CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) allows the presentation of the content of your website to be kept separate from the content itself. With a single change of the "definition" of key words
in CSS, you can change, for example, the color of all text site-wide instantly. That is a simplification, but it demonstrates what is possible with this concept.
Simple text editors can be used, but dedicated CSS editors make this much, much easier and rapid. Below are some examples of CSS editors you might find helpful in this regard.
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all free software, please investigate before downloading to be sure they are safe and free from malware.
- Firebug : (Free) "Firebug integrates with Firefox to put a wealth of web development
tools at your fingertips while you browse. You can edit, debug, and monitor CSS, HTML, and JavaScript live in any web page."
- Web Developer : (Free) "The Web Developer extension
adds a number of web developer tools to the browser."
- Simple CSS : (Free, Windows/Mac) "To help you work with CSS, we've created a free
tool called Simple CSS, which runs on Mac OS X and Windows. Simple CSS allows you to easily create Cascading Style Sheets from scratch, and/or modify existing ones, using a
familiar point-and-click interface. With Simple CSS, you can manage multiple CSS projects and import your existing style sheets. Simple CSS supports CSS2."
- Rapid CSS : ($29.95/$39.95, Windows) "Rapid CSS editor makes it easy to create,
design and edit modern CSS-based websites. Write the CSS code manually or let the style sheet editor do it for you! It is easy because of the many awesome features such as auto
complete, code inspector, CSS checker and instant built-in multi-browser preview. Rapid CSS editor is designed to save you time and make your job easier."
- WebStorm : ($29/$49/$99, cross platform) "Code editor with an IQ of its own; Code
quality analysis; Cross-platform experience; More features include FTP deployment, JavaScript debugger, unit-test runner and integrated code coverage."
- Espresso : ($75, Mac) "You design and develop for the Web? Espresso turbo-charges
your workflow with the perfect blend of features. Speed through day-to-day edits with extensive language support, contextual completions, powerful smart snippets, and Zen actions.
Watch your web pages update in real time with live styling. Visualize and inspect your layouts with X-ray, then push the changes to your server with Sync or Quick Publish. Oh, and
did we mention CSSEdit 3 is built in?"
- Coda : ($75, Mac) "We made Coda 2 better at everything. So it can make you better at everything.
You code the web. We revolutionized that process in Coda, putting everything in one place. An editor. Terminal. CSS. Files. But we knew we could do better. With Coda 2, we went beyond
expectations. With loads of new, much-requested features, a few surprises, and a seriously refreshed UI, this update is, truly, major."
- Stylizer 5 : (Basic Free/Ultimate $79, Windows/Mac) Stylizer, with a truly elegant interface,
also has the unique feature of real-time CSS editing. Changes are seen as you type, click or drag the mouse.
- TopStyle 5 : ($79.95, Windows) "TopStyle 5 supports the newest versions of core standards that
drive modern web experiences. You'll get access to all the latest tags and properties, including assistance from built in tools like Insight, Inspector & validators. Each browser
might render your web pages differently. That's why TopStyle supports the IE, Chromium, Firefox and Safari rendering engines."
