HotDog Pro 6 Overview

 

What is HotDog Pro 6?

Welcome to HotDog Professional 6. HotDog is an advanced HTML Editor and Website Development Tool. Most programs that let you build webpages hide the HTML that forms their source. While this can be useful for the novice, it ultimately limits the type and design of webpages you can build. Rather than hide the HTML code away - HotDog embraces it fully, providing you with many tools that manipulate the power and precision of full-blown HTML. Using the HotDog Editor and the HTML Property Sheet, you are continually informed about the various properties and attributes of HTML tags. By approaching HTML in this manner, we have managed to make it quick and easy to learn whilstgiving you precise control over the design and look of your webpage.

To meet the demands of modern web authors - we have included syntax support for the following file types in addition to HTML:

HotDog Pro can be conceptualized as having several parts with the HotDog Shell wrapping them all together.

The HotDog Shell contains:

  1. The Editor

  2. A Menu and Toolbar System

  3. Resource Panels

  4. Access to SuperToolz

The HotDog Shell

The HotDog Shell gives you access to Preferences, Toolbars, common HTML tasks (such as inserting Images/Tables etc.) and online help. Among other things, the Resource Panels are opened and closed from the HotDog Shell.

HotDog Helps You Learn HTML

We put a lot of thought into the design of the HotDog Shell. When designing each dialog, as well as considering ease of use, we also tried to enhance the learning process. So, for example, the Table Wizard not only helps you insert a table into your webpage, it provides tips on how to use a table and contains diagrams demonstrating the various attributes in tables, such as Cell Padding and Border Colors.

The Table Wizard

Starting the Table Wizard

  • On the Table menu, select Table Wizard.

The use of wizards gave us the ability to present complex or prolonged tasks in a clear and simple manner. For example, adding a new server address to HotDog is explained step-by-step in the Internet Site Wizard.

At the end of the wizard you will have not only defined a new Server Address, but have hopefully learnt a bit about what a Server is and why you needed to define a Server Address in the first place.

Lots of Help

Each dialog has a Help button. This help button contains links to extended help as well - that is, not only is the functionality of dialog explained, but the background as well. For example, the help for the Internet Site Wizard expands upon the help contained within the wizard, but also links to a step-by-step guide on using the wizard. This guide is typical of many included with HotDog, in that it explains basic concepts and terminology so you have a firm grounding on what is actually going on.

Starting the Internet Connection Wizard

  1. On the View menu, choose Resource Manager and then choose Internet Files.

  2. In the Internet Files Resource Panel, click Add New Connection.

Customizing HotDog

Flexibility and customizability remains a key issue in the design of HotDog. All toolbars are completely customizable and you can define shortcut keys for almost everything. When creating webpages the HotDog Team found that being able to quickly insert commonly used tags and text into a document was of paramount importance. To address this issue we incorporated four features into HotDog Pro.

  • Shortcut Keys for HTML Tags.

  • Shortcut Keys for user defined Macros.

  • MultiLine Clipboard.

  • Ability to add Tags and Macros to a Toolbar.

The HTML Tag Manager

Each HTML tag can be assigned its own shortcut key. This way you can significantly speed up the editing process. Common tags to associate with shortcut keys could be the <BR> and <FONT> tags.

The Macro Editor

Frequently more complex text than plain tags needs to be inserted into documents. A common example is the <BODY> tag or Meta tag information containing search terms. Perhaps you just have a common font effect you want at your fingertips. Using the Macro Editor, you can build your own tags. Furthermore, these tags automatically wrap around highlighted text when you insert them. For example, say you have defined a Macro with the following values:

  • Text Before: <FONT COLOR="#CCCCCC">

  • Text After: </FONT>

  • Shortcut Key: CTRL + ALT+ G

If you highlight some text in your document and press <CTRL> + <ALT> + <G> the text will automatically be wrapped with the font tags:

<FONT COLOR=”#CCCCCC”>...some text...</FONT>

Adding Tags and Macros to a Toolbar

If HotDog is your chief HTML editing tool, creating your own toolbars and adding your own buttons to them is vital. With HotDog, not only can you add Tags to a toolbar, you can also add your own Macros.

The MultiLine Clipboard

When working with a several documents, it is convenient to be able to store a few pieces of different text. The MultiLine clipboard is a floating clipboard that can store as much text and colors as you need. Just copy any text you want to save and paste it in to the MultiLine Clipboard. Drag and drop out any text you want to paste into your document.

Preferences

You can customize just about anything in HotDog. If you use an editor for a long period of time, you will probably want to be able to adjust the look and feel of the editor to your own needs. The Preferences window lets you change how HotDog operates.

Creating a Shortcut Key for a HTML Tag.

  1. On the View menu, choose Resource Manager, then choose HTML Tags.

  2. Select the Tag you want to add a shortcut key to.

  3. In the ShortCut Key field at the bottom of the HTML Tags manager, select a shortcut key.

 

The Macro Editor

  • On the View menu, choose Resource Manager, then choose Macro Editor.

 

Adding a New Macro

  • In the Macro Editor, click Add New Macro.

 

Adding a Shortcut Key to a Macro

  1. In the Macro Editor, click on the Macro to which you want to add a shortcut key.

  2. In the ShortCut Key field at the bottom of the Macro Editor, select a shortcut key.

Customizing Toolbars

  • On the View menu, choose Toolbars and then choose Customize.

 

Adding Macros and Tags to your Toolbars

  1. In the Customize Toolbars window, click the Tags tab. Then drag and drop any tags you want to add to the toolbar.

  2. To add a Macro, click on the Macro tab. Then drag and drop any macros you want to add to the toolbar.

MultiLine Clipboard

  • In the Edit menu, choose Resource Manager and then choose MultiLine Clipboard.

 

Changing Preferences

  • In the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

The HotDog Editor

Each document in HotDog is opened and edited with the HotDog editor. Usually editors are only given brief consideration by users because, by all outward appearances, they look the same. The HotDog editor is deceptively powerful. As well as the basic functions (word wrap etc.) listed at the bottom of each document, the HotDog editor can also collapse text and more.

Example HTML Code

(In the example above, “MIDDLE” is the valid value for the VALIGN attribute. To avoid creating simple errors like this, use Code Completion in conjunction with the HTML Property Sheet)

Typical ToolTip Help

Tag and Attribute Highlighting

Changing the color of tags helps you pick out the information you need to find from a jumble of HTML. It is particularly useful when you are trying to study other people’s HTML. For example, if you are interested in image tags, then color them green. This way they stand out against all the clutter of surrounding tags.

Syntax Validation

As you type, if you make any syntax errors, HotDog will notify you immediately. HotDog usually recognizes what the error is and will tell you what part of your tag is incorrect. HotDog will also describe the full HTML specification of the tag. See the HTML Property Sheet described below for more details on how to work with HTML. You can also specify which syntax files will be recognized in your work. For example, to be on the safe side, you might only wish to use the HTML 3.2 syntax file. This means that any tags or attributes you type that don’t form part of this specification will be underlined.

Bookmarks

Bookmarks are a quick and simple way of marking certain places within your document. Being able to jump from one place to another in your document significantly speeds the editing process.

Collapsible Text

Text collapsing lets you collapse, or roll up, different parts of your document. The advantages are clear - when you have finished a part of your webpage, be it a table or a paragraph, you can just collapse it and get it out of the way. This way you don’t have to scroll through finished work or risk changing finished work through accidental keystrokes. This tool makes editing larger documents very much easier. If your document is part of a Website your bookmarks and collapsed text are remembered - even when you close down HotDog.

Spell Checking

HotDog comes with a spell checking system. To correct a misspelled word, right-click over it to gain a list of 16 suggestions. Slide the mouse down to the word you want to insert and click. Or, to spell check your entire document, start the Spell Checker.

Follow Links From Within a Document

When editing HTML documents we realized how useful it is to open documents referenced from inside your current document. From within the ROVER view of an open document, right-click on a link to another document.

Improved Image Manipulation

One of the problems with HTML and images is that you can’t see what the image looks like just by staring at the HTML. HotDog includes mouse-over imaging. That is, if you hold your mouse over an IMG tag, a small thumbnail image of the picture appears. This is a quick way to check which image is which.

If you want to do serious image manipulation - such as file size optimization, right click over the image and select Preview Image. This window displays all of the image properties. To optimize the image, click Convert. There you can choose different file formats; compress your image and more.

Open a New Document

  • On the File menu, choose New, then click OK.

HotDog has Advanced HTML Help

If you hold your mouse over a tag or attribute, popup help appears giving you a short description of the tag or attribute. For example, if you hold the mouse over the BORDER attribute in the TABLE tag, a popup message appears saying: Sets the size, in pixels, of the table border.

Turning on Tag Highlighting

  • At the bottom of the document, click the Tag Highlighting button:

Turning on Syntax Validation

  • At the bottom of the document, click the Syntax Highlighting button:

  • Use the HTML Tag Manager to define new tags.

Define Syntax Specifications to use on your Document.

  • In the Edit menu, choose Preferences, then navigate to Syntax Filters.

  • Using the Language drop-down list select HTML.

  • Using the Filter Rule drop-down list select the syntax specification you wish to use.

Adding/Recalling Bookmarks

  • On the line you want to add the bookmark, press <CTRL>+ <SHIFT> and a number from 0 to 9.

  • Press <CTRL> and a number from 0-9 to recall a bookmark.

Collapsing Text

  1. First add a bookmark to the block of text you want to collapse.

  2. Press <CTRL> + <-> to roll up or roll down the text.

To Start the Spell Checker

  • Press F7 or click on the Spell Check button:

  • Alternatively, on the Edit menu, select Check Spelling.

Follow Links from Within a Document

  • In the ROVER view, right-click on a link to another document

Preview Images

  • In the Edit menu, choose Preferences, then navigate to Editing Window\HTML Specific.

  • Tick the Images as Tooltips option. Click OK to save the changes.

  • Now, when you hold the mouse over an image tag, the image will appear.

Change Image Formats

  • Right click over an Image tag and select Preview Image. Then click Convert.

 

Code Completion and Integrated HTML Help

Code completion gives you a new way of inserting tags and attributes. Because HotDog knows the entire HTML, CSS, ASP, JavaScript and VBScript specifications, it can present you with all the possible attributes for each tag, and where possible, the values that are associated with each tag. For example, the ALIGN attribute can only have a set number of values. All are listed in the code completion window.

Use the HTML Property Sheet to gain HTML help that dynamically updates with your code completion window as you scroll through each attribute.

Opening the HTML Property Sheet

  1. On the View menu, select the Resource Manager submenu.

  2. In the Resource Manager submenu, select HTML Property Sheet.

 

Using Code Completion

  1. Click anywhere in the currently opened document.

  2. Press <CTRL> + <SPACE>.

  3. Use the arrow keys to select the attribute or tag you want to insert.

  4. Double-click to insert the currently selected tag or attribute.

Setting Code Completion Preferences

  • In the Edit menu, choose Preferences, then navigate to Editing Window\Code Completion.

  • Set your preferences as desired, then click OK.

 

Using the Browser Window in HotDog

HotDog supplies many different ways of previewing your document while you work.

How the Different Browsers are Setup on Your System

HotDog comes with it’s own internal browser, ready to go. This browser however is primitive, and cannot display JAVA or Dynamic HTML. When you first install HotDog, if you have Internet Explorer (I.E.) installed on your system, you will be asked if you want to use I.E. as the internal browser instead of HotDog’s default browser. It is recommended that you accept this option. Whatever browser you use as the internal browser, is called ROVER.

Rover is the most unobtrusive method of browsing your documents. If you are using the default browser as ROVER and want to display complex effects, use an External Browser.

Before completing a webpage, have a look at it inside different browsers. Use the External Browser function for this. HotDog will search for and automatically install any External Browsers it finds on your system when you start HotDog for the first time.

Setting the Browser Size

For a professional web designer, one of the key limitations in webpage design is how it looks under different screen sizes. HotDog’s internal browsers now incorporate rulers that allow you to expand or contract the size of a webpage. This means you can instantly see what your webpage looks like under a browser viewed in a 640x480 screen resolution. Furthermore, since you can slide the rulers, you can gauge how your webpage degrades under different browser dimensions. When working towards browser constraints, HotDog gives you perfect pixel control.

How to Surf From Inside HotDog

By using the Web browser, you can surf from within HotDog. Just open the Web browser and enter a URL into the drop down list box.

Downloading webpages, Ready for Editing

If you want to download a webpage that you have surfed to (including the images!) click the button in ROVER.

The webpage and its images are downloaded and opened into a new document ready for you to edit! This way you see the tricks different web masters use to create their webpages.

3 Different Browsers

  • ROVER.

  • Internal Web Browser.

  • External Web Browser(s).

  • Press F9 to display your document in an External Browser, like Netscape.

  • Choose the External Browser that your document displays in when you press F9 by selecting the browser under Preview Document in the File menu.

  • Press <CTRL>+F9 to refresh the display of your document in ROVER.

Turning ROVER On

  1. On the Edit menu, select Preferences.

  2. In the Preferences window, click ROVER.

  3. In the ROVER window, click ROVER is enabled.

  4. Select the browser you want ROVER to use.

  5. Click OK and restart HotDog.

Setting Different Browser Sizes

  1. Open the ROVER or Web Browser

  2. In the Browser window, click on the Width box and select a width (640, 800, 1024) or type in the width you want. Alternatively, drag the slider bar to a new width.

  • To change the height of the Browser window, drag the top of the Browser window to a new position.

How to Surf From Inside HotDog

  • At the top of ROVER, enter the URL to which you want to surf.

Downloading webpages From the Net for Editing

  1. In the Web browser, enter the URL of the page you want to download.

  2. Click the button.

 

Resource Manager

As more and more functionality was added to HotDog we had to look for a place to put it. Resource Panels were our solution. A Resource Panel is a floating resizable window that groups similar functionality into the same place. Each Resource Panel performs a specific task related to web authoring.

So for example, if you wanted to insert extended characters into your document (such as © etc.) then you would open the Extended Characters manager:

  • On the View menu, choose Resource Manager then choose Extended Characters.

 

Generally, functionality that helps you create webpages but does not actually edit them directly can be found in the Resource Manager. For example, the Internet Files Resource Panel is concerned with the uploading of documents to the Internet. There are however special Resources that do edit your page, such as the Extended Characters Manager, which lets insert foreign characters into your document.

Resource Panels are opened from the View menu. HotDog also includes typical Resource Manager presets, such as those that might be used for uploading documents to the Internet.

If you want to show or hide all opened Resource Panels with a single click, then click on the Show/Hide Resources button located in the toolbar:

Right-clicking on this button allows you to edit your Toolbar settings.

 

Opening Resource Manager

  • Resource Manager are opened and closed from the Resource Manager on the View menu.

 

The Resource Manager Contains:

  • Local Files.

  • Internet Files.

  • HTML Properties.

  • Websites.

  • Macro Editor.

  • HTML Tags.

  • SuperToolz.

  • Extended Characters.

  • Netscape Bookmarks & Internet Explorer Favorites.

  • MultiLine Clipboard.

 

Using Preset Resource Configurations

  • On the View menu, choose Resource Manager, and then choose Configurations.

 

Using the HTML Property Sheet with HotDog

The HTML Property Sheet helps you code HTML. It contains all the tags and attributes used by the major browsers, Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer. By entering tag attributes directly into the HTML Property Sheet you can save time.

 

In the example to the left, a user has typed <IMG> and has clicked on the SRC attribute in the HTML property sheet. This opens a file picker allowing the user to select an image. Notice the help on the SRC attribute at the bottom of the HTML Property Sheet.

Opening the HTML Property Sheet

  • On the View menu, choose Resource Manager and then choose HTML Porperty Sheet.

State-of-the-art Website Management

Webmasters have long been demanding a HTML Editor with advanced Website management facilities. HotDog Professional 6 plugs the gap with full-featured Website management tools. Inside the Website Manager, it’s possible to assign tasks, filter files or perform multiple search-and-replace procedures on designated files.

To Open the Website Manager:

  • On the View menu, choose Resource Manager and then choose Websites.

(For more details see the Website Manager help.)

HotDog Professional 6 Websites are based entirely on a local mirror system and does not use proprietary formats to define a Website. A HotDog Professional 6 Website defines a set of directories and files on a local computer and provides the ability to quickly publish these directories and files to another computer (usually an ISP’s Web server, i.e., the Internet). This makes it possible to create, edit and preview a Website on a local computer and then automatically copy the changes to a Web server where an entire audience can see the site via the Internet.

HotDog Professional 6 stores a Website definition in a .HWS file. This file contains the following information:

  • The location of the directories and files that have been defined as a Website.

  • All the publishing and upload preferences that have been set for that Website.

  • The exact configuration of the HotDog interface and all the webpages (page positioning, bookmarks, collapsed ranges) when the Website was last saved.

  • All tasks, defined, completed or otherwise when the Website was last saved.

This file allows HotDog to automate many of the repetitive tasks involved in managing a Website, whilst not changing or affecting an actual Website file structure or individual webpages. More importantly, it allows multiple Webmasters to work concurrently on a single Website in a fully team-based environment – Website Co-ordinators can completely manage their team from within HotDog.

File Management

HotDog Professional 6 sports a powerful file management interface making it possible to create, add, remove and edit Website files within a single view. You can drag and drop files from local or remote file lists to easily add files to a Website. Full control is held over Website structure and it’s easy to re-organize entire directory trees quickly. Choose to apply Website features across single or multiple documents, directories or even to an entire Website.

Publishing

Websites makes it easy to upload a site and any associated files that are needed to make the site work properly on a Web server by means of publishing. When publishing a Website, you can:

  • Publish to a local directory or a remote Web server.

  • Upload any necessary support files (fully customizable).

  • Only upload any changes that have made been made to the Website.

  • Replace user-definable sections of webpages when uploading (for example, a legal notice that’s common to every page).

Website Wizard

The HotDog Website Wizard turns the process of defining a Website into a simple step-by-step procedure. There are three ways to start a HotDog Professional 6 Website:

  • Create an entirely new HotDog Website and associated file structure.

  • Define a HotDog Website from an existing Website file structure on a local or networked computer.

  • Define a HotDog Website from an existing Website file structure on a Web server.

Tasks List

Tasks List is a list of user-defined tasks relating to the Website which may be assigned from one user to another, or simply as reminders to the current user. Each task can be associated with a particular webpage within the Website, thus enabling the ability to quickly edit a file without hunting around the entire Website. Tasks also have user definable priority and status flags to easily track individual task progress. This feature makes a Website Co-ordinator’s job a lot easier by being able to manage their team completely through HotDog.

Error Checker

A built-in mechanism is supplied for error-checking all of the webpage links across an entire site. The Error Checker will automatically:

  • Check a Website’s local links, displaying any broken links that it finds.

  • Check a Website’s remote links, which can be checked for validity.

  • Allow editing of any broken local or remote links in place and automatically change all references to the link across an entire Website.

Resource Checker

Websites are also supplied with a built-in Resource Checker for locating external resources (links to files outside of the local Website directory tree) across an entire Website. Resource Checker will automatically:

  • Validate a Website’s local links, displaying any external resources that it finds.

  • Automatically collect the resource and alter all links to it.

  • Allow editing of any external links in place and automatically change all references to them across an entire Website.

Local Browser

In addition to the Websites Manager, HotDog Professional 6 also provides an internal Website browser, thus allowing the ability to view a Website as it will appear on the Internet. Whilst browsing the site, it’s possible to edit the current page, seeing the changes appear as they’re made. It’s also simple to add associated tasks for the current page. This is an ideal way for someone who may not be completely HTML literate (but is completely familiar with concepts and what it means to create a Website) to browse a Website and quickly and easily coordinate Website updates (for example, a Website Co-ordinator, who orchestrates, rather than develops, a site project).

Global Website Replacement

Websites possesses the ability to make major appearance changes across an entire Website. Websites can automatically replace:

  • document properties (body tags).

  • document information (meta tags).

  • plain text across webpages, a directory, or an entire Website at once.

Multi-user Interface

Websites now facilitates multiple users, which means that teams of Webmasters working on a local network are able to define their HotDog Website on a shared network drive. Each person working on the Website starts HotDog and opens the same HotDog Website – that is, the .HWS file, normally located in the top-most directory of a Website structure. All changes made to the Website are reflected in the other users’ Websites Managers.

Websites also features file-locking, so that if one user is editing a webpage via Websites, it is then locked away from all other users working on that Website until the file is closed.

 

Other Resource Managers...

Local Files

The Local File Manager is very similar to Windows Explorer™. You can use the Local File Manager to manipulate or filter files. Using Drag and Drop, the Local File Manager provides an easy way of inserting links into your documents. The Local File Manager was designed to aid with the file manipulation required of larger Websites.

 

Websites

Websites are collections of HTML documents. Using HotDog to create a Website on your local computer will mean that when it comes time to upload to the Internet, one click is all it will take to transfer your work. Using Websites greatly reduces the amount of organization required to get you up and running on the Internet.

Macro Editor

The Macro Editor is used to insert text and tags into your document. Its key advantage is that it can insert text before and after selected text in the document.

Supertoolz

For quick access to your Supertoolz, the Supertoolz Manager can be useful. Just double click on any of the Supertoolz to activate them. Remember, you will need to first install some Supertoolz.

Extended Characters

If you need to insert foreign or unusual characters such as © or ™, use the Extended Character Manager. Just drag and drop the characters you need directly into your document for the correct HTML code to be inserted.

Internet Files

Using simple Drag and Drop you can easily transfer files to and from your server. Uploading and downloading files is as simple as dragging them to and from the Local File Manager. The Internet Files Manager also contains the “Add New Internet Connection” Wizard. The Internet File Manager was created as an easy way to quickly upload and download files, while still inside HotDog.

 

HTML Tags

HotDog comes with a complete listing of all the HTML tags we could find - plus a few more. The HTML Tag Manager is used to define different colors for different tags, create shortcut keys for different tags and for defining your own tags.

 

MultiLine Clipboard

We found that it is very useful to be able to drop commonly used text straight into our documents. The MultiLine Clipboard is simply a clipboard with unlimited capacity. It is useful for storing HTML code for commonly used images and colors.

 

Internet Explorer Favorites and Netscape Bookmarks

If you want to insert a link to one of your favorite Websites, just drag the bookmarked link into your web document and it will be automatically inserted.

SuperToolz

The development of SuperToolz is what makes HotDog so flexible. SuperToolz are plug-in programs designed to work specifically in conjunction with HotDog.

SuperToolz allow for the unlimited extension of HotDog's functionality, while at the same time giving users the ability to pick and choose the functionality they want to include in HotDog. Every SuperTool is downloaded, purchased (if not already free), maintained and updated via the Internet from within HotDog itself.

With one click, HotDog will automatically download and install chosen SuperToolz or SuperToolz updates, ready to use immediately and with no fuss.

 

NOTE

As well as plug-in programs, HotDog can even upgrade itself using the SuperTool architecture. This includes shell upgrades (HotDog 6 to HotDog 6) but also HTML syntax files. Even the AutoDownloader itself can be upgraded. Over the last six months, Sausage Software has released 16 SuperToolz, not including upgrades and updates to already existing SuperToolz.

 

Finding and Installing SuperToolz

  • On the SuperToolz menu, choose AutoDownloader.

 Free Sausage SuperToolz

  • LookSmart Smartlinks SuperTool

  • Reptile

  • The SilverThingy

  • SMIL Composer

Currently Available SuperToolz

  • HotDog Express

  • Bandwidth Buster

  • Channel Wizard

  • Gif Movie Gear

  • ICQ Communication Panel Wizard

  • Image Mapper

  • ImageLab

  • JackHammer 2

  • Java Animator SuperTool

  • Java Text Effects SuperTool

  • JavaScript Tools

  • LinkExchange Add Banner Wizard

  • Multi-File Find and Replace

  • Real Audio/Video Content Wizard

  • SafeSurf Web Content Rating Wizard

  • Table Editor

  • Web Downloader

Third Party SuperToolz

  • 1st Java Navigator 5.0

  • Balitools

  • Intel® Indeo® Media Kit

  • Intel® Web Design Effects

  • Xara 3D