Loading Profile...
What is the implied workflow for editing CSS files using the visual CSS editor in Coda?
I've been using the Coda + CSSEdit workflow to develop my websites for quite some time now. As a whole it's a wonderful solution however I'd obviously prefer to be using just one application. This got me thinking about Coda's built in visual CSS editor. Up until now I'd shrugged it off since CSSEdit is a wonderful tool and I'm accustomed to using it. Yet visual CSS editing is the one thing keeping me from using Coda full time. So this week I made an effort to actually use it. I put CSSEdit aside and tried my best to work only with Coda.
The end result was, well, frustration. I'm not sure I understand the intended workflow here. For one, I can't actually see my work. There's no dedicated live preview window (which I've complained about before) so I'm forced to load the page into a browser, make my edits and then manually refresh the page. If that weren't bad enough, without splitting my editor window I also can't see my CSS source. So in total I have half a visual editor window, half of a CSS source window and one stagnant web page preview open all at once. Add in any changes to the page source and things get messy real fast.
Is there some sort of workflow concept I'm missing or am I trying to project CSSEdit's workflow onto Coda? I tried, I really did, but I'm not having an easy time using this editor.
The end result was, well, frustration. I'm not sure I understand the intended workflow here. For one, I can't actually see my work. There's no dedicated live preview window (which I've complained about before) so I'm forced to load the page into a browser, make my edits and then manually refresh the page. If that weren't bad enough, without splitting my editor window I also can't see my CSS source. So in total I have half a visual editor window, half of a CSS source window and one stagnant web page preview open all at once. Add in any changes to the page source and things get messy real fast.
Is there some sort of workflow concept I'm missing or am I trying to project CSSEdit's workflow onto Coda? I tried, I really did, but I'm not having an easy time using this editor.
3
people have this question
I have this question, too!
Tell me when someone answers.
The more people who ask this question, the more it gets noticed.
The more people who ask this question, the more it gets noticed.
Create a customer community for your own organization
Plans starting at $19/month
-
Inappropriate?Hello Joey,
If you are editing a style sheet, and also have open a preview of an HTML file that links to that style sheet via a <link /> tag, when you edit and save the style sheet, the preview for the HTML file will automatically be updated. While it isn't as nice as CSSEdit's on-the-fly updating, it's not as if you have to manually switch to your browser and hit refresh. However, it is still rather clumsy compared to CSSEdit.
Of course, the only reasonable way to work with this is to split your window yet again and drag the HTML file you want to preview to that third frame. However, you might find it easier to use keyboard shortcuts. I must say that I personally never use with visual CSS editor, but if I did I think I would probably rather use the source editor and visual editor simultaneously by quickly switching using the Command + (1-6) keyboard shortcuts. Command - 2 switches to source edit view and Command - 4 to the visual CSS editor view.
I'm sorry your post has gone unanswered for so long on here! I hope I am of some help. -
Inappropriate?I agree with the clumsy implementation of the CSS in Coda. While I give them props for starting from scratch and building it directly into the app, I would have waited till version 2 to have added when the concept and workflow of the CSS editor felt less shoehorned and more seemless. Keyboard shortcuts only get you so far.
One perk is that in my distaste for using the css editor in Coda I stopped using external css editors all together. Just working on in the main text editor has been pleasant enough, and sharpened my skills.
Sunshine :)
I’m hoping for more.
