GUI - Editing Software for Web Design [LESSON]

Editing Software for Web Design

a GUI editor is a Graphical User Interface and is referred to as a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor Professional web developers usually use text editors to code. They typically have a set of templates they have coded and then they customize the templates for their clients. However, small business owners and individuals don’t usually use text editors to create websites. It is much easier for non-professional web developers to use a GUI editor. As we learned in an earlier module, a GUI editor is a Graphical User Interface and is referred to as a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor. These are easy because you usually start with a template and then customize the site using drag and drop objects to make the site what you want it to be. You can easily change the fonts and colors without a lot of coding knowledge. It is good to understand HTML and CSS so you can tweak your site, there are many times in professional life where you need to use a little HTML and CSS. In order to create a nice-looking site the average person is going to use a GUI editor.

There are a lot of GUI editors out there, they range from free to thousands of dollars. The programs can be used online or downloaded, and they vary in ease of use. You can use sites such as Wix, Word Press, Weebly, Google Sites, etc. to create your website using a WYSIWYG, drag and drop program. You can also use Adobe Dreamweaver, or website builders through hosting sites such as Go Daddy or Host Gator. There are many ways to build sites and they are increasing all of the time.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using GUI Editors

You may be wondering why anyone would use HTML and CSS coding to build a website if they are so easy to build using a GUI editor. For some people, a GUI editor is all they need and are fine. However, for businesses and people that want to build their site to something more later, GUI editors are limiting.

Advantages of GUI Editors

Price – GUI editors are usually inexpensive and for very basic use they can be free. For a small site that has no ambitions to grow larger or a small business, this is a big advantage.
Ease of Use – GUI editors don't require knowledge of HTML, CSS, or JavaScript, so they are easy to use. GUI editors use drag and drop technology and have built-in assets that you can use to build a professional looking site.
Speed – Using a GUI editor is much faster than coding a site.

Disadvantages of GUI Editors

Customization – It is difficult to customize your site to make it exactly like you want.
Flexibility – You have little flexibility in design.
Growth – If you need to grow the site you may find that you can't build it to the size you need on the GUI website builder.
Ability to Change Hosts – If you need to move to a different host site, it is difficult to withdraw from the original host.
Ownership – If you use a GUI editor you don't really own your site or your data. The site hosts own your site and mostly store your data off-site, where you don't have access to it. You are basically renting the space.
Cost – Even though the initial cost is low, it can build up to be very expensive as you add features and abilities.

Test your knowledge of the Advantages and Disadvantages of GUI Editors by dragging the items to the correct category.

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