HTML & CSS Editing Apps For Windows Designers
Last week’s roundup of HTML and CSS editing apps for Mac users proved really popular, but the Windows based designers were feeling a little left out. This week’s roundup pulls together the most popular editing application choices for PC users.
TopStyle ($79.95)
TopStyle for Windows contains powerful tools for building standards-compliant websites. It includes useful features such as live preview, built in validation, live editing and HTML5 support.
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Notepad2 (FREE)
Notepad2 is one of the most popular utilities for Windows users. It’s a fast, lightweight and simple application. Notepad2 doesn’t include fancy features of more robust editing apps, but if it’s just a program to manually write your code that you’re after, Notepad2 may be for you.
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Stylizer ($79.99)
Stylizer is a web page building app with a range of unique features such as drop-and-drop functionality and ‘Bullseye’ on-page editing. Stylizer is described as a great tool to help designers learning the basics of CSS to learn better through its real time visual tool that lets you see how the pieces fit together.
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E-TextEditor ($46.95)
E-TextEditor is the Windows alternative for the popular Mac only TextMate app. It supports TextMate bundles and snippets, as well having the ability to be extended with new languages.
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Style Master ($59.99)
Style Master is a CSS editing app that’s available for both Windows and Mac users. It features live editing of websites vis FTP, has both design & code views and built in browser support for easy troubleshooting.
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PSPad (FREE)
PSPad is a freeware editor with support for a number of file types and languages. Features such as syntax highlighting, macros, clips and templates make it a complete application for the designer confident with their coding skills.
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Rapid CSS ($29.85)
Rapid CSS features both manual editing capabilities and the option of having a stylesheet automatically created. Other features such as auto-completion, code inspection and validation make it a good competitor.
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StyleSheet Maker ($34)
StyleSheet Maker is a CSS editing application with a visual wizard feature allowing you to build ID and Classes through a WYSIWYG editor. It’s not limited to CSS though, HTML documents can also be created and tested in multiple browsers.
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EngInSite CSS Editor ($39.95)
The EngInSite CSS Editor is a complete CSS editing application with all the features you could wish for. Live preview and validation, visual editing, wizards and auto-completion features make it a great app for both beginners and veterans.
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Astyle (FREE)
Astyle is a simple CSS editor with a clean interface. The useful graphic tree view makes it easy to navigate through your CSS and HTML documents.
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Dreamweaver ($399)
Dreamweaver is one of the most well known page building apps. It includes a range of unique features and is a robust app allowing websites to be build via the Design or Code views. If you already have access to Dreamweaver as part of the Adobe Creative Suite, it definitely has every tool you’ll ever need, as well as some you probably never will need!
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Notepad++ (FREE)
Notepad++ is another free lightweight application for Windows and is a popular choice for veteran programmers who only need a basic app to manually write their code.
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Thanks Chris! I always like to test different editors. Another free one that I found useful a while back was <a href="http://www.alleycode.com/">Alleycode</a>.
I'd suggest Intype (http://intype.info/home/index.php)
Possibly the nicest looking text editor for Windows in my opinion. The only problem its quite featureless and hasn't been updated for some time.
But perfect if you want a lightweight option with good syntax highlighting.
Also my text editor of choice :)
Agree. Intype looks best. If only it had everything Notepad++ had to offer!
Intype is in 0.3 alpha stage as long as I can remember. I suggest you use e-texteditor instead. I miss that super-useful undo history feature (I switched to mac a year ago)
Awesome list of editors, some I'd not heard of but look promising, and worth a trial (if they have one).
Netbeans is another one, which I'm using at the moment, but has only just started implementing HTML5 and CSS3 support for auto complete etc. Worth checking out though.
windows is really lacking a good CSS editor like CSSEdit for MAC.
Stylizer has a great concept, unfortunately, there isn't an option to manually edit code, which means you can't use advanced CSS3 that hasn't been included in the UI.
stylemaster hasn't got the greatest interface, seems like it was designed in the early 2000s.
topstyle keeps crashing in the preview.
I went back to notepad++
there's a new web app called buildorpro that allows you to design in the browser. it's currently in beta. although it still has limited uses such as rapid prototyping. don't expect to be able to build a fully fledged HTML5/Css3 app with it.
Hi Chis,
Another great article from you..
One editor I would suggest is Aptana WebStudio with built-in FTP-Connection, macros and much more.
Its also comfortable with MAC
- Check out http://aptana.com/ – The new 3 version of Aptana is out now :P
Aptana is great – very nifty especially if you want to extend it to Javascript, Ruby on Rails, etc!
* compatible
Stylizer is really the best visual CSS editor imo. I've been using it for 2 years.
useful editors you listing. thanks
I use WeBuilder from Blumentals, it is quite a bit more than an HTML/CSS editor but it does them quite well in my opinion for a not dissimilar (or less, in the case of Dreamweaver) price.
How can Windows be so freaking ugly? It's like they're going out of their way to do it… :)
Haha, the ugly ones are Windows 95 etc. Also the most of the actual applications seem to follow function-over-form, which is fine by me. I'd rather something that was ugly and worked, than something that was pretty and useless.
I am using PSPad and I love it.
@Bill Labus, this was Windows XP and it didn't look good, you have to check out Windows 7 it looks much better :-)
Notepad++ is tops for me
E-Text Editor is my choice, it's really great and the best of it is that you can use TextMate bundles within it.
However, I tend to use Notepad++ too, simply great and lightweight
Great list, but I was surprised there was no mention of EditPlus. It's a great editor especially when you add custom commands.
In your opinion what is the closest program to Coda on Mac?
Im using dreamweaver just because I have it atm.. but Coda does seem like an amazing piece of software.
Staring to think I may have to invest in some apple hardware
@simmo – I would say Aptana… I can't mention any editors thats closer to Coda than that.. But if there one of you who know one, Im also listening ears :)
http://www.sublimetext.com/ free and very good looking
I agree, Sublime Text is my choice for editing.
there is one more which is under development and i have been using it for about 4 months now which is nice and i think it should be review,
intype.info
I am using Notepad++. this is the one of the best tool for editing Html and css files.
I´m using Dreamweaver, that is working fine for me.. Also use Notepad if needed.
:-)
Notepad++ is what I use. Lightweight, snappy and very solid.
Nice round up – I'd echo Nils though, Aptana really should get a mention. Especially as it's compaitble with Zen Coding (my new best friend)
Notepad++ is the best.
HTML Kit is one of my faves. There's a free version too.
http://www.htmlkit.com/
Great post :)
I keep it simple..Dreamweaver or something like NotepadII. I think the GUI software and wysiwyg does more harm than good. Good old fashion coding.
I have always used notepad++
It's easier to use notepad/notepad ++. It's harder, for me anyway, to learn how to use a wysiwyg editor then to learn code.
Great list Chris. I've just started using:
Sublime Text – http://www.sublimetext.com/
Compatible with TextMate and features:
* Macros
* Powerful Snippets
* Panels
* Quick document viewer
* Clean and simple UI
Highlight recommended.
Does anybody know if the free version of Microsoft Visual Studio is any good?
Notepad++ fits all my needs. Simple and effective.
I'm a fan of Notepad++.
I also use some of the add-ons for the firefox browser, such as Firebug.
I'm shocked that you left out UtraEdit, EditPlus, CoffeeCup, and Aptana Studio.
this is a great collection of tool some im not to familiar with tho notepad period is like a standard to me its time to use different tool
I have just started writing Div codes… and this post is right on time thanks man
I also would add intype to that list (works fine for me ;))
Hmmm… I thought I'm not the only one using PHP Designer to code html/css. It has all you want code to programming: html, php, javascript, ruby, etc, etc. I like it how it switches the highlighting (colored/light gray) between html and php depending on which part are you working on. Great especially when creating themes for WordPress. It als has a nice code snippet feature, suggestions-as-you-type function similar to what Dreamweaver has, and ftp manager, opening files and saving them directly on server. And it's pretty decently priced, unlike Dreamweaver. http://www.mpsoftware.dk/
Iḿ using the Bluefish editor. It works very handy, if I'm typing a selector, bluefish gives me different ones wich I'm probably want to use too choose from. It also explains what it does. Beside that gives colors to the dirrirent words. As last I also use it on my Ubuntu pc. I have the same program on Ubuntu as on Windows 7.
Hi everyone i really recommend Dreamweaver it's the best tool for windows both developers and designers
Good Luck
What do you think about Aptana? Isn't it a very good alternative?
Btw, will be there a Guide of tools like this to Linux soon?
Thanks!
I use dreamweaver and firebug for my web designs but going to take note of the article and user comments and try other apps too, Notepad++ was mentioned a few times
Notepad++ with a nice skin FTW!
Notepad++ :)
best
simon at http://www.pixmac.com
Avesome post, as usual :)
But what about WeBulder ?
[ http://www.blumentals.net/webuilder/ ]
I use it fot a few years and i'm happy.
But for special things (huge files) Notepad 2 is, imho, more speedy
Aptana Studio is my preferred choice
its the best …
thanks Chris Spooner
I suggest to add one more very good free HTML editor – Codelobster PHP Edition (http://www.codelobster.com)