E-commerce: Module 4

TITLE: Web Authoring Tools

For Self-Study

I. What is an Authoring Tool?

Authoring Tools

Any software, or collection of software components, that authors can use to create or modify web content
for use by other people, is an Authoring Tool.

Examples of authoring tools

Authoring tools cover any software is used to write the web, from enterprise content management
systems (CMSs) through to microblogging mobile apps, whether web-based, non-web-based, or a
combination. Examples include:

▪ web page authoring tools (e.g., WYSIWYG HTML editors)

▪ software for directly editing source code or markup

▪ software for converting to web content technologies (e.g., "Save as HTML" features in office suites)

▪ integrated development environments (e.g., for web application development)

▪ software that generates web content based on templates, scripts, command-line input, or "wizard"-
type processes
▪ software for rapidly updating portions of web pages (e.g., blogging, wikis, online forums)

▪ software for live collaboration over the web

▪ software for updating social media profiles, microblogging, and photo and video sharing

▪ software for generating/managing entire websites (e.g., content management systems, courseware
tools, content aggregators)
▪ email clients that send messages in web content technologies

▪ multimedia authoring tools

▪ debugging tools for web content

▪ software for creating mobile web applications

▪ scripting libraries

▪ web application frameworks, IDEs, and SDKs

II. What are Web Authoring Tools?

Webpage Authoring Tool

Web authoring tools are used to create Web content and cover a wide range of software programs you can
download to your computer or access online.
Web authoring is the practice of creating web documents using modern web authoring software and tools.

Web authoring software is a type of desktop publishing tool that allows users to navigate the tricky
environment of HTML and web coding by offering a different kind of graphical user interface.

The World Wide Web Consortium, or W3, issues guidelines for web authoring tools that create a basic
industry standard for web accessibility. The guidelines encourage web-authoring tool manufacturers to
include specific features in their products that will aid Internet users with disabilities. All of the major web-
authoring tool manufacturers follow the W3 guidelines.

A. Word Processors

Word processors like Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, or OpenOffice Writer are some of the most popular web
authoring tools available. Users can create a Web page just as they would a printable document and then save
it in HTML format, creating a quick and easy web page. Because users are usually familiar with the word
processor on their computers, creating HTML pages with the same program represents a low learning curve.
These usually present content in a what you see is what you get the format, or WYSIWYG, meaning how the
page appears on the screen is how it will appear when it's online.

B. Desktop Publishing Programs

Desktop publishing programs, like Adobe InDesign and Scribus, are designed for producing material like
newspapers, magazines, books, and Web pages. Like word processors, desktop publishing programs provide
a WYSIWYG interface. Their advanced Web authoring options, such as page layout and style elements, give
users more control over the page's appearance. These programs also support multimedia objects, like images,
graphics, or audio files. Completed pages can be converted to both HTML and CSS files.

C. Online Web Page Builders

Website hosting sites usually offer their customers many web-authoring tool options to
create and maintain their web pages online. Tools can include Web page builders, shopping
systems, audio/visual editors, and domain options. The builders incorporate many web
authoring tools, including word processing, graphic editing, templates, and layout schemes.
Webpage builders have two main editing options: HTML or a non-HTML interface. Users
who have limited HTML knowledge can use the non-HTML interface to drop and drag items
to create layouts and use the text option to type in the content.

D. HTML Editors

HTML editing programs like Adobe Dreamweaver are some of the most powerful web authoring tools
available. They are generally used by professional Web designers to create commercial websites. Most HTML
editors are similar to web-page builders in offering users HTML or non-HTML interfaces. The non-HTML
interface allows the user to see how the web page will look when it is uploaded to the Internet. HTML editors
are used to typing raw code, much as one would in a plain text document like a word processor, including
HTML, CSS, JavaScript, or XML. Most of the work is performed using a built-in text editor. HTML editors
feature HTML validation checkers that will run through a web page and check for markup errors and
accessibility validation issues.

E. Plain Text Editors

 Basic text editors like Notepad are also a useful Web authoring tool for those familiar with the code.
Unlike word processors or desktop publishing programs, plain text editors do not apply additional code to
what appears in the document. Plain text editors are also useful for quickly making edits to completed pages
that require updates.

III. The Advantages of Using Web Authoring Tools for Your Company

1. Web Authoring Tools Are Time and Cost Effective.

Often, because people are used to paying a one-shot fee for traditional authoring software, they find web
authoring tools expensive, with their recurrent billing system. However, they do not realize the cost-
effectiveness potential of such solutions. First and foremost, maintenance costs are included in your recurrent
fees. This alone is worth paying your license on a recurrent basis.

Besides, with classical authoring tools, one license is dedicated to one user, on a single computer. With
web authoring tools, this is not the case. You can easily share your license between 3 to 4 trainers.

The only condition is not to be connected with the same license at the same time. By working like that,
you can spare about 3 licenses, and just share the access between co-workers for enhanced efficiency.

2. Web Authoring Tools Are Always Up to Date.

Are you tired of updating your authoring software all day long? Indeed, this is a tedious task: it takes
time, it is non-productive, it is boring… What if there was a solution to avoid it? Well, this is what web
authoring tools are all about. As it is cloud-based, updates are made automatically by your provider, without
any effort on your part.

This feature is even more valuable when your authoring tool is providing you with ready-made content
libraries because they will be up to date automatically.

3. Easy to Publish, Update, And Translate.

When you only have about 30 learners, grouped in one single country and language, it is quite easy to
manage it. Nevertheless, how about spreading your learning simulations to ten thousand learners, working all
over the globe, in several different languages?

This is not the same, right? Fortunately, web authoring tools expand your possibilities. First off, this will
simplify your publishing process. All you have to do is exporting your training simulations in the expected
format and then publish them to your Learning Management System. If, for any reason, you do need to update
your training files, simply update the file concerned in your LMS platform to enable your learners to access it.

Finally, chances are that you will need to create your training modules in several languages. To do so,
web authoring tools usually have in place translation tools, to manage your modules into several languages.

4. Create Anywhere, Anytime.

 Whether you are at work, at home, with a customer, in a colleague's office: you can access your data
anytime. Web authoring tools bring to the table this awesome feature. You do not have to choose a dedicated
place to work from anymore. All you need is a computer, a browser, and an internet connection. That is it.
Simply fill in your username and password on the login page of your web authoring tool, and you are good to
go.

Another great benefit of this feature is that you do not need to worry about using a Mac or a PC anymore.
You can use both. This will end this eternal conflict in your workforce.

5. Get Started Right Away.

A great thing about web authoring tools is that it is plug and play. Once you have your license up and
running, you can start working instantly, within seconds. No need to install the software. No need to wait
hours before the very last patches are up to date. Not to mention that step-by-step guides, as well as F.A.Q and
online support, are all fully reachable from your web authoring tools interface.

This ensures a great customer experience and efficiency in the use of your authoring tool.

6. Web Authoring Tools Keep Your Work Safe.

With traditional standalone authoring tools, everything seems safer. Indeed, your work is saved on your
computer. You know precisely where files are located. You have this great feeling of getting the situation
under control. Well, honestly, this is not the case. Why? Think about it. The image that your hard disk
suddenly breaks up. Imagine that someone steals your computer. Imagine that you forget your computer on
the train and that you do not find it back.

Under control, right? Web authoring tools secure your work and information drastically. Simply put, all
your data is gathered into your provider storage, and he is in charge of it. Chances are he will be well
equipped to fulfill his role. Consequently, you can lose your computer, your hard disk may break up, whatever
unfortunate event can occur: your data will be safe. All of this is thanks to web authoring tools.

F. How to Create a Web Page?

● Web Page-Building Services

One way to build a Web page is to use an online company that specializes in providing tools for people
who don't want to learn a programming language. Some services are free and others charge a fee. You'll need
to join the service and use the tools it provides. You won't have to learn HTML or any other Web
programming language as long as you use the templates and tools provided by the service or company. Using
a Web-building service is a good option if you don't want to learn HTML or any programming language and
you don't anticipate making more than one or two Web pages.

● Learn HTML

Web managers and Web-design professionals who know HTML usually build a Web page offline and then
upload it to a domain on a host server using file transfer protocol. They know how to use HTML and other
programming languages that make Web pages work. You can learn HTML free on many websites. After you
understand HTML, you can build your Web page using a text editor or an HTML editor.
 ● Text Editors and HTML Editors

A text editor is the most basic tool you can use to build a Web page. With a text editor, you build your
page using HTML. A text editor won't find errors in syntax or provide any pre-built code snippets that
simplify the job, but text-editing software is free and can be found on most operating systems. One text editor
that comes with Windows 8 is Notepad.

HTML-editing software provides tools that make building pages faster and easier than using a text editor.
Depending on the software, HTML-editing software can provide code suggestions, check your HTML code for
syntax errors, and may contain file transfer protocol programs that upload your completed page. You can
download free HTML-editing software packages or you can purchase them from major software vendors.
HTML-editing software purchased from a software manufacturer often has tools and abilities that free
software lacks, but both can build Web pages.

● Web Hosting and Domains

When you create a Web page with a text editor or HTML editor, you are the only person who can see it,
because it exists only on your computer. For the world to view your page, you'll need a hosting service that
provides server space and a domain name. You also need to use a file transfer program to move the Web page
from your computer to your host. Your host service will provide a file transfer program and can instruct you
how to use it.

G. Web Design Software

The best web design software makes it simple and easy to build the website you need, either by offering a
coding platform, or a drag-and-drop interface.

It used to be the case that the only option was to code a website directing, using HTML & CSS and even
JavaScript. However, these days drag-and-drop editors have become much more commonplace, making it a
breeze for anyone to customize or even build their website.

Whichever option you prefer, all of them make it easier to build in the elements you require on your
website, and can work with additional tools such as form builders, image hosting, and even content delivery
networks.

1. WIX

Wix is more of a website builder than a coding platform, but it is one of the most popular online
website creators, offering a range of plans and products. The free version has Wix branding, limited
storage space (500MB), and bandwidth, but move up to the most popular plan (unlimited) and there are
no Wix ads.
An excellent collection of 500 plus templates gets the design process off to a quick start. The drag-
and-drop editor gives you all kinds of tools and features to explore – an image editor, video backgrounds,
animations, social buttons, an integrated site blog – and just about everything can be tweaked, tuned, and
restyled. Furthermore, as of recently, Wix introduced Wix Turbo, which increases the speed and
performance of websites substantially.

All the core editing functions are smartly designed and operate more like a native app than your
average website builder. Wix does have some weaknesses, with tech support seeming a little sluggish and
limited in some respects. But there's no denying that the superb editor and range of top-notch templates
make it easy for web-building novices to create something impressive.
2. Adobe Dreamweaver

Adobe Dreamweaver is a long-established app that allows you to code your website design directly,
without having to know too much about programming. The software works through a mix of visual
editing and HTML editing, which means it shouldn't have too steep a learning curve for most users.

Additionally, while coding your website design requires you to put in more effort than simply using
an existing ready-made template, at least you have the chance to ensure you get the look you want, rather
than trying to work around someone else's design specifications.

A particularly good feature of Dreamweaver is that it allows you to produce a responsive design,
which means your website can be optimized to display on desktops as well as mobile devices, without
limiting the user experience.

However, if you are a more advanced user you may be pleased to note that Dreamweaver provides
multi-monitor support for Windows. It also supports the Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF) to
work with HTML5 elements and CSS grids. Additionally, there's also support for Git to allow you to edit
source code directly from within Dreamweaver.
Dreamweaver is available as part of Adobe's mid-range packaged app subscription service, Creative
Cloud, which also includes Photoshop.

3. WordPress

WordPress is an alternative way to set up and design your website, being rather different from the
other offerings we've highlighted here because it's a content management system (CMS). The power here
is that it is a simple matter to set up a website in minutes. Indeed, many web hosting packages include a
one-click install of WordPress from their Control Panel, but even without that, WordPress is relatively
easy to install.
Once installed, the backend for administration and management is very user-friendly. You can use
the existing WordPress design templates for your website, but more likely you will want to download and
install an existing free or premium WordPress template – all of which can be done with just a few clicks.

Even if you would prefer to work with your design, you can often do so using drag-and-drop
functions, usually from a downloaded design with an in-built framework. This can allow you to create a
professional-looking website without having to learn programming or coding at all.

Better still, there are so many free add-ons available to download and install, often requiring nothing
more than a few clicks. This makes the whole process of customizing your website very simple, and it
does not require any professional skills.

Overall, WordPress is a very easy CMS to use and can provide a very quick way to get any form of
website online fast. The huge variety of template designs and additional community-supported features
mean that getting something that is near the mark of what you want isn't hard at all. Just ensure that in
the settings you select to turn off comments to avoid spam.

4. Weebly

Weebly is another online CMS, this time targeted at people with little or no coding experience, by
providing easy-to-use drag and drop tools for creating a website. Weebly also provides the ability for
users to create online stores using existing templates to work with their simply website-building
framework.

The number of themes available for Weebly is somewhat limited, but the designs are clean and
professional-looking, plus there are options to personalize accordingly. Additionally, the themes are
responsive, which means they are optimized to work with mobile devices, plus they have in-built SEO,
analytics, and even a feature for posting ads directly to Facebook.

There's a free tier available for basic use and allows you to get used to the service, with paid plans
allowing you to connect a custom domain. However, to use your domain and get rid of ads, you'll need a
Professional plan.

5. Webflow

Webflow is a cloud-based service that has been created specifically to allow people with no coding
knowledge to get started with web design.

Aside from being truly cross-platform, as it's web-based, Webflow emphasizes the concept of 'smart
carelessness. In the first instance, this means a crisp drag and drop interface allowing you to drop
elements such as text and images seamlessly onto a page using one of the freely available templates.

Unlike many WYSIWYG editors, the code produced is very clean and well-written even if you choose
the 'I have no coding experience' option during setup. Webflow's automation tool will create the
necessary HTML/CSS code for you. You can make granular changes to individual elements using the
panels on the right.

Webflow offers a free demonstration of its features via the website, and you can also subscribe for a
free Starter package which allows you to create up to two projects.

6. Bluefish

Bluefish is among the smallest web design tools available today. The tiny installer takes only a few
moments to set up. While the interface is text-only, it's designed with novices in mind as it employs clear-
cut toolbars, user-customizable menus, and syntax highlighting.

While the main focus is on HTML, Bluefish supports a huge range of other languages including PHP,
Java, JavaScript, SQL, XML, and CSS. Unlike visual WYSIWYG web design tools, the text interface makes for
much cleaner code.

Bluefish has an excellent search function, allowing you to find text across multiple projects. The tool
also has no trouble juggling hundreds of documents at the same time. Although Bluefish supports
working with remote files, the varied and useful dialogs and wizards don't currently support direct
upload of web pages via FTP.

Despite the best efforts of the developers, Bluefish may take some time to get used to. The tool is
available free of charge, however, so you have nothing to lose by giving it a try.

7. Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code (or VScode) has become popular among developers – the ones who aren’t put off
by the fact that it’s a Microsoft product, anyway. It offers a variety of packages and free extensions that
can be downloaded from its marketplace to add additional features – and the code editor itself can be
customized.

While a lot of people may be intimated by the idea of coding if they have no programming experience,
at some point in the web design process it can be important to be able to edit code directly. This is
particularly helpful if you want to customize code for existing software add-ons to get the features you
want for your website. Visual Studio Code can help make the process less painful by providing a
dedicated platform for coding.
 Visual Studio Code sports its own terminal and debugger supports linting, and has integration with
all manner of source control tools. It especially offers good support for Javascript and Python, making it
potentially useful not just for coding the frontend of a website but also potentially some backend
functions as well.