Awesome tools you can use to build your next HTML5 website or application

  • Article

Even if the actual version of HTML as been discussed for a couple of years now, it is fairly new. We see a lot more enthusiasts around this new version of this Web standard, and trust me; it's just a beginning. If you have already started to give a closer look to the new features and elements, you probably asked yourself where are the tools to help you build your next amazing HTML5 website or application?

We are starting to see more and more IDE (Integrated Development Environment) adding HTML5 support to their existing tool. When we talked about support of HTML5, most of the time we talked about syntax helper. You don’t have to always remember all elements from a programming language so these tools will help you create your code easily. As the usage of HTML5 is growing considerably, we will see soon more IDEs that will help us create the UI without coding. Let me introduce you some of them, that you may or may not know:

Untitled

WebMatrix

WebMatrix is my IDE of choice when I do HTML5. It’s a simple free tool that let you code some HTML5 magic with some IntelliSense help. The IntelliSense will help me find the right element I was trying to use, but also close the tag for me. Even if you are a HTML5 pro, sometimes your memory needs some help. What is great with this tool too is that I can easily publish, direct from the interface, to my FTP account: no need of a thirs party application.

Expression Web

If you are looking forward to use something with UI preview, Expression Web in the next tool in my Web developer weapon list. It’s a great software that also has IntelliSense for HTML5 and CSS3, but it let you preview directly in the tools your masterpiece with the SuperPreview feature. It’s not just about Internet Explorer 9; you can see the rendering of your website on other browsers like Firefox, Chrome and Safari. You can try it for free.

Visual Studio

If you are a .NET developer, you already know this tool, so it’s easier for you to use a tool you already know. You can choose between more than one version, but we also have a free version for you: Visual Web Developer 2010 Express. With this tool, you can easily build your HTML5 website or application with all the benefits of this amazing software. If you already use another Visual Studio version, you can also install the Web Standards Update for Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 SP1 that adds CSS3 support and updates the HTML5 IntelliSense and validation, including new JavaScript API's.

Notepad

I’m serious. You can even use Notepad. In fact, you can use any text editor as HTML5 is a markup language, so you don’t need any compiler. The applications I showed you before are there to help you code more quickly and easily, but you have the freedom to use anything you want!

I know there are more tools available on the Web, but I wanted to introduce you to the tools we have at Microsoft. I really think that we are doing great stuff with this three IDEs, but let me tell you something that is not a secret: these tools will get better and better with their new releases, so keep on eyes on them! Did you use WebMatrix, Expression Design or Visual Studio for your HTML5 needs? What is your IDE, Microsoft or not, of choice? Share your thoughts!