What program should I use for website design?

[GIR]

Some sites are best built in simplicity. Like a couple other posters, I used notepad to make some pretty decent-looking websites in pure HTML with CSS.

For another group I'm in, I graduated to a CMS (content management system) that makes it nicer when doing dynamic updates and adding some pretty cool functionality. It's built off PHP and MYSQL on the back-end. I still wanted to modify things like title logo, banners, and other aesthetic elements so I used Photoshop CS to do most of that work. Joomla! works great as a canned (turn-key) solution. Installation is wicked (yes, I'm from new england) easy, and the functionality is wicked awesome. The added benefit is that I didn't need to spend days or weeks trying to tweak everything the way I wanted...I'm just too busy these days to muss with coding.

So, I guess after reading all of these posts, I bring the question back to you:

"What is your goal in building the website?"

That question should drive the need for tools to succeed in your goal.

[artdutra04]

I use Dreamweaver MX (color syntax coding for XHTML, CSS, and PHP), Fireworks MX (for designing conceptual designs and graphics), Photoshop CS2 (always great to have in your bag o' tools!). I use Fireworks to design web pages, Dreamweaver to code them, and Photoshop to do amazing batch processing and editing of pictures for the photo galleries.

I've used FrontPage, and it was okay if all you are doing is editing HTML, CSS, and Javascript in the "Code View" and using its built in FTP. But I absolutely HATED that it did not have color syntaxing available for PHP. So I went out and bought Macromedia Studio MX to get Fireworks, Dreamweaver, and Flash.

I've also had some experience with CMS's, and they can be great. I was originally going to use a turn-key PHP/MySQL CMS for team228.org's 2007 website (our new site revision is still under construction) and then hack it down to the software core and rebuild it the way I wanted it to work, but I didn't like any of them enough, so I writing my own from scratch. It's fun to try the impossible!

* Actually, it's not that hard. I already have a news system done, about 40% of the administrator back-end done, the photo galleries are well under way, and overall its coming along great. The hardest part was importing 2100+ pictures into the MySQL database, tagging them, and adding descriptions for the photo gallery!

[jakk]

What camera do you guys use? I like the wallpaper section:

http://www.team228.org/media/wallpaper/

[GIR]

Originally Posted by jakk

What camera do you guys use? I like the wallpaper section:

http://www.team228.org/media/wallpaper/

DITTO on that question!

I love the composition of your photography...someone's got a good eye and has some talent!

As for me...Digital Rebel (first generation) 6.3 MP...definitely does the trick for a lot of the stuff that I do.

[Chris2]

I also like using Notepad ++. It allows me to use the same program to create html, css, and php files. At school I have to use Dreamweaver because, which works ok, but I am just not as fond of it.

[GRaduns340]

I've been through many programs trying to settle on a good editor for my many uses. I would say that the best choice I have found by far is Dreamweaver, if you're willing to spend the money. It is formatted to assist your code in just about any language you would need for a website. Since I'm not much for the visual parts of any editors, I can't speak for its visual editor. I've never used it. I write all of my code out, so if that's what you're looking for, it might not be the best answer.

However, if you don't want to spend the money, I have been through several of these as well. The obvious starting point is Notepad, but that is about the simplest and quite annoying at times. I've also used TextPad and PSPad. Both are nice, and each is good for different things. The one big downside I've found to PSPad is that its indentation isn't standard for most other programs. It uses two spaces as a tabbed indentation, even when opening a file that was created with a different format. That's my only problem with that, aside from that it's not as nice as Dreamweaver.

[chrisstruttmann]

Programmer's Notepad (http://pnotepad.org) is pretty nice too.

[artdutra04]

Originally Posted by GIR

DITTO on that question!

I love the composition of your photography...someone's got a good eye and has some talent!

As for me...Digital Rebel (first generation) 6.3 MP...definitely does the trick for a lot of the stuff that I do.

Thanks!

I took all of those photos on my ancient, but trusty (20,000 picture strong and counting) Samsung 4.0 Mp camera. Some of them ("Robotics", "Cogs", "Nexus", "Gearbox", "Schematic", and "Vexed") I edited with a few filters in Photoshop CS2 or Paint Shop Pro 8, but with all of them I used the "Macro" setting on my camera.

Otherwise, since I almost always have at least one of my cameras (digital still and/or my Mini DV video) with me at every robotics meeting, I often just pick up objects on the table and start photographing them. I took dozens of pictures of the pieces of 80/20 extrusion, as well as the gears from the "Cogs" picture until I found some that I liked. (With a 2Gb SD card, and a backup 1Gb SD card in my wallet, I take TONS of pictures, including most of the pictures on our website from 2005 until present.)

[NinJA999]

When I started out, I used notepad, which is great for learning HTML because you have to type it all out. I have since switched to Dreamweaver, and LOVE IT!!

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

If you do php, you can forget about Frontpage and Dreamweaver

I use Dreamweaver with PHP and it works fine, but, hey, to every man his method.
Personally, I would recommend against Frontpage. While it *can* be used to make basic sites, the code it generates borders on unreadable.

So, if you can, I would suggest getting Dreamweaver.

[Bohalin]

Adobe Dream weaver is good... thats what I use..

[jpyro]

I make web sites on Microsoft Expressions web, photoshop and flash. And use notepad ++ as an editor or if i feel like typing c code or xml. All expressions web is, is a simplified version of DreamWeaver, i know cause i used to use dreamweaver and frontpage before that.

[pufame]

I'm a dreamweaver fan

[(Click_Here)]

We use frontpage, dreamweaver, flash, fireworks in the proccess of creating our website.

[RoboJedi75]

My advise: Learn in notepad, produce in an editor.

Personally, I still use Notepad (although, Notepad ++ will certainly help). I've used Dreamweaver, Netscape Composer, MS Frontpage, and MS Publisher. To me, any one of them could never do everything I wanted (PHP, javascript, asp, CSS, XML, HTML frames, ...). So, it depends what code you'll be using.

[i_stainbrook]

My team's website started out on Freewebs, and we just used the built-in HTML editor. Now, however, we've upgraded our servers and have FTP support. At work sessions, we use Dreamweaver due to ease of use and FTP integration. At home, since I don't have Dreamweaver, I use Smart FTP and make small edits in Notepad.