Downloads

If you're a novice Web designer, you really don't have to switch between three or four programs to design, preview, and publish a Web site. You can use CoffeeCup HTML Editor instead. This program is great for people (like me) who have inherited a site to update and don't know much HTML. But it also supports more-advanced coding, such as CSS, PHP, and XHTML tags. This fully functioning 30-day trial version will give you a good sense of whether it will work for your needs. I definitely recommend it over the unintuitive Web Easy Professional Express, which I reviewed previously.

CoffeeCup HTML Editor has a friendly way about it. Tabs along the top and sides of the window put the three main views (Code Editor, Visual Editor, and Preview) right at your fingertips. When you're ready to design a page, the QuickStart wizard helps with design. You're plopped into the Code Editor, but you can switch to the Visual Editor to enter text and drag-and-drop images from files on your computer. And in the Code Editor, you can choose to see a split screen.

The program also lets you test compatibility with various browsers (up to six), as well as upload your files using FTP.

CoffeeCup HTML Editor has its idiosyncracies (like making you save your file whenever you switch from Code Editor to Visual Editor), but they are a small price to pay.

Be advised: Advertisements are parked along the top of the program of the free version and the program asks you to sign up for various added services. If you register for $49, they'll disappear.

--Jennifer Berger

Note: this download will take you to the developer's site.