Web Design with HTML and CSS

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Web editors versus WYSIWYG tools

Web Design with HTML and CSS Digital Classroom

Code completion

Most text editors can automate a number of certain tedious tasks, such as typing brackets

or common tags. Although the methods and shortcuts for each program are diff erent, most

full-featured text editors have this capability. Some text editors automatically trigger code

completion as you begin to type, while others require you to trigger the code completion

and choose the code from a list of options. Code completion is useful, as it removes some of

the burden of having to remember every detail of the syntax you are using, whether HTML,

CSS, or another language.

In TextMate (Mac OS), you can trigger code completion manually by

pressing the Option + Esc keys. Similar capabilities exist in Windows

text editors such as Visual Studio from Microsoft.

Automation features

Most text editors have some capability for automating repetitive tasks. Whether they are

called macros, snippets, clips, or by some other name. These automation tools give you the

ability to add reusable pieces of code to your pages and can save you a great deal of time.

In Coda (Mac OS), the Clip feature provides a way to save and

re-use code across projects. In this example, the basic HTML

structure of a page is selected.