Hand Coding and Site Management

[webatomic]

I've used Dreamweaver and other WYSIWYG apps before and most of them have some kind of "site management" toolset or interface, that allows you to see the entire directory structure, local copies of files vs. files on the server etc. Now that I'm learning how to hand code xhtml and css, I'm veering away from the WYSIWYG type apps and using apps like BBedit, but I'm finding myself missing the site management aspect. How do you hand coding types "manage" entire websites and keep things organized?

[DaveWoods]

I use Dreamweaver when I'm working on freelance projects that I need to upload quickly to a server.

I never use the Wysiwyg tools but there's nothing wrong with using Dreamweaver in code view if you have it.

A lot of people will tell you Dreamweaver is bad but it's only as bad as the person using it. If you understand it's limitations and understand HTML and CSS then there's not actually anything wrong with using the software unless you expect it to magically create websites for you

If there was a text editor that incorporated FTP and site management features though I would definitely be interested.

(For everyday tasks that don't require FTP then I usually use Crimson as it's quite light weight in comparison and does a decent job).

[webatomic]

If there was a text editor that incorporated FTP and site management features though I would definitely be interested.

(For everyday tasks that don't require FTP then I usually use Crimson as it's quite light weight in comparison and does a decent job).

BBedit is lightweight in comparison to Dreamweaver and has a lot of cool stuff including great FTP support, but I haven't been able to find out about its site management capabilities if any.....

[WebMachine]

A text editor with site management and FTP capabilities ... what a great combination. Has anyone come up with something like that? If not, why not? It would be perfect for someone like me who is a beginner at web design and is learning all the ins and outs of coding because it would make uploading the website a lot easier and more straightforward for one thing (and it probably would be less expensive than Dreamweaver).

[WEBLAUNCHPHXX]

I always use html for better SERPs.

[Tailslide]

HTML-kit has a built in FTP and probably some sort of management system (never used it).

Personally I just use a normal FTP programme - no organisational system. Maybe all my sites are small enough not to need something really smart.

[DaveWoods]

HTML-kit has a built in FTP and probably some sort of management system (never used it).

Personally I just use a normal FTP programme - no organisational system. Maybe all my sites are small enough not to need something really smart.

I've actually got HTML-Kit installed but didn't get on with it first time I gave it a try but maybe it just needs a bit of persistence.

I do use Filezilla a lot as well for major changes but for simple updates it's nice to be able to browse a site structure, open the file, make the changes and then upload to the server all from one location which Dreamweaver does a good job of.

I'll give HTML-kit another blast though

I always use html for better SERPs.

How is that related?

[Nadia P]

See this is what I don't understand, people love most of the features of DW that make the workflow much easier and faster, but for some reason they believe that using a tool like DW is 'uncool' or something just because they can now handcode :-)

If you miss that functionality but still have Dreamweaver, why not use the code view window - don't even have design view window open - just pretend it's a plain old text editor :-)

Nadia

[DaveWoods]

Nadia, that's exactly what I do at the moment (as I mentioned earlier).

I do find that Dreamweaver takes a while to boot up and takes up a lot of memory in comparison to something like Crimson though which is the only reason I'd like to see the features I use in a text editor.

There's nothing wrong with Dreamweaver in capable hands though and I've no problem admitting that I use it from time to time.

Maybe a slimline version of Dreamweaver would be useful with all the WYSIWYG functionality removed? Not only would it have the benefits of being light weight but would also be a good marketing ploy to target those that think the full version is uncool.

[Nadia P]

I'm finding that the latest DW isn't as resource intensive and it does boot up faster for me (and I have sites galore on the management side of things) than the older versions. Don't have to reboot as often to clear out the cobwebs either.

The latest Fireworks on the other hand, is a real drain and a bit of a pain ....... slows to a crawl after doing only a couple of comps and have to keep rebooting to clear things up :-(

Can you tell which software I'm partial to yet? :-)

Nadia