Internet
Marketing Tools
Part Seven Text Editor Basics
If you've spent any time exploring your computer, you've
probably noticed a program called Notepad. To be honest, I
never really used the program prior to developing my Internet
business, as I simply used my word processing program. Now,
I don't know what I would do without it. Notepad is an excellent
text editor that has a variety of uses such as writing HTML,
editing scripts, and writing ezine articles -- just to name
a few.
Writing HTML
When designing a web site, most Internet marketers prefer
to use an HTML editor to write their HTML, as it can greatly
simplify a somewhat difficult process. However, using an HTML
editor has its disadvantages, as they have a tendency to add
a lot of unnecessary coding and may not support the latest
technologies. For this reason, many Internet marketers prefer
to write the code themselves with Notepad.
Although writing HTML code with Notepad will certainly be
more time consuming, your code will be much cleaner and can
reduce your file size considerably.
Editing Scripts
When managing a web site, scripts are used to add interactivity.
They're used to perform a variety of tasks such as form processing,
message boards, and database management.
When using scripts for your web site, most of the time, you
will be required to edit portions of the script such as the
location of Perl on your server, paths to files and variables.
Any editing you do must be done within a program that won't
add any special formatting. Notepad is the perfect solution.
You can simply open your script within Notepad, edit to suit
your needs and upload it to your server.
Writing Articles
Writing ezine articles is one of the most powerful promotional
methods used on the Internet. When formatting an article for
publication, you should avoid using your standard word processing
program, as they do not allow for proper formatting.
As there are many different types of email programs, writers
must format their articles to accommodate the majority. Some
email programs automatically wrap text at a certain number
of characters -- while others won't wrap the text at all.
If an article isn't properly formatted, many email programs
will either force a portion of the sentence to the next line,
or even display each paragraph as one long line.
Articles should be formatted to 65 characters per line or
less, including spaces, and written in short paragraph sections.
This guideline has become the standard on the Internet, as
it is a safe line-length for a majority of all email programs.
Notepad is the preferred program used to write and format
ezine articles.
Although Notepad is a great little text editor, it can't handle
large files and is much better suited for small jobs. You
may find that you'd like an editor that is a little more powerful.
I use a great program called NoteTab Pro. This powerful editor
will enable you to edit large files, format your text, convert
your text to HTML, and even includes a spellchecker and thesaurus.
NoteTab Pro
http://www.notetab.com/
NoteTab is available in three different versions:
* NoteTab Pro - A full version text and HTML editor. Cost
$19.95
* NoteTab Light - The freeware version of NoteTab Pro. It's
completely free with no ads or nag screens
* NoteTab STD - Identical to NoteTab Light, except it includes
some additional features such as a thesaurus, multilingual
spellchecker and more.
Cost $9.95
As stated at the NoteTab site, the NoteTab family of editors
is composed of three variants. Below is a short list that
explains the main differences:
The main advantages of NoteTab Light over NoteTab Pro:
• 100% Free (no ads and no nag screens)
• Can use variable-width fonts
• Better support for non-Roman alphabets (e.g.
Chinese, Hebrew, etc.)
Main advantages of NoteTab STD over NoteTab Light:
• Spell checker and thesaurus
• Clipbars -- user-made toolbars
• Can read and write outline-type documents
• Command for reformatting and justifying lines
• Modify and save EBCDIC files
• Can search/replace text in disk files
If you've been using your standard word processing program
to perform simple editing tasks, consider using a text editor.
You may be surprised how easy and convenient these programs
really are.
Copyright © Shelley Lowery
More Articles |
