Re: Writing a GREAT HTML editor!

> After working with the major HTML editing products I found through Strouds
> Consummate Winsock Apps, I was somewhat dissappointed.  With this in mind, I
> decided to write my own.  Hopefully I will be releasing a Beta in 2-3 months!

 Good for you.  I've been thinking of doing something like this, too.

> This product will DEFINITELY have a "Microsft feel", it's button bars
> looking very much like Word or Access.  Further, I will be building in ALL
> the features of the 3 or 4 other products, PLUS providing COMPLETE support
> for HTML 3.0 (at least as it is proposed) and support for all Netscape
> extended commands.

 You might want to make the Netscape extentions available only if a certain
 flag is set, to prevent any from being inserted accidentally when trying to
 write a non-Netscape document.

 Also, HTML3 should be given preference over Netscape.  If a user highlights,
 say, a header and two paragraphs, the code generated should insert
 ALIGN=CENTER into the <Hn> and <P> tags rather than just surrounding it all
 with <CENTER></CENTER>.

 Also, the code generated probably should avoid optional omissions:  surround
 paragraphs with <P></P> and list items with <LI></LI> explicitly.  And make
 sure the raw HTML code is formatted in a human readable way -- I might want
 to go in and tweak things by hand...
 
> I would GREATLY appreciate any input you may have in OTHER features everyone
> would like to see.  In gratitude for your suggestions, I'll keep your e-mail
> addresses handy in order to let you know exectly when the product is
> released.  I'll also talk to my partner about providing free licenses to
> those people with unique ideas we actually implement.

 There is one feature I could really use:  A user-definable menu of HTML to
 be inserted into documents.

 For example, my WWW Guide to the Residents consists of about 150 HTML pages,
 200 GIFs, and 15 icons.  It would be very handy if, when I want to create a
 link to the lyrics for a song (which shows up on the pages by a lyrics icon
 next to the song name), instead of having to type...

 <A HREF="../lyrics/constantinople.html"><IMG SRC="../icons/lyrics.gif"
 ALT="[Lyrics]"></A>

 ...I could just go up to a menu and select "Lyrics Icon", then type
 "constantinople" at a prompt.
 
> Thanks all!!!  Hope to hear from you soon!
> Cordially,
> John-Paul Clark
 
 
 James H.G. Redekop                         Free confidential counselling for
 tzoq@publix.empath.on.ca                         SURVIVORS OF DECONSTRUCTION
 tzoq@csd.uwo.ca                                           Call 1-800-MEANING
 http://www.csd.uwo.ca/~tzoq/    Ap(point)ments may be continually postponed.

Received on Monday, 3 April 1995 15:54:01 UTC