HTML Editor Reviews

Macromedia Backstage Designer 1.0

Backstage Designer -- Macromedia

Found: http://www.macromedia.com/

Overview:

• Windows 3.X/95/NT
• Stand alone program
• Graphical style editor
• HTML checking - during graphical editing and when editing HTML source
• Very Stable
• Commercial:
• Screen Shot
• User Comments

Nice features found in this package include:

Easy to use graphical style, but access to underlying HTML.

I found the package very easy to use. One thing that graphical editors must provide is an intuitive way for users to "exit" structural elements (for example, lists). This is very important, since users of these packages are not generally familiar with HTML. Backstage Designer provides very simple ways of leaving constructs, utilizing toggle buttons for lists similarly to the way MS word handles bullet and numbered lists. I also appreciated the ability to edit "raw" HTML when desired. The package will perform some validation of your changes before incorporating them into the document.

Great support for Java, Netscape plug-ins, and Active X

The package provides good support for embedded applications. You can quickly insert an applet, plug-in, or Active-X control into a document and assign parameters to them. Since this is a graphical editor, a place holder is used to show the "actual" space needed by the embedded component based on the height and width parameters.

Graphical editing of forms.

Backstage Designer allows authors to design forms graphically on the page being designed. A small red outline is used to differentiate between forms on a page (so you know which control belongs in which form).

Document tree view and project manager

The package also includes a document tree viewer. This allows the user to see the structure of the document at a glance. Also, an "explore" like interface for managing projects is included as a separate application. Using a familiar interface made the project manager application very easy to use.

Feels like a word processor

Like many graphical packages, using Backstage Designer is more like a word processor than a text editor. Backstage will create a new list element when you press the return at the end of a line.

Built in image map editor

Backstage Designer includes an image map editor. The editor support circular and user defined hot spots, in addition to the normal rectangular. The application will save a server side map file, but does not support creating client side image maps.

Other features

The package allows you to move tool bars and dock them anywhere on the screen. It also has a spelling checker, and a nice help file to step authors through using the package.

Missing/Poorly Implemented Features:

Slow on low end systems

The application ran somewhat slowly on my Win 95 DX4/100 (16 Megs RAM). Other graphical editors I've tested have performed better. This was really only noticeable when entering text and backspacing to correct mistakes.

Supports few of the HTML 3.0 tags and other extensions including no table support

The has a limited set of tags supported from HTML 3.0 specification, and other popular extensions found in Netscape and Explorer. Font sizing and colors are support, however. The most notable is the lack of table support. Since most editors today offer tools for creating and editing tables, this is an inexcusable deficiency.

Does not support multiple document interface

Backstage does not allow the user to open multiple documents simultaneously.

Conclusion:

Macromedia's Backstage is a good entry into the HTML editing market. It is a simple to use graphical editing package which allows authors to get "dirty" when needed. Although, it lacks a full complement of tags, many designers who are focusing on embedded applications (including Macromedia's own shockwave), will find that Backstage Designer provide most everything that they need. Although it's a good package, other graphical editors offer more to most authors already .

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