Web Tools

I am putting this section together because these are tools and links that I use frequently. For more general resources and reference sites on web technologies, try my Web Development page. You also might want to look at About this site for information as to how I came to create these pages as a classroom assignment at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC).

HomeSite: I have used this program since it was freeware, back in 1996. After it was taken over by Allaire and then merged with Macromedia, I was beginning to lose interest in it. However, I've had to do a lot of heavy work over the past month (August 2003) and I've returned to it because of its robust search and replace features. Since you get a version with Dreamweaver, it's easy to have it in every developer's tool chest. It had a kind of cult following of all the handcoders, but it also had quirks that alienated other users (heavy demands of computer resources, a WYSIWYG editor that really wasn't that, etc.) Macromedia »» HS Online Forums »» DevCenter »» Code Color Syntax »» ASP₄HS »» HS Tips »» HS Extensibiltiy ::: About.com ::: For nostalgia, here's the original HomeSite URL from 1997 and it still works.
Chami / HTML-Kit: I started using HTML-Kit about tow years ago because it had HTML Tidy (see below) built into it. Since then, it has broadened its features. I use it for lots of coding. HTMLKit »» HTMLKit Insider »» User Manual »» Preferences »» Plugins
CSE HTML Validator ::: Amaya ::: Apache Docs ::: SecureCRT ::: CuteFTP Pro
JPSoftware Some things are done better from the command line, and these are the best upgrades for anything in Windows. 4DOS/Take Command »» Help
Cascading Style Sheets: Nick Bradbury, the creator of HomeSite, turned his talents to creating a CSS editor, TopStyle. Now in version 3.2, it can also handle HTML and XHTML, making it a good tool for sketching out page designs.
Utilities: HTML Tidy »» Raggett's original site ::: Online Version ::: Jonathan Hedley's online version ::: User Archives ::: TidyUI ::: TidyGUI ::: HTMLTrim ::: RenameFiles ::: BK ReplaceEM ::: PowerGrep
Link validator: W3C's link checker
Accessibility: Bobby ::: CynthiaSays ::: Dodgydom.com's Link Summarizer
Kits: Lab404 Toolshed ::: Netcraft ::: What's Running? ::: DomainWatch
Graphic Squeeze: SpinWave GIF and JPEG Cruncher ::: GIF Wizard
WebMonkey Tools: HTML tags ::: Color codes ::: browser chart ::: special characters
Web Performance: Patrick's Web Performance Tuning ::: Web Optimization
HTTP to Telnet
Robot.txt turorial

Bookmarklets or Favelets

Bookmarklets are small JavaScript codes that are listed in the bookmark feature of your browser. Because we do so much of our work in Internet Explorer, it makes sense to have easy access to other tools.

SquareFree: Bookmarklets ::: SEO ::: WebDev ::: Validation
Sam-I-Amz
Accessibility: Accessify
Starting Point:
Tantek ::: Slimland
Dodgydom Accessibility

Conversion

HTML to XHTML ::: Another ::: O'Reilly using HTML Tidy ::: SGMLReader

Headaches

Cleaning UP after Microsoft: Word HTML Cleaner ::: Dreamweaver MX Extenion ::: UTX ::: Shirley Kaiser's version ::: Also see the HTML Tidy utility above

Validation

I am in the process of trying to beat my site into compliance with W3C standards for XHTML, CSS and accessibiltiy.

W3C: HTML and Cascading Style Sheets ::: LinkChecker
Site Valet
Mutli-purpose: CSE HTML Validator from AI Internet Solutions has evolved from just validating HTML syntax to include CSS, accessibility, links and other recommendations. It is now in version 6. There is a Lite 3.5 version. It also can serve as an HTML editor so that you do not have to switch to another program while checking errors. It also integrates well with HomeSite.
A Real Validator - $25 ::: LIFT Online - $299 for a year.
WDG Online Validator and Batch

Other Tools

VMWare Virtual PC
WebMaster Toolkit contains many online resources and aids, plus links to other relevant sites
Multiple versions of IE on one system

Troubleshooting

Internet Performance: If your website is not performing well, it may not be due to your server, but the Internet itself. Hacker attacks, down network nodes and other issues can slow Internet traffic. Internet Storm Center ::: Internet Traffic Report ::: Internet Health Report
Xaffire Average Performance
TraceRoute: