WYSIWYG vs. Manual Coding in HTML

There are two common methods for writing HTML documents: What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get (WYSIWYG) and manual coding. A WYSIWYG editor shows you a rendered web page as you edit the page. You do not see the actual HTML. When using manual coding, you see the HTML, but you must load the document in a web browser to view the rendered page.

WYSIWYG

In computing, WYSIWYG (/ˈwɪziwɪɡ/ WIZ-ee-wig), an acronym for What You See Is What You Get, is a system in which editing software allows content to be edited in a form that resembles its appearance when printed or displayed as a finished product, such as a printed document, web page, or slide presentation. WYSIWYG implies a user interface that allows the user to view something very similar to the end result while the document is being created. In general, WYSIWYG implies the ability to directly manipulate the layout of a document without having to type or remember names of layout commands.

Manual Coding

The primary advantage of manual coding is that the designer has complete control over the HTML. It is possible to keep the HTML code clean, documented, and easy to maintain by other HTML authors.

The primary disadvantage of manual coding is that the designer must save the document and load it in a web browser to see changes. Many web designers keep the text editor and web browser open at all times to reduce time required to save and view the altered documents. It's also more expensive if you're paying someone.

Learning HTML

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