[Review: Program] Teacher's Simple HTML Editor

[Rift]

I dont have a site dedicated to this program yet but I am almost finished compiling a finished version of a program I am writing for a teacher/BoE member. It is a simple wysiwyg html editor. It is in no way supposed to be like dreamweaver or frontpage or most other editors as far as power and capability, it is made to be simple and affordable for teachers and schools , namely younger grade schools. I am interested in anyone's opinions as to how it looks and it's ease of use, if any. The main goal is to make something that is simple, useful and not going to confuse them or make them forget how to use it. Perhaps test it on your kids if you've got any:P anyhow here's the link.

webpages.charter.net/htmlfly/Teacher's%20Net.exe

**id use the URL tag but it will only work up to the apostrophe in Teacher's**

if there are any questions as to how to use certain features feel free to post and ask..
uploading works by uploading to an FTP site that you have, give it the username, password and server. it will upload your current file and any associated files (images etc) that you've used in the webpage, it also uploads your current webpage file so that the pictures are viewable by everyone, example: img src="C:\images\blue.bmp" becomes src="blue.bmp", any files that it overwrites are automatically stored in a file called "Archive\Filename\Filename-date-time.html" these can be managed with the Archive manager menu. anyhow thanks for any input =)

-Rift-

[.•´¯`•þasђγ•._.•´]

grade school kids know html

*cries cos she realises how stupid she is* [/i][/color]

[Rift]

of course not that's why it's wysiwyg:P well mostly anyhow, there is an edit HTML source option lol

[Cope]

The finished version isnt compiled?
-then dont post it.

Affordable?
- There are free ones that have many more features...

It is kind of neat. The tiny scroll bar is kind of odd looking.

[Rift]

the final version doesnt have to be compiled. because it is lack of a helpfile that makes it "unfinished" and i figure people may have useful suggestions before i consider it finished. i could post open source if i felt like it too, it doesnt say in any guidelines that something has to be compiled before put here.

If you can steer me to any free ones that a teacher could use id be glad too look and make mine better then the ones i find, especially since any of the ones ive spoken too can not find one, and if they do find one then it means they have to know at least some html, and also have to know how to upload their webpage, and how to update it without a simple point and click. The ones im speaking to dont want to ever have to look at any HTML at all, or have to do more then type and click for the whole thing. as for the features, that's made up of a group's suggestions, i have only added a few of my own ideas as far as features goes. They seem to be happy with what it does, it's not like they need to do much more, so far anyhow. this is for gradeschool, nothing like college and the likes. also the lack of features is because a deadline is drawing close since it is almost time for school to let out for summer, there is a lot more going into a second version. thanks for the suggestions cope, but telling me not to post it doesnt seem very helpful, it would help dodging crap comments, but that would be all.

[Webagent]

verry nice! a question about the source grabber, can you also grabb PHP data? for examplebr]
oversite.se/shout/shout.php

but I dont know if you can grabb a php file in the first place

[Rift]

it gets thisbr]result=%3Cfont+color%3D%22%23FF0000%22%3ENo+Location%3C%2Ffont%3E

which is what i also get in the browser, it wont grab the actual source php file, like you guessed, i dont use php but im guessing the server interprets the file into html or similar and then sends it to the browser, so when the server see's php commands like $longdate it converts it to the current longdate and sends it through the webpage, but that's just my guess i dunno but it does seem to download what you see in a browser, off and on things will be looking funny, that is because the control is not sure where to put them on the webpage, things that are normaly defined at the top of the html source, like javascript stuff such as menu's will showup funky in the program right now, that's because it thinks they are supposed to be somewhere they are not, it downloaded www.techgear007.net/index.php just fine though. i havent finished putting error trapping on all of the functions yet, btw.

[pilfer]

Rift-

My 8 yr old ate up the 9 trial uses in about an hour so I'd say
Techers Net is a success.

[Dangermouse]

this shows how php works



I like the program Rift, one thing is that you need to make your dialog buttons bigger, and make them consistant and i think you need to make the Width of the wysiwg bit on the child form smaller so the scrollbar doesnt go past the edge of the form.

[Alexander]

i reserve judgement about the program, it does have quite a few things done to it, definatly larger command buttons and text (try to keep the language simple, no young kid of 6-8 is going to know what the heck alignment or cascade is gunna mean ) also when you click text formats the menu is great but u need to make it when they click something else it goes away rather then being jammed over say the change font dialogue, lol the choose a picture source is too complex, i dont know a 6 year old who knows what "source or alternative" means same with alignment, your using too much technical language, remember these kids dont learn much more then 6 letter words the kind of kids its currently aimed at are 10 - 12 year olds, lol

with kids, you never want menus that dont dropdown into something archive manager for example, cause kids often click on larger ones so they can move to the smaller ones cause their hand eye co-ordination isnt too hot at that age, lol

big PS here, NEVER allow kids to delete, rename, delete folders etc, heck ive seen it before when kids have nuked the windows folder.... bad news, and costs a lot for the school to get it sent off to reinstall (most primary schools get given computers so they often dont have the trained staff or windows disks to reinstall) and they dont normally have the money to send them off all the time, lol

when loading forms if you use form.show 1

adding the 1 forces it to the front of the form so the kids cant click outside the box and loose it (very fraustrating for kids with learning difficulties if the teacher has to find the window all the time)

one last thing, on every menu get them to confirm everything they want to do, and make it tell the kids simply what the button they pressed does kids love those things so they can understand them better and no kid reads help files, teachers would prefer a tour or just some documentation on how to do the stuff

sorry about all the negative input, just i spent a lot of time helping in primary schools in work experience at college working with 6 - 8 year olds so i know exactly what kinda stuff they use while at school and what the teachers want (i wrote one of the schools a piece of software, i lost the source but i got the origional exe if anyone wants a laugh ) if ya want to ask anything send me a PM rift good first attempt for kids though i think the sidemenu works a treat

[Alexander]

PS: i agree with what the others have said, software for schools should be free, schools just dont have the money for a license for each machine they own, they need it to buy books and other stuff that the kids really need, its cause of that kinda thing computing in schools is at bare minimum

www.evrsoft.com

heres a free html editor , PS : make it 30 day trial rather then 7 use trial, or make it 30 use trial, much better

[AbsoluteGenius]

Ok, My input

Looks fresh, nice big buttons, some aligment issues with the editor (scrollbar is squished)

Open Options and Save Options should be the other way around

Not Save Open but Open save (consistancy is important with other apps)

and - take alook at the screen shoot (I used right click on the black object (i assume it was an object it could not find)


I can send the HTML page I tried to edit if you want

[Rift]

AGbr]that would help a great deal if you could send me that page or at least direct me to the link where it may be found, im sure it's just some code that i've not written in the best way that i could have. As for the scrollbar that is an easy fix but important one, ill be sure to fix that, i just keep forgetting about it. Thanks for the suggestiosn about the menu's too =)

Good points alex:P ive been getting all my suggestions from the teacher mainly so i havent really taken into enough consideration that the kids might use something he wants to use, but that they shouldnt use lol. Perhaps I'll make an administrative mode in the program. and it's true schools dont have enough money, the school systems in CA right now are being given grants to get "internet savy" but so far it's just been sitting there, so this guy is helping me out and he's going to take it to his school, and then take it to confrences between schools =). I'll let everyone know when there's an update thank you for the really helpful suggestions

[Alexander]

well how i see it is that if you made something simple and easy to use why not make it possible for the kids to use it too, after all its only gunna teach them more about technology if they can experience it for themselves, they could make an activity out of making a school or class website and they could stick pictures they have drawn etc online, its cost effective, easy to control on behalf of the teacher and its something that the parents can see

[Rift]

That's true alex, and as it is, the teacher that's helping me with this is also allowing kids in his class to use it, so im sure it should be more "cross compatible" then it is in it's current state.