Weekend Widget: Aptana Studio

How many of you are doing Web design? Go ahead, raise your hand. I know you look foolish holding up your hand. Don't worry, you can put it down when I finish counting. OK, it sure looks like there are a lot of you doing it.

Today I'm going to suggest a series of tools that can help you develop a top-notch Web 2.0 site. The best news is that all of the tools are completely free. Aptana has developed each of these tools through the open-source community and they work with many of the development technologies in use today. Download the development tools and platforms you need and start developing.

Admittedly these tools are not for Web beginners unless you want to put in the time to learn all of the ins and outs of Web development. But they are certainly a lot less expensive than tools like Dreamweaver!

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Thursday Tip: Web Safe Colors

There has long been a misconception that only a limited set of colors were "safe" on the Web. That just isn't the case, all RGB colors can be used on the Web. I've even seen mention that only Hex colors were Web safe. No, hexadecimal is simply another numbering system. In CorelDRAW, RGB values are shown in the decimal numbering system and range from 0-255. Hexadecimal represents those same numbers from 00-FF. There are a couple of tools that can help you use Hexadecimal numbers inside CorelDRAW. The first is Draw Color Helper and the other is wOxxOm Hex Color. Just remember to use RGB colors when designing for the Web and you'll be "safe".

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Tutorial Tuesday: 3D Web Buttons

As I was looking for today's tutorial, I ran across one that is over ten years old. Some of the interface has changed in Corel PHOTO-PAINT since it was first written, but the information is still quite valuable. For those of you wanting to create 3D buttons, it is a great starting point. Even if you aren't going to be creating buttons for the Web, you can pick up some useful PHOTO-PAINT tips for other types of projects.

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Tutorial Tuesday: Best Web Graphics

CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT are very popular tools for creating Web graphics. Notice I said graphics, not the HTML code for the page. If you don't have a good handle on how to best utilize the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite to create graphics for the Web, it is very easy to make mistakes.

Hunter Elliott has written an excellent tutorial on creating Web graphics. While the description says it is for CorelDRAW 9-12, it works equally well for X3 and X4. You'll learn when it is best to use a GIF or JPEG and how to properly create them. You'll also learn about PNG files and using PNG transparency. What about Web safe colors? Yes, those are covered and you'll see they aren't really that safe or that necessary. These and many more topics are covered in the tutorial.

That tutorial will have you well on the way to creating graphics for a Web site. But many users are confused about the best way to use those graphics as part of a Web site. For that, you need another tool that is designed for creating Web pages and sites. Probably the most popular tool is Adobe Dreamweaver CS3. It comes with a lot of power and a fairly hefty price. For just over half the price, Microsoft's Expression Web 2 gives you a very powerful tool for building Web sites. Unlike FrontPage, the new product creates much cleaner code and is worth a look. For those looking for a product under $100, check out Namo WebEditor. There are some free tools such as Nvu and Alleycode that might get the job done for you.

Personally I'm a big fan of hand coding my pages. Everyone creating Web content should have a good grasp of HTML code no matter what tool you use. If you understand HTML, a code editor simply makes writing the code a lot easier. Unlike the WYSIWYG tools, it doesn't introduce extra bloated code making your pages much more efficient. I've been using HomeSite for years now. It has been absorbed by Dreamweaver so we'll look elsewhere for solutions. One product I've used is TopStyle. It was created by the same person who created the original HomeSite and has some great features for creating pages and CSS stylesheets. I use it occasionally but still turn to HomeSite for most of my coding. Other users have highly recommended I switch to WeBuilder 2008. It certainly looks promising and I will give it a test drive when I have time to explore further.

The key here is to use the best tools for the job. CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT create great graphics and the others tools mentioned can help you use those graphics for a Web page or Web site. Do you have a favorite tool I haven't mentioned? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

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Google Chrome Presents Another Option for Browsing

Those of you who are regular readers know that I highly recommend that you use something other than Microsoft Internet Explorer for the majority of your Web browsing. My personal suggestion is Mozilla Firefox for its speed, features and security.

In the last few days there have been some other developers in the world of browsers. Microsoft has released Beta 2 of Internet Explorer 8. If you are developing content for the Web, you might want to give the new version of Internet Explorer a test drive. Remember, it is beta software and it is certainly not for everyday browsing. Even when it is released, it certainly won't be my first choice.

Today, Google release a beta version of their "Chrome" browser. It is certainly different than other browsers both in looks and under the hood. Google claims that other browsers were designed for text and pictures and have been modified to handle what users are doing on the Internet today. Chrome was developed for the Internet as it is today including video, heavy scripting, multiple tabs and much more. It is also released as open source so that any developer can work on the code. Google Chrome is also a beta release. I've given it a very quick test drive and there are some things I like and some things that will require me to adjust. It is definitely something that Web developers should download and use as part of their testing process. If you aren't developing for the Web, I don't think you need to rush out and try Chrome. Just keep it in the back of your mind because it could be a major player in a very short amount of time.

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Tutorial Tuesday: Website Magazine

Instead of telling you about a single tutorial today, I'm going to tell you about a magazine that you can get for free that will provide you a regular source of information.

Website Magazine caters to those in the business of running a Web site. I've been receiving it since its inception and there are always a few articles of interest to me. Many of you have probably created a graphic for a Web site and it is quite possible that you run the site for your business. Now you have a free resource that can help you get the most out of your site.

The free subscriptions offered are what is called a "qualified subscription". This means you'll need to answer a few questions about your business and your involvement in purchasing. Basically they want to be able to tell their advertisers that the readers are interested in what the advertisers are selling. Go ahead and request your free subscription today!

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CorelDRAW in the Web Marketing World

I saw an article today about Web marketing. When I read these articles, I'm expecting to find a tip on how to better promote my own Web sites. I got that from the article. Even better, it showed one of the many ways that CorelDRAW is used in the real world.

It is all about how a company at a trade show was using an Epilog laser engraver to mark the cel phones, laptops and MP3 players of anyone who visited their book. Rather than giving away trade show junk, the company would engrave something onto the visitor's devices for them. Since it was a device they carried on a regular basis, that company would be visible to the visitors long after the show.

If you watch the movie closely, you'll see they are using CorelDRAW to create the artwork to be etched onto the devices. What can you create with CorelDRAW that will steal the spotlight at a tradeshow?

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