 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Allaire HomeSite 4.0 Bernadette Houghton bernieh@iaccess.com.au |
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When it comes to developing a Web site, there are those who prefer the visual approach, laying out pages without ever glimpsing a single line of HTML code. Then there are those who would much rather wallow in juicy HTML. Allaire HomeSite 4.0 is targeted at this latter group, although the latest release has introduced some support for visual design. The benefits of the HTML approach lie primarily in the cleaner code produced--it runs faster and is much more easily maintained.
HomeSite supports HTML up to version 4.0, ASP, Perl, VTML and VBScript, as well as highend technologies like DHTML, SMIL, and JavaScript, with customisable colour coding for most languages. HomeSite is a close relation to Allaire's ColdFusion Web application development tool. It offers full support for the Cold-Fusion Markup Language, and also integrates with Macromedia's Dreamweaver (a visual Web design tool). OLE automation and ActiveScripting support mean that developers can manipulate HomeSite from external applications and write scripts to automate custom tasks. Support for Cascading Style Sheets and a separate Style Editor mini-application means that you can use styles instead of cluttering your HTML documents with formatting code. Multiple document support makes it easier to edit whole sites at once.
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The interface
At first glance, the HomeSite interface appears cluttered and messy. However, it is highly customisable, and you can tweak virtually everything. As we users have come to expect these days, toolbars are floatable, dockable and customisable. There are user-definable keyboard shortcuts, drag and drop support, re-sizeable windows, user-controlled pop-up menus and more. HomeSite offers a range of wizards and templates to speed up development, but you can create your own wizards and templates-- and tag editors, as well.
HomeSite's default screen has two main windows. The Resources window on the left offers access to:
- Files on your local or network drives or a remote site
- Stored blocks of code
- Tag properties
- HomeSite's help facilities
- A graphical view of the current document and its
links.
- Edit, where you enter and refine your code
- Browse, where you preview your work in a Web browser within the document window. You can use either HomeSite's internal browser or Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Alternatively, you can configure HomeSite to open any browser of your choice in a separate window>
- Design, the new visual page layout tool. While intended mainly for quick tweaks and entering blocks of text, you can also use it to create tables and forms.
How it works
HomeSite's default template offers a bare bones HTML document that you pad out as required. As you type in your code, you can choose tags from a pop-up menu or selection window, and have Homesite add the corresponding closing tag automatically. You type in attributes and values directly into the Edit window, choose them from a popup menu or enter them into a Tag Editor dialog box or the tag property sheet in the Resources window--whichever you find easiest. As you enter code, HomeSite automatically formats it according to whatever scheme you have chosen, and validates it for correct syntax. You can also run your document through a complete validation check at any time, validating it against specific languages or common browsers. When you feel the need, you can run the Codesweeper through documents to re-format the code.
HomeSite has wizards that automatically write code for frames, tables, slideshows or outlines, synchronising sound files and embedding RealPlayer custom controls in your documents. You can view thumbnails of images in the current directory, and drag and drop them (including document and other media files) into the Edit or Design window to quickly create links. Double-clicking on stored code in the Resources window inserts it into your document, and HomeSite has full support for a range of word processing features such as spell checking, search and replace and bookmarking. An extended search-and-replace facility trawls multiple documents and folders, and the Link Checker identifies missing links or file dependencies in the current document. To help you control download times at the user's end, HomeSite can list a document's ile dependencies. For each file, it calculates download times for a range of modem speeds, enabling you to locate possible bottlenecks and tweak the file size or number of dependencies to achieve faster downloading.
HomeSite in a team environment
If you work on multiple projects or in a team environment, HomeSite offers several features to make life easier. The Resources window offers a tree or chart view of an entire site, including individual pages and document links. You can associate files with specific projects, so they are easier to manage and publish to the Web. You can import existing Web sites, and if your Web developers are at different locations, built-in FTP capabilities enable you to exchange files remotely. Tag snippets (saved blocks of code) can be shared among a team or kept private. Support for external source-code control products, such as Microsoft Visual SourceSafe and Intersolv PVCS help HomeSite users share files and maintain their integrity.
Assessment
HomeSite has a wealth of tools and resources. Its highly customisable environment will appeal to developers who prefer to concentrate their energies on getting things done rather than fiddling around preparing to get them done. It supports most of today's technologies and is compatible with a wide range of third-party Web development tools; you'll find evaluation versions of many of these on the HomeSite CD-ROM.
Verdict
HomeSite is sure to be a useful tool for those who prefer the direct coding approach to developing Web pages.
Reprinted from the June 1999 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
