Version 4.0 is quite an ambitious new release for Allaire. Its first upgrade in more than a year, HomeSite 4.0's long list of feature additions include:
· An integrated HTML validator; · An excellent new style sheet editor (replaced in v4.5 however); · A WYSIWYG design view (based on Microsoft's DHTMLEdit component); · Inline spelling checker (functions like MS Word in that misspelled words are underlined); · Rapid syntax color-coding (with independent and customizable color coding support of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, VBScript, SQL and Perl documents); · OLE automation support; · A new "QuickBar" customizable, dockable toolbar; · "HTML Full Tag" color-coding scheme; · Customizable keyboard shortcuts; · A "Print in color" option; · and numerous performance enhancements
The style sheet (CSS) editor and HTML validator tool in particular are quite useful and serve as a testament to Allaire's commitment in keeping HomeSite current with the latest Web Development technology. Another highly useful addition is the WYSIWYG design view, which presents your document exactly as it will look in Internet Explorer without having to constantly switch between HomeSite and your web browser.
Perhaps our favorite feature addition in 4.0 is the inline spelling checker option which will underline any and all misspelled words in your document. For those of us who don't have the time or don't want to take the time to run a spell check on every Web page we create, the real-time spelling checker is quite a godsend.