HTML Constellation 2.2.1 Review
June 21, 2000
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With tables and frames being such an integral part of layout on the
internet, having an HTML editor that handles both with a few extras
included is a pretty good idea. For that reason alone, HTML
Constellation 2.2.1 is a program after the heart of anyone who has
ever struggled to get either frames or intricate tables to look the way
they want.
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While both frames and tables can be done within most HTML programs,
the user most often must start from scratch or use fairly basic
wizards to build them. Not so with Constellation, which provides a
variety of templates for both.
Frame Template
Table Template
Simply view the templates, select the layout you desire with a
radial button, and hit the OK button. Instantly the hard part is done,
merely awaiting the necessary tweaking to get the user's desired
appearance.
Should you prefer to build the tables yourself, you can use wizards
that also make building tables, frames, forms, and other items
easier. It also includes a wizard to help users place images within
forms.
That, however, is not all that this $13.95 program provides.
In addition to all of the basics at the touch of a button, either
from the top of the program or the side, the program offers a variety
of page models from which to choose, giving users a head start from
the beginning. It allows the preview of those pages in color, colors
which can later be easily changed.
Should you choose to forego the models, it also provides a wizard from
which you can assign various document colors and settings. A file
explorer is included to allow the easy finding and opening of existing
documents.
There are the familiar type of buttons at the top of the program for
basic document structure, type manipulation, alignment, special
characters, and the building of forms, insertion of images, style
sheets, and adding links to your document.
There are also buttons to access the included 19 pre-defined Java
applets, 35 javascripts and four DHTML scripts, all of which can be
inserted into your document by merely selecting them. In some cases,
tweaking will be necessary to make it applicable to your site.
As you input data, you can do so using standard characters, then at
the touch of a button have the program convert those characters to
their HTML equivalent. You can also use the special character button
at the top to access the codes as you go.
The program allows the use of tag completion if you desire, as well
as letting the user alter the toolbars as wanted.
Constellation has a quick internal browser, but it does require
Internet Explorer 4.0 or newer to be installed.
There were some areas in which the program is lacking:
- The delete key does not do anything, a bug the company is aware
of and is seeking to remedy. To delete type to the right of the cursor,
users must either go past the desired deletion and use the backspace
button on the keyboard, or hold the ALT button while striking the
delete key.
- While it has a wizard to help with image maps, the user must
enter the desired coordinates, rather than being able to preview the
image and draw a shape around the desired link area.
- There is no spellchecker, but they usually are not that
trustworthy anyway.
Aside from that, if you are a recent member of the build-it-yourself
club, you will appreciate the help files the program has, which
includes instruction not only for the operation of the program, but
also HTML 4.0, style sheets, and the various scripts included.
When you have finished your site, you can use the included (and
built-in) FTP Taxi program to send your work online.
Constellation is a good program for those gaining confidence with
HTML or who know how to use HTML but are not married to the idea
that one must suffer for their work. Just about any task is somehow
made easier, which means quicker completion and more thorough
coverage of available options.
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