Posted by Ernest__CT on 9/12/08 9:59pm
Msg #264135
For those who edit their own Sites' code
If you do not edit the HTML or XML code for your Site then this message will not make sense. Please just ignore it.
If you, like me, edit your HTML with a text editing program and check the spelling with Micro$oft Word, then this Post is for you. For example purposes, I'm going to assume that NotePad is what we use to do the actual editing of source code. I'm going to use the example file name MyPage.html for convenience.
Micro$oft Word temporarily modifies the MyPage.html file when Word opens it for spell checking. This can have disasterous consequences. 1) If you accidentally save the file in Word after spell checking, all the Micro$oft garbage will be put into the file permanently UNLESS you kept the file open in NotePad when you opened it in Word, and subsequently saved it in NotePad AFTER saving in Word. 2) If something such as a power failure happens while Word has MyPage.html open, your pristine NotePad code may be corrupted by Word. 3) If you keep the file open in Word and attempt to validate the HTML with a tool such as http://validator.w3.org/ , then the validation will fail spectacularly and you will have no idea why. If you try to compare the validator's results with the source visible in NotePad, it will make no sense. When you close Word and revalidate, you will see legitimate results, whether or not NotePad has the file open.
| Reply by PAW on 9/13/08 7:05am
Msg #264146
I strongly suggest never using MS Word for HTML code generation, primarily because of the issue you mentioned. If anyone wants to edit their own web page codes in HTML, there are a ton of free editors available, most with spell checking capability, plus WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editing. Those serious about web design and features should invest in commercially available web generation tools, such as DreamWeaver and FrontPage (being replaced with MS Expression Web Professional), to mention a couple of popular ones. Again, there are lots of tools available to the novice as well as the experienced and professional web designers.
For a start, go to http://www.thefreecountry.com/webmaster/htmleditors.shtml for some of the more traditional and popular editors.
| Reply by MichiganAl on 9/13/08 12:02pm
Msg #264162
Definitely love Dreamweaver
Maybe Frontpage has improved, but the Frontpage I used to know generated awful code. I hope MS Expression is better.
| Reply by BarbaraL_CA on 9/13/08 12:29pm
Msg #264163
re MS Expression Web Professional....???
I've used FrontPage for the last 6 years and love it. I didn't even know it was being discontinued. Is it worth it to upgrade to MS Expression Web Professional? Would like to hear from others who use(d) FrontPage and are now using MS Expression Web Professional.
| Reply by PAW on 9/13/08 2:49pm
Msg #264175
Re: re MS Expression Web Professional....???
I do use FrontPage (though it isn't the best, but it does work and most hosts support FP Extensions). I haven't tried Expression (now in the second incarnation) because it requires XP(SP3) or Vista and I'm still on Win2K and Win2K Server. Maybe someday when MS gets their OS act together, I'll upgrade. But for now, what I have works, so no need to change. 
| Reply by Bob_Chicago on 9/13/08 8:34am
Msg #264152
I love it when you guys talk dirty. n/m
| Reply by froggyID on 9/13/08 11:12am
Msg #264159
Another thing against using Word for html generation is that it adds lines and lines of unnecessary code to the page. We called that code-bloat.
| Reply by Ernest__CT on 9/14/08 9:32pm
Msg #264244
All Microsoft code generators put garbage in ...
... the HTML. Most generate code with stuff that is specific to Internet Explorer only.
Use your favorite tools to generate the code, then clean it up so that it passes validation.
Microsoft thinks that everybody uses only Microsoft browsers. They're wrong.
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