Mac

Windows

Evaluation version

Astrosell is an e-commerce package for setting up straight-forward shop fronts to sell your products online. Astrosell does this in a similar way to a product featured on the Intenret Magazine cover CD a number of times in the past – Actinic.

You give your shop a basic design (for which some templates are provided), define the products and pricing, specify the postage and shipping settings and so on, then you upload the information to your Web space. See the magazine review and visit the Web site for more details.

Note: to publish and run your site on the Internet, you will need the ability to install and run your own PERL 5 scripts.

Web link: http://www.astrosell.com

30-day trial version

PHP Master Editor is a program for editing PHP scripts. The slick interface has all the tools you need to help you develop dynamic Web sites, including syntax highlighting, an internal browser, script debugger, built-in FTP client, customisable code templates and good error reporting to help you fix problems in your code. A basic HTML editor is thrown in for good measure as well as support for UNIX and MAC file types.

Web link: http://ka-software.hypermart.net

15-day trial version

This unique program creates tests and questionnaires for inclusion on your Web site. The wizard-based program looks great and guides you through all the steps to generate an online quiz. The initial steps help you define the style of your quiz and setting up your questions, answers and scoring system. The program supports multiple choice, multiple answer, true-or-false and fill-in-the-blank questions. You can link images to questions and set the question order to be random. The quizzes created with the WebQuiz can also be filled in and evaluated off-line with any browser.

Unlimited Web space is available on the publisher's Web site for publishing your quizzes (not available in the trial version). This trial version has some other limitations and expires after 15 days.

Web link: www.smartlite.it

31-day trial version

The makers of Style Master now bring you an all-round Web design application – Layout Master. It helps you develop Web page layouts using CSS2 and HTML/XHTML. Each element of the page can be selected and positioned according to your preferences. Layout Master uses drag-and-drop and properties editors to let you easily create the pages that you want. If your favourite HTML editor isn't so hot on page layout, Layout Master could be a great complement if used in tandem. The program contains a user-configurable grid, rulers and guides to make working with Web page layouts easy.

Web link: www.westciv.com

30-day trial

Flash MX brings a whole new approach to building Macromedia Flash content and applications – it is much more than just an upgrade to Flash 5.

There is new native support for video playback and dynamic loading of JPEG and MP3 files at runtime. Work more efficientlly and faster with the new Free Transform tool and pixel-level snapping control. Color Mixer enhancements make creating, editing, and using colours and gradients easier than before, with consistent colour selection models and interfaces.

Flash MX offers a complete environment for developing data-driven Web applications and you can integrate your Flash applications with any application server that uses URL-encoded or XML data.

User interface enhancements include collapsible panels and a new context-sensitive Property Inspector. With named anchors, Flash MX content can now be bookmarked, allowing for the use of the browser Back and Forward buttons. Macromedia Flash Player 6 (included in the Flash MX package) now supports technologies such as screen readers through support of Microsoft Active Accessibility. In addition, Flash MX now integrates tools for creating accessible content. To add descriptive text to animations and user interface elements, select an item and enter the appropriate description – users with disabilities will be able to experience your content.

Accelerate development with a core set of pre-built, customisable components for common application interfaces, including scrollbars, rich text fields, input buttons, radio buttons and check boxes, and list and combo boxes.

Although Flash MX will run on a machine with a minimum of 64Mb RAM, you are advised to have at least 128Mb of RAM.

Web link: www.macromedia.com

30-day trial

This utility lets you build Java or Flash navigation buttons for your site. The tabbed interface contains easy-to-use controls for your button properties and a live preview that lets you check your work as you go. For each button, you can define an image, colour, font and text label. You can set up triggers based on user actions such as button clicks or mouseovers. URLs can be defined that optionally link to target frames. You can even have buttons play custom WAV or AU audio files, or MP3 in Flash. 1 Cool Button Tool automatically generates the required Flash, Java and HTML code, and collects all the required images and sounds into a build folder. You can then test the finished project in your default browser.

Requires MS Internet Explorer 3 or later.

Web link: www.buttontool.com

Free

CiteMap Builder can be used to create a 3D space in which objects can be linked to Web addresses or to other virtual objects. CiteMaps are interactive VRML scenes of hyperlinked 3D objects. CiteMap Builder is easy to use, even for those with no VRML experience.

More than 100 3D objects included with the program can be dragged and dropped onto a grid and then annotated with URL, label, title and abstract. The resulting 3D landscape can be traversed using any VRML 97ñenabled browser. The 3D scene can be embedded in an HTML page or placed into a two-frame page with a VRML window linked to an HTML window. CiteMap Builder includes VRML DataTrimmer for compressing VRML files.

Note: this is an old product from TriVista, now offered as unsupported freeware. To register your copy of CiteMap Builder, enter the following registration information when you first run it:

Name: Unsupported
Registration Key: uq565029v (all lower case characters)

Web link: CiteMap Builder

Free

For large static sites, a site map is essential to help visitors get to your information quickly. Creating site maps can be a chore, which is where eXactMapper comes in. Each time you add or delete pages from your site, you can generate a fresh site map with the click of a button. A wizard starts you off and lets you select your local index file, then eXactMapper scans the files and produces a single site map in HTML format ready for upload. You can choose from three site map styles: bulleted list, static tree or alphabetised list. A preview option displays your site map before final output. eXactMapper generates cross-browser compatible DHTML.

Web link: www.exacttrend.com

HTML Shrinker Pro
v2.5
(W9x/ME/2000/NT/XP)
Evaluation version

This handy utility can speed up your site by reducing the size of your HTML files. The two-paned interface lets you browse your local files and view the results of the optimisation. The program works by removing all unnecessary bytes within HTML files including unnecessary end of lines, quotes within tags, spaces, shift spaces, tabs, comments and all unnecessary bytes within scripts and JavaScript tags. A number of other options are available for controlling the optimisation level. The program can create backups of all files shrunk, so you can roll-back to the original versions with the click of a button.

The Pro version is faster and more effective and offers a number of useful features not available in the Light version.

Web link: The Plugin Site

New trial version

This HTML editor's many features include Expresso FTP for uploading and downloading, an image gallery with quick-linking images, handy Flash text and effects wizards, automatic image sizing and highlighted tags. It comes with loads of graphics, icons, photos and animated GIFs, as well as many JavaScript scripts. 'Live Preview' supports JavaScript, StyleSheets and DHTML.

CoffeeCup HTML Editor gives you a frame designer, a table designer, a font designer and an HTML code cleaner. There are so many features you will just have to try it and see.

Web link: www.coffeecup.com

Visual DHTML
v2
(Win2000)
Evaluation version

Visual DHTML helps you design cross browser DHTML navigation and presentation effects. There are two effects included – a vertical text scroller and a navigation menu. The interface has a live preview pane and two other panes for global and specific properties. A browser preview option is also available.

A lot of effort has gone into making the effects compatible with all existing major browsers and platforms, so you get properties for IE4, NS4, NS6 on a MAC as well as PC. Visual DHTML lets you add rollover images, links, JavaScript, and a host of other formatting options. When you've finished creating your menu or scroller, the program saves all the relevant supporting files to a folder you select.

Web link: www.opencube.com

Trial version

SiteXpert is a tool to create interactive site maps for your Web site. There is a variety of different map styles available and a choice of three different mapping techniques. The file structure mode builds a file list; navigational mode creates a map based on the links contained in specific pages; and custom mode lets you manually select which files to include. A wizard interface guides you through all the available options.

There are seven main output styles ranging from a java-tree and DHTML menu to simple lists and portal styles. Once you have selected a style, you can further customise it. A preview option lets you see your current design at any time. Once you have styled the map, SiteXpert creates the entire map, including all support files ready for upload to your Web space with the click of a button.

Web link: www.xtreeme.com

Mac OS

NOTE: The Mac programs are mostly in archived 'HQX' (BinHex) files – they can be extracted with several applications, including Stuffit Expander (which is on the CD...). Clicking on the links below should set the process in motion. You may receive a message that the file cannot be loaded into Simple Text — if so, start Stuffit and then open the HQX file you want from within Stuffit.

31-day trial version

The makers of Style Master now bring you an all-round Web design application – Layout Master. It helps you develop Web page layouts using CSS2 and HTML/XHTML. Each element of the page can be selected and positioned according to your preferences. Layout Master uses drag-and-drop and properties editors to let you easily create the pages that you want. If your favourite HTML editor isn't so hot on page layout, Layout Master could be a great complement if used in tandem. The program contains a user-configurable grid, rulers and guides to make working with Web page layouts easy.

Web link: www.westciv.com

Demo version

WebDesign is an HTML editor with many helpful features. The interface has a tools palette, main editor window and properties palette. The editor window features advanced syntax colouring, syntax checking and optimisation controls. There is a handful of HTML wizards that output HTML code or XHTML code. The tools palette lets you drag and drop HTML elements onto the editor including links, tables, form controls and so on. The context sensitive properties palette then allows you to tweak the attributes of the selected element.

Other features include a find-and-replace tool, a built-in FTP client for transferring files to your Web server, plug-in support to extend WebDesign's functionality, and more. WebDesign supports XHTML, CSS and JavaScript.

Web link: www.ragesw.com

Latest update – 21-day trial

Note: needs CarbonLib 1.5 or later (downloadable from Apple) if not using OS X.

PageSpinner is a powerful HTML editor designed to allow novices as well as experts to create good looking Web pages. More experienced users can enter HTML code manually, or PageSpinner's built-in tools can be used to build the page automatically. It also features an updated Database Publishing Kit with support for AppleWorks 6 databases, QuickTime tags compatibility with Internet Explorer 5.5 and 6.0 for Windows, improved linking of MS Office files, a floating Preferences palette, and preference support for the Edit Tag Appearance plug-in from Cyrk.

This latest update features a new insert menu to simplify insertion of frequently used HTML tags and contents, a new text tools menu, an updated table assistant, scripts that can create simple photo albums and file lists, plus bug fixes.

Web link: www.optima-system.com

30-day trial version

Note: needs CarbonLib 1.2.5 or later if not using OS X.

Flash MX brings a whole new approach to building Macromedia Flash content and applications – it is much more than just an upgrade to Flash 5.

There is new native support for video playback and dynamic loading of JPEG and MP3 files at runtime. Work more efficientlly and faster with the new Free Transform tool and pixel-level snapping control. Color Mixer enhancements make creating, editing, and using colours and gradients easier than before, with consistent colour selection models and interfaces.

Flash MX offers a complete environment for developing data-driven Web applications and you can integrate your Flash applications with any application server that uses URL-encoded or XML data.

User interface enhancements include collapsible panels and a new context-sensitive Property Inspector. With named anchors, Flash MX content can now be bookmarked, allowing for the use of the browser Back and Forward buttons. Macromedia Flash Player 6 (included in the Flash MX package) now supports technologies such as screen readers. In addition, Flash MX now integrates tools for creating accessible content. To add descriptive text to animations and user interface elements, select an item and enter the appropriate description – users with disabilities will be able to experience your content.

Accelerate development with a core set of pre-built, customisable components for common application interfaces, including scrollbars, rich text fields, input buttons, radio buttons and check boxes, and list and combo boxes.

Although Flash MX will run on a machine with a minimum of 64Mb RAM, you are advised to have at least 128Mb of RAM.

Web link: www.macromedia.com

30-day trial

HTML Creator makes the task of creating Web pages easier through its built in assistants. The program's powerful editing tools make it suitable for professional users as well as novices.

Web link: http://tmdc.org/aramk

New version – 25-use trial

HTML Optimizer is a tool designed to streamline your Web site and allow quicker access to its pages. It checks your Web pages for broken links and dangling tags, and optimises both text and graphic files.

HTML Optimizer allows you to optimise HTML code by removing unnecessary characters and tags, which results in the faster loading of your pages in your client's browser; check the so-called tagged pairs, such as the tags that always have to appear together with their end tags; check the validity of the internal hyperlinks, eight levels deep; mark dangling tags and missing attributes to find and fix them quickly; and convert special characters to the HTML entity notation.

This version repairs a memory leak that could crash the application when handling a very large Web folder.

Web link: www.tonbrand.nl

Evaluation version

Meta Tag Manager is a tool for fine-tuning and optimising a Web document's meta tags. This process can enhance a page's search engine relevancy ranking and assure that queries that should find a particular page, do in fact find that page. Meta tags are used by search engine 'spiders' to index and rank a Web site.

By providing dozens of options to automate the management of meta tags, Meta Tag Manager makes it easy to analyse and maximise the important meta tags of an entire site or a single HTML document, providing feedback about how a document's meta tags will be treated by up to ten search engines. Meta Tag Manager can conditionally add, append, prepend, or merge tags to a whole group of files with a single press of the 'Batch' button. Some functions are limited in this evaluation version.

Web link: www.yav.com

30-day trial – lastest version

JaneBUILDER from See Jane Code allows you to build complex PHP pages simply with menus and your mouse. The files created are native PHP (text) files (that can be opened by any HTML tool or text editor) and uploaded to your Web server for deployment. JaneBUILDER also comes with a variety of PHP tools, JOIN support, a Mini SQL browser, variable support, and live MySQL database access.

This update includes various fixes and enhancements.

Web link: www.seejanecode.com