Format HTML Read Me

A BBEdit Extension for quickly formatting HTML Copyright ©1996, by Chad Magendanz. All rights reserved. Version 1.0 - 10 Feb 96 Description Format HTML was created for two basic purposes: 1. To display Web pages generated with PageMill in readable form: I'm a big fan of PageMill. It provides a means of generating very simple Web pages with almost instant gratification. However, it's rare that I'm completely satisfied with the results of my Web page after its initial conception in PageMill. I usually wish to add some more complex structures (like tables) and find myself back in BBEdit flirting with HTML tags in their native form. Unfortunately, this is often easier said than done. PageMill doesn't lay out the HTML in any particular format, frequently squishing them all together in a mass of tags that are difficult for humans to interpret. Format HTML was designed to quickly fix this problem, breaking down HTML tags into individual lines and indenting them in a programmatic style that is easier to read and understand. The utility makes a great addition to Lindsay Davies' HTML Tools, complementing the PageMill Cleaner utility. When importing HTML from PageMill to BBEdit, I first use PageMill Cleaner, then Format HTML to set things right. 2. To assist Web authors in debugging their HTML: The Check HTML command in HTML Tools is a probably the most useful element of BBEdit's Web authoring environment. Like the best compilers, BBEdit displays which tags are likely to be problems and suggests a reasonable cause. Frequently, the solution is obvious, but for those cases where it's not, Format HTML can be a valuable tool. Just running your HTML through Format HTML will tell you whether you have balanced all of your HTML tags and quickly indicate when a tag block has not been closed properly. Installation Install Format HTML by decompressing the StuffIt™ archive and dragging the BBEdit Extension to your BBEdit Extension folder. If you have Lindsay Davies' HTML Tools installed, you will probably want to place Format HTML in the Misc folder with PageMill Cleaner. In either case, the new Format HTML command should be available from the Extensions menu the next time you launch BBEdit. System Requirements Format HTML requires BBEdit version 3.5 or later. BBEdit Lite will *not* suffice. For more information on BBEdit, check out the BBEdit Web site at www.barebones.com. What it Actually Does Format HTML conducts several operations on your HTML source in one command. Specifically, 1. All extraneous tabs, spaces and returns are removed. 2. Each HTML tag is placed on its own line. 3. HTML commands are parsed for basic structure (not syntax). 4. Tabs are added to each line to indent appropriately for its level of nesting. -1- Using Format HTML To format any HTML file in BBEdit, just select the Format HTML command from the Extensions menu. To undo the changes, just select Undo Extens…