I am looking for an embeddable WYSIWYG HTML editor that can OPEN a file. I am running a social network with the user's main page located in /users/<UID>/body.htm. I have tried a few editors but they can't open files. Are there any editors capable of doing this?
I've looked at ckeditor but what I mean by open files is like a MS Frontpage type thing. A blank HTML file is generated when the user registers and the user can edit that how they want, later on they can make changes to the HTML already saved like if you we're to open a HTML in FP or DW. The file would be located in /users/ID/body.htm
If I understand you correctly, you would like to have a web page editor? Well, WYSIWYG editors aren't designed to be web page editors (although they will create HTML for you). Usually a WYSIWYG editor is only used for the content part (rich text areas) of web pages and that rich text can be created, formatted, edited and saved at will, as long as the application behind the editor is programmed to do that. For instance, here in the forum, the forum software is using TinyMCE for the posting functionality. If you click on the button to the right at the top while entering or editing a post, you'll see the plain text version of your text. All of this gets converted or parsed in the background into HTML to show you on the page. Theoretically, you could rework such an editor to be a full blown HTML page creator, but there is a lot more involved in doing so and I think you'd find the functionality of an RT editor like ckeditor to be too limiting in the end. In other words, I think possibly your requirements of such an editor are too high, so the answer to your question is no, there are no rich text WYSIWYG editors out there with the functionality you are looking for. What kind of project are you working on, where you need such a functionality? Maybe with a better idea of your project, we might be able to point you in the right direction or give you better tips. Scott
I'm thinking of a new idea for a social network kind of like Google Sites and Facebook combined. After I posted last I remembered the best example of what I want to do. The easiest way to explain my plans would be to check out Google Sites. Kind of like a forum RTF poster and dream weaver combined.
Hmm.... Google Sites gives you a page framework and you can then use their editor to basically do what you please in the area on the page they give you with the functionality they give you. So for that, yes, you could use a any rich text editor to make up that same kind of functionality. Though, the "pages" functionality itself (creating, editing, saving), has nothing to do with the editor. That is back-end functionality, which you'd need to program yourself. Scott
Do you have any ideas on how to start? Inject code from an SQL DB into the editor? I'm clueless at this point.
Well, what you intend to create on your own is a huge undertaking. But do continue to learn and start to create it. Learn more about PHP and also how it hooks up with databases and possibly learn a good PHP framework. It will save you a ton of development time and teach you to code within certain industry standards. Learn how web sites work in general and what is necessary to have a "safe site". Learn a lot more about HTML, CSS and even Javascript. You don't need the complete details, unless you are going to try and program a lot on your own. If that is your goal, then you still have a long way to go. I know, I was in the same position as you many years ago and now, after so many years, I am also starting a similar kind of project and I still wouldn't even dream of trying to do it alone. I guess what I am trying to say is, as you learn more and more, you'll also start to realize what you want to do is an incredible amount of work. I also believe in the 10,000 hours rule (which is about 5.5 years working full time!). If you don't have those kind of hours behind you, you won't achieve much of anything in your profession. So, if you don't have it yourself, you're going to need people who do, if you want to get your goal done faster. Scott
Never knew something would be so complicated. Maybe Ill just revise my idea and try something like a basic text editor for now while working on a way "Behind the scenes" to make it editable. So that way the product will be out there quick and I can still work on the v2.0 with editing functionality.
Like I said, take some time to learn more about the technologies you want to use first. If you feel you can do it yourself, then practice what you learn. You'll then realize what you want to do is more work than you realize right now. Scott