There are literally hundreds of HTML editors that allow people to do various things with the language. Some are basic while others are very advanced and let people control the look of the site down to the smallest detail. What you use determines largely how the site will look as different editors offer different features. If you are looking for a professional looking site, check with you web developer what he uses.

A good HTML editor will let users configure the tool-bar, switch rapidly from programming mode to preview mode (that lets users see what they have created) and offer at least two editing modes.Advanced HTML programmers would prefer to key in the HTML code directly and customise each and every attribute. This is time-consuming even though you can exercise close control over what will finally emerge. Even advanced HTML programmers would occasionally prefer to have an HTML editor that lets them design the page and let the editor create the corresponding HTML.

On the basis of what they do, editors can be divided into HTML editors, HTML tag editors and WSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editors. Some allow you to switch from one mode to another but most just let you edit in two modes -- create the HTML directly or key in the material and then do the formatting themselves.

Some of the better HTML editors available now are Homesite 3.0, Hotdog Pro 4.5, Pagemill 3.0, Hotmetal Pro 4.0 and Front Page 98. The two most popular Internet browsers, Netscape's Communicator 4.04 and Microsoft's Internet Explorer 4.01 also come with built in HTML editors with limited capabilities to create very basic pages.They are popular because the browsers are inexpensive and allow the basics of HTML programming.

A professional web editor costs upward of Rs 4,500 which is a fair amount to shell out for a programme like that. If you know your HTML basics, you can edit it directly in Notepad, the text editor that comes free with Windows 95. The problem is that you need to type in each and every command that considerably slows the pace of making a site. Using a regular editor is much faster and works out cheaper in the long run, in terms of greater productivity. Unfortunately, that is not how most web developers here think.

Any web developer worth his salt will use a decent editor and not one that comes with browsers. But a look at most Indian corporate sites shows that they are made using the editors that come with the browsers. This corner cutting, cost saving measure shows up in the quality of the end product -- the sites are poorly laid out and lack in any of the advanced features and looks that most foreign siteshave.

One of the fastest ways to create a site is to use a WYSIWYG editor and then fine tune the HTML. A good editor such as Hotmetal or Front Page allows you to do this without leaving the programme. Create the site as you want it to look and put in all the links between the various documents. Then switch to the HTML edit mode and fine tune each tag as you want. However, neither of them offer any assistance when editing the HTML source code. You need to rely on your knowledge of the language and it is impossible to remember all the commands as there are literally thousands of them.

HTML editors like Homesite or Hotdog have comprehensive HTML help files that list the various tags and what they do. Homesite goes a step further and shows you the various options with each tag. You can then choose what you want to do and how that attribute should appear. It makes it possible to customise your web site down to the last T.

All the companies who make these HTML editors constantly upgrade their products. Theaverage time between updates is about three months. Usually some obscure feature is added and another deleted. If you have bought a licensed copy of the software you can upgrade for free (up to a point). If you want to try out an editor, you can download them from various sites on the Internet. Tryout versions last from two weeks to two months after which they are disabled. Then you need to buy the software to use it again. It will not work if you simply uninstall the software and then install it again. All installed software leaves behind a mark that tells future installations that it was there, even if you have carefully removed all apparent traces of it! Microsoft's Front Page 98 is the latest product in the market. It is a WYSIWYG editor that lets you also edit the HTML source code. Like others of this genre, it comes with pre-loaded features such as themes that determine the appearance of the site -- you can specify a theme for an entire site or a page on the site. This is a quick way to give adistinctive look to a site and a short cut to putting in backgrounds and special rules for pages. The good thing is that the appearance is consistent across the entire site. But a word of caution when using Front Page -- many Internet servers do not support all the features of this software, so tell your web site developer to check with his Internet Service Provider before hosting the site.

The seemingly high charges of some web developers reflect the extra mile they will go to give you a professional looking site that you can be proud of. If that is not what you are looking for but for just a presence on the Internet, then anybody, even you, can make a page and host it somewhere. It makes sense in the end to select a web developer who has the expertise and software to deliver a good product.