Re: Seeking intelligent document references

Harvey Newstrom (newstrom@newstaffinc.com)
Tue, 9 Feb 1999 01:27:09 -0500

> Michael S. Lorrey wrote:
> > I'm using Word97 right now and I can set the text styles to that of an
> HTML
> > page, and I can save and edit it as HTML.

One warning about this. No one should ever use Microsoft Word to edit HTML unless you restrict all your development to that single product. The problem with Word on projects, which I have personally seen, is that Word doesn't really edit HTML. It translates your HTML page to Word format. Then you edit the Word document. Then it writes a brand new page based on your Word document. The resulting page looks like your original, but the HTML source is totally rewritten and has no similarity to how you originally coded it in HTML.

You will lose all formatting from your original HTML document. The methods you use to write HTML will be totally rewritten. Indented paragraphs can become seperate lines with nonbreaking spaces in the front of each line. It will stick font sizes and styles on everything, even if you were just leaving it to the default font. Proper forms layouts can be rewritten with input button tags instead of submit buttons.

The worst part, is if you use an HTML construct that is not recognized by Microsoft, such as pure Java (not Microsoft Java), or JavaScript (not Microsoft J++ script), or Netscape Extensions (not Microsoft extensions), these will be broken or removed from your HTML because the Microsoft programming doesn't understand them.

Another bad thing is that Microsoft products, and all other products for that matter, like to stick a header in the top saying that the page was made with their fine product. If you use more than one product to edit the page, each will each keep inserting their headers in front of the competitions headers, until you get hundreds of alternating spam tags built right into your HTML code!

Anyway, the bottom line is that Word HTML building is only good if you are only use Microsoft products. You can't write your own HTML and then use word on it. You can't use Word and other HTML products. My favorite HTML editor is a flat text editor.

-- 
Harvey Newstrom <http://newstaffinc.com>
Author, Consultant, Engineer, Hacker, Researcher, Scientist.