A Wysiwyg Editor is a game-changer for web development, allowing you to create rich text content without writing any HTML code.
It's a visual editor that gives you a real-time preview of your content, making it easier to design and layout your web pages.
One of the key benefits of using a Wysiwyg Editor is that it provides a user-friendly interface for non-technical users to create and edit content.
This means you can focus on the creative aspects of web development, without getting bogged down in HTML code.
What is a WYSIWYG Editor
A WYSIWYG editor is a type of text editor that allows users to see the final result of their edits in real-time, without having to write HTML code.
This editor can be used as a WYSIWYG HTML editor or a Markdown editor, and it also supports Iframe editing with configurable Iframe characteristics.
The JavaScript Rich Text Editor control is a great example of a WYSIWYG editor, offering an efficient user interface for a better editing experience.
It has a variety of tools to edit and format rich content, including inserting images, links, tables, and lists.
The control provides mobile support, making it accessible on various devices.
Features
Many WYSIWYG editors offer code highlighting, which allows you to tell the editor what language you're writing in, and it will highlight the code for you. This makes it much easier to spot mistakes in the code.
Some popular free WYSIWYG editors include TinyMCE, KompoZer, CKEditor, and Amaya, among others. These editors often have additional features like auto-completing tags, which can suggest the correct tag name when you start typing.
Here are some features you might find in a WYSIWYG editor:
- Code highlighting: tells the editor which language you're writing in and highlights the code for you
- Auto-completing tags: suggests the correct tag name when you start typing
- Error checking: checks your code for any errors that might have been made by mistake
- Connecting directly to your hosting: allows you to connect your HTML editor to your host using an FTP connection
Why Choose Syncfusion?
Syncfusion's extensive library of UI controls and tools makes it an ideal choice for developers. With over 1,600 components, including data grids, charts, and gauges, you can quickly build complex applications without writing custom code.
Their controls are highly customizable, allowing you to tailor the look and feel of your application to match your brand. This is especially useful for companies with strict visual identity guidelines.
Syncfusion's tools also support a wide range of programming languages, including C#, VB.NET, and JavaScript. This makes it easier to integrate their controls into your existing projects.
Their controls are highly performant, with many of them being optimized for mobile devices. This ensures that your applications run smoothly on a variety of platforms.
Syncfusion's extensive documentation and community support make it easier to get started and stay on track. With thousands of examples and a large community of developers, you can find help when you need it.
Froala
Froala offers a sophisticated table feature that allows for draggable and stylable borders, as well as colorable individual cells. Most features can be turned off if you don't want users to have too much freedom with the editor.
The Froala Editor has a well-designed layout and intuitive API, making it a joy to work with. With only 300 lines of code, you can create plugins like a math plugin, gap text plugin, and special list feature.
Froala Editor's API is well-documented and useful, allowing for easy plugin development. They've found a good balance between powerful features and not overwhelming the editor.
You can download the full source code when you buy the editor, but it's recommended to write plugins rather than hacking the core code to ensure compatibility with updates.
Free
Free features are a great way to get started with building a website without breaking the bank. TinyMCE is a very popular web-based HTML WYSIWYG editor used by popular content management systems like WordPress.
You can easily add images, links, lists, and quotes to your webpage without needing to know any HTML code whatsoever. CKEditor has a very big focus on accessibility – generating websites that can be used by the visually impaired with screen readers and so on.
CKEditor also has inline editing that removes the need for multiple views. TinyMCE is a very popular web-based HTML WYSIWYG editor used by popular content management systems like WordPress.
Aloha Editor has a front-end editor which you can simply click to begin editing. It also has a nifty table tool which lets you add tables just like you would in Microsoft Word.
Trellian WebPage provides an intuitive interface with color highlighted HTML and a drag and drop interface that allows you to absolutely position elements on the page. SeaMonkey has dynamic image and table resizing, quick insert and delete of table cells, improved CSS support, and support for positioned layers.
Amaya is a free and open source WYSIWYG editor from W3C (who develop the web standards). It is very simple, designed purely for HTML and CSS editing.
Here are some free WYSIWYG editors mentioned in the article:
- TinyMCE
- KompoZer
- CKEditor
- Aloha Editor
- Amaya
- SeaMonkey
- Trellian WebPage
Benefits of
Using an HTML editor has several benefits that make it a better choice for writing code. Code highlighting is one of the most significant advantages, allowing you to tell the editor which language you're writing in and have it highlight the code for you.
This makes it much easier to spot mistakes in your code, especially when compared to plain text in a text editor. I've used both approaches, and I can attest that highlighted code is a game-changer for catching errors.
Auto-completing tags is another feature that saves you time and effort. Typing just the less than symbol (<) will give you a dropdown list of all the elements, making it easy to find what you're looking for.
Error checking is also a valuable feature, allowing you to identify and fix mistakes before publishing your site. Many free HTML editors have this capability, making it a must-have for anyone creating websites.
Connecting directly to your hosting via FTP is a fast and efficient way to publish your website. This feature saves you from constantly uploading files via FTP, making it a huge time-saver.
Fully Customizable
The fully customizable toolbar of the HTML5 Rich Text Editor control is a game-changer. You can add or remove buttons and group commands based on category, making it easy to design the toolbar for specific application needs, like HTML blog editing or HTML email composing.
Enter and Shift+Enter keys can be configured in various ways, but we'll get to that later. For now, let's focus on the customization options.
The toolbar can be configured to fit your specific needs, whether you're working on an HTML blog or an HTML email. With the ability to add or remove buttons, you can create a toolbar that's tailored to your application.
Here are some key configuration examples:
- Enter and Shift+Enter key configuration examples
You can also add your own commands (tools) with actions to the toolbar, giving you even more flexibility and control. This is especially useful when you need to perform specific actions that aren't built into the editor.
Custom tools can be added to the toolbar along with built-in commands, making it easy to create a customized editing experience. For more information on custom tools, check out the documentation.
With a rich set of tools at your disposal, you can create a toolbar that's perfect for your needs. Whether you need a multirow, expanding, quick, or floating toolbar, the options are endless.
Integration
Integration is key to taking your wysiwyg editor to the next level.
You can easily integrate third-party libraries like spell checker, code mirror, etc., with the Rich Text Editor to improve the content in the JavaScript HTML text editor.
By doing so, you can enhance the functionality of your editor and provide users with a more comprehensive writing experience.
This integration is especially useful for applications that require a high level of accuracy, such as academic or professional writing tools.
Editing Tools
Editing tools are a crucial part of the wysiwyg editor html experience. They allow users to quickly insert images, videos, hyperlinks, and tables with ease.
The wysiwyg editor html offers a variety of toolbar options that are fully customizable. You can choose from multirow, expanding, quick, and floating toolbars, and group tool commands based on related functionality.
With the ability to add custom tools and actions to the toolbar, users can tailor the editing experience to their specific needs. This feature is especially useful for developers and content creators who require a high degree of customization.
Here are some key features of the wysiwyg editor html's editing tools:
- Insert images, videos, hyperlinks, and tables
- Merge table cells
- Configure keys
- Add custom tools and actions
Flexible Editing
Flexible editing is a breeze with the right tools. You can quickly insert images, videos, hyperlinks, and tables into your content.
The JavaScript Rich Text Editor control offers a variety of tools and choices to make editing easier. Merge table cells and configure keys to suit your needs.
One of the most useful features is the ability to customize the editor to your liking. You can add your own commands (tools) with actions to the toolbar along with built-in commands in JavaScript Editor WYSIWYG. Custom tools documentation is available to help you get started.
Discover more: Free Html Website Template
In addition to these features, the editor also offers an inline mode that displays an HTML editor when content in an editable area is clicked or selected. This makes it easy to edit and format your content on the fly.
For a quick and easy start, you can use the JavaScript Rich Text Editor Code Example, which demonstrates how to render and configure the Rich Text Editor in JavaScript. This will give you a solid foundation to build on.
Overall, the JavaScript Rich Text Editor offers a lot of flexibility and customization options to make editing a breeze.
Document Nodes
Document nodes are used to represent the contents of the document, and they can contain various types of nodes such as paragraphs, headings, images, videos, code-blocks, and pull-quotes.
The common types of nodes in a rich-text document include block nodes, inline nodes, and void nodes. Block nodes are rendered on a new line and occupy the available width, while inline nodes start rendering on the same line as the previous node.
Block nodes can contain other block nodes or inline nodes inside them, and the top-level nodes of a document are always block nodes. Inline nodes, on the other hand, are used to render elements such as links and inline images.
Here are the categories of nodes in more detail:
- Block Nodes: rendered on a new line and occupy the available width
- Inline Nodes: start rendering on the same line as the previous node
- Void Nodes: used to render media (SlateJS allows this third category of nodes)
By understanding the different types of nodes, you can create a more customized rendering experience for your users. For example, you can use the renderElement function prop to customize the rendering of specific node types, such as headings or images.
Table Cell Merge/Split
Editing tools can be a real game-changer for anyone who works with text or tables. One of the most useful features is the ability to merge table cells.
With JavaScript Editor WYSIWYG, you can merge two or more row and column cells into a single cell with its contents. This can be a huge time-saver when you need to combine information from multiple cells.
A single cell can be split both horizontally and vertically, giving you more flexibility in how you arrange your data.
JavaScript Form Validations
JavaScript form validations are a crucial aspect of creating seamless user experiences. They ensure that users enter the required information and adhere to specific guidelines.
The JavaScript Rich Text Editor supports HTML forms and obtains values on form submission actions. This is particularly useful for developers looking to streamline their workflow.
Two types of validation are supported by the editor: required validation and maximum length validation. These features help prevent errors and improve data quality.
Required validation ensures that users enter a value in a specific field. This is especially important for fields that cannot be left blank.
Maximum length validation limits the number of characters that can be entered in a field. This helps prevent data overload and ensures that the data is usable.
The following are some common scenarios where these validations are particularly useful:
- Community Forum: Ensure that users enter a valid username and password.
- Knowledge Base: Validate that users enter accurate and detailed information.
- Contact Support: Verify that users enter their contact details correctly.
- Features & Bugs: Validate that users enter detailed descriptions of the issues they're facing.
- SLA: Ensure that users enter their Service Level Agreement details accurately.
- Product Life Cycle: Validate that users enter the correct product information.
Redactor
Redactor is another paid WYSIWYG editor worth considering. It has fewer features than Froala, allowing only full-width images and full-width tables, and doesn't support stacked or customized tables.
One potential advantage of Redactor is its simplicity, which might be exactly what some people are looking for. However, I think Froala is still the better choice even for a simplistic editor.
If you do choose Redactor, keep in mind that you can easily take out unnecessary features from Froala, like the file upload button or change-color button, but be prepared to program them yourself if you need them later.
Redactor's limitations might be a turn-off for some users, but it's worth considering if you're looking for a more straightforward editing experience.
Locations and Selection
Locations and Selection are crucial components of a rich text editor. To navigate the document structure at runtime, we need to understand how to represent the most granular part of a document, such as a character, with coordinates.
These coordinates help us determine where in the document hierarchy we are. Location objects also enable us to represent user selection, which is used to tailor the user experience of the editor in real-time.
For instance, if the user's cursor is inside a link, we might show them a menu to edit or remove the link. Or, if the user selects an image, we could give them a menu to resize the image.
Here are the key data structures used to represent locations and selection:
- Path: represented by an array of numbers, a path is the way to get to a node in the document.
- Point: a more granular location of content represented by path + offset.
- Range: a pair of points (called anchor and focus) that represent a range of text inside the document.
The user's selection can be represented as a range, which is a pair of points (anchor and focus) that denote the start and end of the selection. For example, if the user's selection is "ipsum", the range can be represented as a pair of points.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free Wysiwyg HTML editor?
For a free WYSIWYG HTML editor, consider Quill, a lightweight and customizable option with a simple API and a wide range of integrations, making it a popular choice among developers.
What is the best WYSIWYG?
There is no single "best" WYSIWYG editor, as the best option depends on your specific needs and goals. Popular options like Froala, CKEditor, and TinyMCE offer various features to help you create professional-looking content.
Is CoffeeCup html editor WYSIWYG?
CoffeeCup HTML editor was WYSIWYG until version 12.5 in 2012, but later versions require HTML code editing. However, built-in features assist with code generation and checking.
What is the rich text editor component of HTML?
The Rich Text Editor component is a feature that allows users to create formatted text with HTML elements like fonts, images, and links. It generates HTML code for use within web pages or email bodies.
Which rich text editor is best?
Choosing the best rich text editor depends on your specific needs, but popular options like Draft.js, Quill, and CKEditor 5 offer robust features and flexibility for a wide range of applications. To determine the best fit, consider factors like customization, compatibility, and user experience.
Sources
- JavaScript Rich Text Editor | WYSIWYG editor in HTML5 (syncfusion.com)
- Bluefish (openoffice.nl)
- HTML-Kit (htmlkit.com)
- Notepad++ (notepad-plus-plus.org)
- Aptana Studio (aptana.com)
- NetBeans (netbeans.org)
- CoffeeCup (coffeecup.com)
- Sublime Text (sublimetext.com)
- Trellian WebPage (trellian.com)
- SeaMonkey (seamonkey-project.org)
- Amaya (w3.org)
- Aloha Editor (aloha-editor.org)
- CKEditor (ckeditor.com)
- KompoZer (kompozer.net)
- TinyMCE (tinymce.com)
- WYSIWYG Editor Feature Descriptions | Knowledge Base (buttercms.com)
- https://froala.com/wysiwyg-editor/docs/concepts/custom/plugin/ (froala.com)
- https://github.com/quilljs/quill (github.com)
- LinkedIn (smashing.services)
- Location (slatejs.org)
- Selection API (mozilla.org)
- packages (github.com)
- withReact (github.com)
- Editable (github.com)
- Github Issue (github.com)
- GitHub Issue (github.com)
- Editor.above (github.com)
- Transforms.wrapNodes (github.com)
- ReactEditor.toDOMNode (github.com)
- example (slatejs.org)
- Void elements (w3.org)
- History (slatejs.org)
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