Development Tools for Web-Based Scholarly Works

William A. Weems and Beth D. Ardoin
Modified 4/7/2000

The following software applications are suggested for creating HTML documents using a Windows 95 environment:

HTML Editors

Netscape Composer (support = yes)
This is an excellent beginners tool for the creation of WWW pages. This component of Netscape Communicator is already on most UT-Houston desktops. It is easy and available for virtually all computer platforms. The usage license is free to educational and non-profit organizations. It does not have some useful tools that are found in word processor based editors such as a thesaurus and the ability to print formatted text on paper. The creation of forms, image maps and frames is not supported. Composer works well with both of our publishing environments here at UT (ftp and Publisher). Individuals learning to create HTML documents should consider starting with this editor.

Microsoft Word as an HTML Editor (support = yes)

This is another excellent tool for beginners and many are already familiar with the program, reducing the learning curve. After creating a page in Microsoft Word, just use the File/Save As HTML feature to change your Word document to HTML. Since this program does not do a clean job of converting the document, you may have to do some cleaning up afterwards.

You can also begin with File/New and choose to create and HTML document from the start. This changes some of the toolbars, but the outcome is cleaner and requires less "cleanup" afterwards.

Microsoft FrontPage (support = no)

Many UT-Houston staff already use this tool. It, too, is available on most desktops and presently upgrades are free. This program is much more complex than Netscape's Composer and is one of many options for more advanced web designing.

Macromedia's Dreamweaver (support = yes)

This program is more intuitive and complete than most web creation programs. True programmers like the clean HTML tagging of Dreamweaver. Macromedia touts this program for professional web designers, rather than for beginners. Macromedia provides online tutorials with the program and updates more advanced skills through their web page.

Image Mapping Tools

Dreamweaver and FrontPage both provide image mapping as part of their basic product. (support = no)

Image Conversion Tools

Lview Pro (support = yes)
Lview Pro is useful for converting bit mapped images between image types. For example, one can use the application to covert BMP images into GIF of JPEG images. It can be used for cropping, resizing, and creating transparent images. It is shareware and available for downloading via the Internet.

Adobe Photoshop (support = yes)

Photoshop is a professional quality program used primarily for editing bit mapped images. It is very powerful but has a rather steep learning curve.

Corel PHOTO-PAINT (support = yes)

PHOTO-PAINT, like Adobe's Photoshop, is a BMP editing program.

Microsoft Photo Editor (support = no)

This application is part of Windows 95 and later versions. It is useful for converting image files from one format to another, sizing images, creating transparent images and other basic image manipulation tasks. It is not listed with the Windows2000 list of software.

Macromedia Fireworks (support = yes)

Fireworks allows for the creation of buttons, animations, and page comps. Everything remains editable, including files from leading graphics applications. The programs is great for finding the optimal file save features for graphics. The program also includes a history panel, step-by-step button maker, and the Library. The Fireworks code integrates seamlessly into Dreamweaver and other leading HTML editors.

Tools for Creating Vector Graphics

Vector graphics programs internally represent images mathematically as vectors. Thus, images can be readily scaled without losing details. Once the image is "appropriately" represented, it can be converted to an image type such as GIF or JPG for inclusion in an HTML document.

CorelDRAW (support = yes)
CorelDRAW is a vector-based drawing program with extensive text-handling and precision drawing features. It is very powerful. It internally models object as 2-dimensional objects.

Tools for Creating and Editing Bit mapped Graphics

Programs that internally represent images as bit maps are very useful but do not handling scaling well - particularly when increased resolution is required. A scanned image, for example, is generally represented as a bit mapped image, its resolution determined by the pixel density that was set when the image was scanned. When images are stored at a high resolution density, image files are very large and load slowly via the network if the network bandwidth is relatively low. When one uses a program like Photoshop to "zoom" in on the image, the image will not become grainy (i.e. pixelate) until the "magnified" resolution is less than that of the display device. Most computer monitors have a display resolution of approximately 72 pixels per inch. Thus, in most cases, image files to be displayed with an HTML document do not need to have a resolution of more than 72 pixels per inch.

Adobe Photoshop (support = yes)
Photoshop is a professional quality program used primarily for editing bit mapped images. It is very powerful but has a rather steep learning curve.
 
Corel PHOTO-PAINT (support = yes)
Photo-paint, like Photoshop, is a BMP editing program. CorelPHOTO-PAINT is part of the CorelDRAW Suite.
 
Microsoft Photo Editor (support = no)
This application is part of Windows 95. It is useful for converting image files from one format to another, sizing images, creating transparent images and other basic image manipulation tasks.

Animation Tools

Macromedia Flash (support = yes)

This animation tool can be used t for producing and delivering animation to Web sites. Musical tracks, sound effects, animations, and innovative interfaces all converge in Flash. The outcome of the animation can be an animated gif, or a shockwave flash file.

Audio Tools

Cool Edit (support = yes)

This is an excellent digital sound editor that has numerous functions. Just a few include
• recording
• graphical editing of sound wave forms
• filters
• creating RealAudio encoded files for delivery by RealAudio streaming servers
• encoding in numerous other file formats

 

RealAudio G2 Encoder (support = yes)
 
This application allows realtime recording and encoding of audio inputs as well as the conversion of digital audio from a number of audio formats into the RealAudio format. The RealAudio format is required for the delivery of streaming audio from RealAudio servers.

The encoder can also be used with a RealAudio server to "broadcast" live audio via the Internet.

• Support = yes - this term means that the Scriptorium promotes and supports questions about this program. If you have questions about supported programs, you can call the Scriptorium for help.
• Support = no - this term refers to software that the Scriptorium and the university in general may be using, but it is not a "university standard."
 Thus questions about these programs must go to the company that provided them. You cannot call the Scriptorium for help with these programs.

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