How to Choose an HTML Editor

By David Karlins and Doug Sahlin from Building Websites All-in-One For Dummies, 3rd Edition

If you’re a masochist, you certainly can create web pages in a word-processing program. All you need to know is which HTML tags to use for each section of that document. However, taking this path, intrepid reader, is a very daunting way in which to create web pages. Even the most seasoned web designer uses an HTML editor to create sites. And the granddaddy of HTML editors is Adobe Dreamweaver.

Dreamweaver began life as a Macromedia application in 1997. Adobe purchased Macromedia and added several powerhouse applications to its software lineup, including Dreamweaver. The latest version of Dreamweaver is version 12 and is part of Adobe Creative Suite CS6.

Dreamweaver is a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) HTML editor that enables you to create HTML documents by inserting objects, such as images and multimedia, into the document. You can also add links, create cascading style sheets (CSS), and much more. This figure shows Dreamweaver in all its glory with a page under construction.