG, as all of the formatting and other settings are visible during the design process. Many WYSIWYG editors allow you to manually edit the code, although it’s usually possible to design an entire website without knowing HTML. Some website editing software suites may also include a variety of other programs, which allow you to edit images or create multimedia content to place on a website. Many editors also include features to ensure that the website is compatible with World Wide Web Consortium (W3C®) standards.
In addition to the range of text-based, object-oriented, and WYSIWYG website development software, there are also a variety of freeware, shareware, and retail options. Some professional website development software can be quite expensive, although there are usually free or even open source options available as well. Paid software can include useful proprietary tools not available in other suites, although free and open source options can be very comprehensive.
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