Web-O-Rama

I say "future price" because this version - 7.20 - is a freeware version, but probably the last that creator Kevin Gunn will offer. Unless he prices the program well beyond the market, it should still be a good value when it loses its "donation-ware" status. Currently donations from private users are accepted but not mandatory, while commercial users must pay a small charge.

The first thing to like about the program is the inclusion of tags and characters down the left side along with the file listings. Need a tag? Simply click on the tag tab, choose the tag you wish to insert and then double click. Boom! It's instantly in place. Highlight the text to be included in the tag, and it places it around the highlighted word(s) perfectly.

Have trouble remembering special character codes? No problem. Click on the "chars" tab, select the character you wish to have inserted and double click. Boom, once more! Additionally, the program will automatically install tags in upper case or lower case, and it can strip tags if so desired. Most tags, including HTML 4.0, and attributes are included.

One of the things that Gunn has emphasized is the inclusion of dialog boxes to help users build their sites. Said boxes are quite detailed and enable users to make most all choices possible without having to rely on memory. One negative of the dialog boxes is the fact users must use them to insert graphics into a file. The ability to drag-and-drop would be a big plus. Currently, dragging-and-dropping results in garbled copy.

Dialog boxes are available for most entities, including frames, tables, lists, images, forms, colors, links, rules, sounds, style sheets, fonts, and user-configurable buttons.

Also available are drop-down menus, templates for frames and tables, tag coloring, hex values, and attributes for about all things HTML.

The editor can handle files of all sizes, and the program is designed such that there is ample room within the editor to view the copy as you work on it. The results can then be viewed by an internal browser or the users' choice of up to six browsers. Users can also take advantage of the "find" and "replace" function.

Web-O-Rama is a program that can be used by web authors of varying abilities. It is straightforward enough for the novice to pick up quickly, and the dialog boxes make up for a lack of knowledge. Experts will enjoy it because it is designed to allow them to work as quickly as they can.

It is recommended that those interested in the program go ahead and get it quick. It may not always be as inexpensive.

"Web-O-Rama is still donationware, but I am considering other options," Gunn writes on his web site, "including limiting certain functions in future releases, or having the program "time out" in a fixed number days."

While it may not do much for vegetables, Web-O-Rama is a pretty good program for slicing and dicing HTML copy.