Tools of the Trade (Web Design) Part 2

Since Real Salt Lake has a lengthy break ahead of the them, I figured it was time to start writing about Web Design. I am still an amateur, but here a few tools I have found that really help produce awesome pages.

TextMate - macromates.com
This is THE Text Editing tool for the Mac. If you don't have a Mac, this is one more reason to buy one. I love how easy it is to use. If there is a big folder, you can just grab it and drop it on the TextMate icon and it will open with a nice and neat directory on the left side of the pad. TextMate supports a variety of languages including the popular PHP, HTML, CSS, etc. I also love how you can get code snips and post code snips to Snipplr! (See next item)

Snipplr - snipplr.com
Snipplr is a site which you can store all your favorite coding snips. Then you can use TextMate (See above) to import them into your code. It will keep all your code on your free account and you can also search to see other peoples code which may help you complete your project.

CSS Edit - macrabbit.com/cssedit
I haven't used this much, but when I have used it, I love it. It is a very clean way to do CSS. There is a cool preview mode which will show you what you are changing while you are doing it, rather than switching to your browser and refreshing. This is great for people who have little experience with CSS because it has a menu on the right hand side. Once you choose something, the code will be automatically entered into your style sheet and it provides a great way for a beginner to learn.

CSS Mastery - www.cssmastery.com
This is an amazing book which helps me everyday. It provides real solutions to real problems and is written very well. It provides good guides to debug browser issues, hacks and filters. It is written by Andy Budd with help from Cameron Moll and Simon Collison. This is a must read for anyone who works with CSS.


Part 3: Wacom Tablet, Writemaps, xml-sitemaps