Manual Coding Vs Dreamviewer

The program you're talking about is Dreamweaver. I disagree that using a WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) editor is better than learning how to write code manually. Web technology is always changing and it's going to be hard for programs keep up with these changes. Learning how to write code manually not only helps you to fully understand the code behind what you're building but you'll also be in the position to understand other people's code. Most of us learn by looking at other people's code and learning how to write code manually is the foundation of that learning process.

There's also the practical application of customizing something created in Dreamweaver or Reflow. If you don't know how to code, or even what to look for to actually DO the mod, well...

That being said, Aamir, I think you have a valid question. I just think you'll be far more marketable if you really understand not only how it all works, but how to do it yourself.

I would also agree that learning to code by hand is going to make you better most likely. I'd once thought long ago that visual tools would replace hand coding. It's still far off but you might check out a tool like Macaw.

I left DW 15 years or so ago. I love coding by hand and especially with programs like TextWrangler, NotePad, and Sublime Text ( the latter being my fav now). You can really keep up your retention for code by doing it by hand. I think so anyway.

There is however an instant gratification that comes with programs like DW, of seeing that code become a working site on the righthand side. But hey, what's it hurt to simply open a browser and see it likewise? Not hard at all.

tl;dr - Don't use Dreamweaver use Webflow

You don't want to use Dreamweaver, even Adobe doesn't want you to use Dreamweaver. They now have Edge Reflow.

There's also:

• Macaw
• Webflow
• Froont

In Bootstrap world there's also

• Pinegrow
• Divshot
• Easel
• Jetstrap

However, I think many these tools suffer from similar issues, with messy nested divs and/or absolute positioning. Most of these are probably not ready for production use for exporting the code. However, they work pretty well for creating clickable-prototypes.

I will say I've heard good things about Webflow from a front-end dev that uses it small sites.

You can read some about this kinds of apps over on:

• http://www.marcelkalveram.com/2013/09/3-visual-tools-for-a-better-responsive-workflow/
• https://medium.com/p/1960aa370df1

I used to love Dreamweaver but the more I have used it, the more I have come to realize how little I actually use its WYSIWYG functionality. In almost all instances, I find myself creating blank pages and using the code view.

That being said, I do like the templating ability within Dreamweaver (ie. create basic template that auto updates pages based on changes).

I have found that coding by using WYSIWYG is good for some, but nothing compares to the feeling that full 100% hand coded websites provide!

Hey-

When you learn to code by hand you learn about what the syntax does and how to use it. It may be hard now but keep up with it and it will come easier- if you want a future in web design you need to learn the syntax. Best of luck-

Sublime text is great and I highly recommend it as a developer or designer.