The following is a list of the most frequently asked questions by our users. It is a good idea to read the list of questions to see if they can answer your question before sending an email to Rage Software. This ensures that you are able to get an answer to your question as quickly as possible. If you can not find an answer here, send an email to Rage Software support at http://www.ragesw.com/support/ for a prompt reply.
General Questions Getting StartedWebDesign is the professional web authoring package for the Mac OS. Including built in support for HTML 3.2, all versions of HTML 4, XHTML 1.0, Cascading Style Sheets, PHP, ASP and JavaScript. WebDesign allows HTML tags to be automatically generated using its built in wizards while allowing direct manipulation of source code through its powerful text editor.
Edit files locally or remotely using WebDesign's built in FTP Client. Keep your web sites up to date and organized with WebDesign's Site Manager. Use WebDesign Includes to allow customization of an entire site by editing one file.
WebDesign's text editor includes many unique features making web authoring a whole lot easier. Including full customizable syntax coloring with support for HTML, XHTML and PHP color coding. Line numbers, auto indenting, soft wrapping options and more allow web developers to keep there code error free, organized and readable.When you're finished developing or editing your web page, run it through WebDesign's HTML syntax checker and optimizer to get the best performance out of your HTML code. Preview your web site in any browser, translate it into multiple languages, check your spelling then upload it to your FTP server all from within WebDesign.
When you begin to use WebDesign, it is not necessary to be fully familiar with the HTML standards. The WebDesign Manual provides a brief overview of HTML and the document structure. It also provides links for further reading so that you can begin to become familiar with all the HTML tags and attributes.
WebDesign's built in HTML wizards and attribute editor reduce the amount of HTML knowledge that you need to know to begin developing web pages. These features will help you generate HTML tags without knowing the specific syntax.
Will WebDesign help me learn HTML?As you work with HTML documents you will most definately begin to pick up on the HTML language. WebDesign allows you to learn from the generated code provided by the HTML wizards as well as provides an attribute editor which will help you quickly become familiar with the attributes that belong to specific HTML tags.
As you use WebDesign, you will quickly pick up on the HTML document structure and how web browsers render your web pages using WebDesign's preview features.
Where can I learn to write HTML code?WebDesign's user manual provides a brief overview of HTML and it's document structure. It will help get you started on creating your first home page. The WebDesign user manual also provides links to Internet resources which explain in more detail how to write HTML code and what each HTML tag and tag attribute is used for. You can also access these Internet resources by going to the Help menu within WebDesign.
Rage Software has partnered with westciv to provide WebDesign users with a complete, hands on tutorial to help you get started with HTML, XHTML and more specifically add appealing styles to your web site with Cascading Style Sheets.
You can view a sample of the tutorial at http://www.westciv.com/courses/course_info/html_and_xhtml/sample_section.html.
Separately, WebDesign along with the HTML, XHTML and CSS tutorial would cost $54.95 US. You can purchase both WebDesign and the hands on tutorial for just $44.95 US a 20% savings. Visit the secure Rage Software store to purchase the bundle online, by mail, email, check or cash.
What is XHTML?HTML is the most common language used today to develop web sites. Although for the most part, it is sufficient enough for most web developers and will display correctly in the most popular browsers, HTML does have its share of drawbacks. XHTML (Extensible Hyper Text Markup Language) was developed to correct everything that is wrong with HTML. XHTML is set out to replace HTML and be used as the default language for developing web sites.
As the internet expands, people are able to access web sites from handheld devices such as PDA's and cell phones. These devices do not have the resources to render documents using bad HTML. Therefore XHTML is a stricter and cleaner version of HTML which allows web browsers to more easily render web pages since they must follow specific rules. XHTML is almost identical to HTML 4.01 as it uses the same tags and attributes but many syntax rules apply to XHTML documents which you do not have to worry about when writing HTML code.
XHTML was designed to be backwards compatible so that you can begin to write all your web sites in XHTML and have them work in both new devices as well as older web browsers.
Can I import web pages created in another html editor?Since all HTML files are regular text documents, you can not only open HTML files created by third party HTML editors, you can also open files created in WebDesign within other HTML editors.
However, if you are opening files that were transfered from other operating systems, make sure you have the 'Convert Unix Returns to Mac' and 'Convert Windows Returns to Mac' options enabled under the 'Document' tab in the Preferences window. Other operating systems use different characters to separate lines. These options will convert these characters to their equivalent on the Mac so that they can be displayed correctly.
WebDesign's syntax coloring is fully customizable. Go to the 'Editor' tab in the preferences dialog to change the color to your likings. You can also chose to color keywords which in this case get their color value from the keywords file. See the 'WebDesign technotes' in the user manual to learn about creating and editing keyword files.
How do I switch between HTML and PHP syntax coloring?WebDesign will automatically use either HTML syntax coloring or PHP syntax coloring depending on the file extension when a document is opened. You can edit which file types use which syntax coloring in the 'Document' tab of the preferences dialog. You can change the syntax coloring for an already opened document by opening the 'Document Settings' window under the Edit menu. Select either PHP to enable PHP syntax coloring or any other language to enable HTML syntax coloring. When in PHP mode it is recommended to chose 'Color Keywords' as well and select the PHP keywords file in the preferences dialog.
How come after changing the settings in the preferences dialog, my current documents don't update?The editor settings in the preferences dialog will only affect newly created or opened documents after the settings are saved. If you would like to change the settings for an already opened document, open the 'Document Settings' dialog under the Edit menu or use the Options menu at the top of the document window.
How come enabling tabs turns show invisible characters off?Currently tabs and show invisible characters can not be enabled at the same time. This is a known issue and we are working on resolving it for a future release of WebDesign.
Why does the FTP client report an error when connecting or not even connect at all?WebDesign's FTP Client is compatible with almost all standard FTP servers. However, some servers may not be fully compatible with WebDesign's FTP Client. If you encounter a problem when connecting, make sure your login information is correct including your server, login name and password.
If you are still having problems connecting, check the use passive mode and insure that your internet connection is working and is not being interfered with by other applications or appliances such as a phone if you are on a dialup connection.
When uploading a folder or web site, I get a 425 FTP Error.When uploading folders or web sites, you may get this error occasionally. In the event that you do, simply wait a few minutes then press the reconnect button to start the upload process again from where WebDesign left off.
When using special characters with an ascii value greater the 127, they may not show up correctly in different browsers or on different operating systems. This is why it is recommended to convert these special characters to their HTML entity value. WebDesign provides many features to reduce the amount of memorization required to remember the entity values for different characters as well as makes it very easy to enter characters with high ascii values.
WebDesign's HTML Entities window will list all available special characters that can be used in your web page. They can be entered using their entity name, entity decimal value or entity hexadecimal value by selecting the input method from the pop up window. The Entities window can be accessed under the 'Windows Menu'.
WebDesign can automatically convert special characters when they are typed in your document to their entity name, entity decimal value or entity hexadecimal value. You can use this feature by enabling it under the 'Application' tab in the Preferences window.
WebDesign can convert your entire document from regular text to IS0-Latin-1 and to IS0-8859-1 and back. You can access these conversion features in the 'Text' menu.
How can I see what my web site look likes while working on it?WebDesign allows you to preview your web page in any browser installed on your computer or using WebDesign's own rendering engine. To add browser's to the browser list open the Preferences dialog and select the 'Internet' tab. Click the add button to add browsers to the list. The browsers that are chosen will be accessible through the 'preview' button in each document window or from the File Menu. You can preview your document in the first selected browser by pressing Command-R
How do I get my web site online?The first step to getting your web site online is to register a domain name such as http://www.ragesw.com. The first thing to do when deciding on a domain name is to visit a web site such as http://www.checkdomain.com to make sure that your domain name is available.
Once you have decided on a domain name that is available to use, you must purchase the rights to it. Most commonly, domain names are purchased for 1 or more years. Prices for domain names can vary from $15US-$30US or more depending on the type of domain you want (.com, .org .net). To register a domain name you can visit http://www.infinityws.com which offers both domain name registration and many other features which are required to get your web site online.
Once your domain name is registered you must still find an appropriate hosting company to get your web site online. A hosting company such as http://www.infinityws.com, offer many services and features to getting your web site online quickly and easily. Typically you should be spending $10US-$30US or more per month depending on the amount of features you need. Visit http://www.infinityws.com to learn more about the services offered as well as discounts available to WebDesign users.
Your Internet provider may provide you with a hosting plan. You can check with them to see what they offer
Once you have a hosting company, you will be provided with login information for your FTP Server from your hosting provider. With the login information that you are provided you can use WebDesign's FTP Client to upload your web pages to your server.
Why doesn't the syntax checker find all errors?WebDesign's syntax checker is not a fully featured syntax checker. It will only report illegal HTML Tags, attributes and attribute values as well as tags with two many quotes and that contain illegal characters.
You should use the HTML/XHTML validator at http://validator.w3.org/ for a more complete check.
I have many FTP accounts. Can WebDesign store my login details for me?WebDesign can store login information for as many FTP servers as you want so that you do not need to re-enter this information each time you want to connect to one of your servers.
To add, remove, or edit FTP servers go to the 'Internet' tab in the Preferences dialog and click the 'Edit Bookmarks' button. You can also edit your FTP bookmarks within the FTP Client.
Why can't I change the default extension for my document when saving?In Mac OS X Apple now recommends using file extensions to specify the type of file a document is. When using WebDesign, your file extension will be automatically set for your document depending on the current editor mode you are using (configurable in the document settings dialog under the edit menu). Unfortunantly, due to the way Mac OS X is designed, you can not change the file extension in the Save As dialog.
WebDesign does, however, provide a few workarounds for this problem. If you are working in text mode, WebDesign will not give your document a file extension so you will be able to add an extension when you save the file. It also lets you specify the default extension for documents when working in each mode. You can change the default extensions used in the Documents tab of the Preferences window. If you leave one of the fields blank, no extension will be used and you will be able to specify a file extension each time you save your document.
How do I correctly enable PHP syntax coloring?When working with PHP documents you will most likely want to take advantage of WebDesign's PHP syntax coloring. This will help you more easily work with your PHP code and will prevent you from making unneeded errors such as leaving out quotations or misspelling functions.
To enable PHP syntax coloring, make sure the current document mode is set to PHP. You can change the current document mode using the Document Settings dialog under the Edit menu. WebDesign will automatically set this mode when you open a PHP document. You can set the file extensions that WebDesign recognizes as a PHP extension in the 'Documents' tab in the Preferences dialog.
Just setting the documents mode will not provide full PHP syntax coloring. You must enable 'Color All Keywords' in the 'Editor' Preferences and select the PHP keywords file.
How do I correctly enable CSS syntax coloring?When working with CSS documents you will most likely want to take advantage of WebDesign's CSS syntax coloring. This will help you more easily work with your CSS code and will prevent you from making unneeded errors such as leaving out quotations or misspelling properties.
To enable CSS syntax coloring, make sure the current document mode is set to CSS. You can change the current document mode using the Document Settings dialog under the Edit menu. WebDesign will automatically set this mode when you open a CSS document. You can set the file extensions that WebDesign recognizes as a CSS extension in the 'Documents' tab in the Preferences dialog.
Just setting the documents mode will not provide full CSS syntax coloring. You must enable 'Color All Keywords' in the 'Editor' Preferences and select the CSS keywords file.
How can I see what my HTML code will look like in a web browser?During web site development it is often the case that you would want to see how your web site looks in a web browser. WebDesign provides the ability to not only preview your web pages in an unlimited number of web browsers, but it also provides a built in preview feature.
Before being able to preview your documents you must add browsers to the Open In Applications list. Open the preferences window and click the 'Internet' Tab. Then click the 'Add' button to add web browsers to the list. Save your preferences and you are now ready to start previewing your documents.
You can add any kind of application to this list and WebDesign will open the current document in that Application when it is selected. So for example, you can add your favorite CSS editor, open the current document in the CSS Editor, edit your CSS code and when you return to WebDesign, your document will be updated to reflect those changes. You can also add things such as link checkers, HTML validators or even a WYSIWYG HTML editor to edit complex HTML code in.
While working with your web site you may click the 'Preview' button (third button from the top with the globe icon) or go to File->Preview In and select the web browser you want to preview your page in. If you select 'In WebDesign...' a new window will open in WebDesign and render your document.
(note: WebDesign's preview feature uses Apple's HTMLRenderingLib which does not support the latest in web technologies. Some pages may not show up correctly in WebDesign's preview mode.)
It is recommended that you save your document before previewing so that images and other code using relative paths show up correctly. WebDesign can automatically save your document before previewing by setting this option in the 'Application' tab in the preferences.
WebDesign is suitable for the beginner working on their first homepage and wanting to learn about HTML and web development all the way up to the professional web master in need of direct access to their web site code and an organized site management tool.
WebDesign is geared toward web developers who want to have full access to their web site code giving them complete control of the content and format of their web sites while still being able generate HTML code visually through the use of wizards.
Furthermore, WebDesign is convenient for users working in any language because of its customizable features but specifically HTML, XHTML. PHP, ASP, JavaScript and CSS since these languages are all initially supported by WebDesign by default.
How much does webdesign cost?A single user license for WebDesign costs $29.95US. You can order a license safely and securly online at http://www.ragesw.com/onlinestore.php.
If you are a registered user of PageSpinner 3.0 or higher, you can upgrade to WebDesign for just $20.95 US. Visit the Rage Software online store for further details.
Do you offer academic pricing?Yes. You can purchase a single license to WebDesign for $20.95 US if you meet the following criteria below. Volume academic prices are also available from the Rage Software Online Store at http://www.ragesw.com/onlinestore.php
Students, faculty members and staff members of accredited educational institutions qualify for academic discounts. Proof of academic status is required in any of the following forms:
If you are providing proof using your email address, your email address must also clearly show your name. When purchasing an academic license, you may not use WebDesign to create commercial web sites or web sites for profit. Volume discounts are available for academic licenses.
Do you offer volume discounts?Volume discount are available at the following rates;
After placing your order you should receive a payment confirmation email shortly after. Your serial number is contained in the 'Order Summary' section of this email.
Where do I enter my serial number?To enter your serial number go to the Apple Menu (OS 9) or the Application Menu (OS X) in the upper left corner and select 'Enter Registration Number'. A new dialog will open asking for your registration number. It is important to remember that if you did not receive a license code that you leave this field blank. It is only provided for users who were issued an old serial number.
My serial number is not being accepted.Make sure that there are no extra characters including spaces in the serial number field. It is best to copy and paste the serial number to ensure that it is entered correctly. Make sure that if you did not receive a license code that you leave the license code field blank.
If you purchased an upgrade from version 1.x to 2.x, make sure you enter your verion 1.x serial number correctly in the 1.x serial number field. Also, make sure your upgrade serial number is entered correctly in the appropriate field.
Does WebDesign ship on any physical media (i.e. CD-ROM)?Not at this time. Currently, WebDesign, along with all of Rage Software's other products, can be downloaded from the products page at http://www.ragesw.com/products.php
Since WebDesign 1.x was released in June of 2000, Rage Software has provided over a dozen free updates offering many new and exciting features including support for a variety of web languages, site management tools, better HTML tools and features to help work with code as well as many other features that have helped benefit all web developers.
To continue producing quality software to meet the needs of our consumers, Rage Software must generate a revenue through paid upgrades. Of course, you do not need to upgrade if you do not choose to, but Rage Software feels that the features and benefits of WebDesign 2.0 will surely convince you that the upgrade offer is resonable and the enhancements added to WebDesign will greatly benefit all users.
Furthermore, Rage Software understands that not everybody got the full use of WebDesign since version 1.0. That is why a free upgrade period has been set up for users who purchased WebDesign 1.x after a certain date. See below for further details.
I just recently purchased WebDesign 1.x. Do you offer a grace period for short-term users?Yes. If you placed your order for WebDesign after October 1, 2002, then you are entitled to a free upgrade from verion 1.x to 2.x. If you purchased after this date, you should have received a free upgrade serial number to the email you supplied when you placed your order. If you did not receive a free upgrade serial number you can send an email to sales@ragesw.com for a prompt reply containing your free upgrade serial number.
Please rememember that you must have a previously registered version of WebDesign 1.x on your computer to enter this upgrade serial number. If you do not have your 1.x serial number or you have misplaced it, please see the answer to question 6.4 below.
How come my upgrade serial number does not work?Your upgrade serial number will only work if you have a previously registered version of WebDesign 1.x on your computer. If you do not, WebDesign 2.x will allow you to re-enter your 1.x serial number in the Register Dialog so that you do not need to actually have any previous version of WebDesign.
If a previous version is registered on your computer, WebDesign will fill in the neccessary fields for you so that you only need to enter your email and upgrade serial number.
What if I do not have or lost my 1.x serial number?It is a good idea to keep both a printed and electronic copy of your serial number somewhere on your computer. This insures that in the event that you must re-register WebDesign, you can quickly do so without any hassle.
However, in the case that you have misplaced your serial numbers there are a number of ways that you can obtain it before sending an email to Rage Software. This insures that you get your serial number instantly and do not have to wait for a reply from Rage.
If you placed your order through eSellerate.net, visit http://store.esellerate.net/support/ to get your registration number emailed to you immediatly. Otherwise, if your order was placed through Kagi, visit http://info.kagi.com/.
If you still can not located your serial number you may send an email to sales@ragesw.com. Please provide as much information as possible including the Product Name, Name and Email used when purchasing and any other relevant information.