Features I would expect.

[Delicates]

These are the least features I would expect of the new version of 1st Page:

1. Gecko engine support.
I understand you are creating a "runtime rendering" engine. However it still is essential to see how the page you are creating looks with different browsers. Rendering with Gecko and IE engines inside the application is the least I would expect.

2. Output valid markup.
Make it a validating editor. For example annoy users not to create documents with no DOCTYPE specified, or with <img> tags with no alt= attribute present, and so on. Either implement validation yourself (preferable but hard, gives you more flexibility) or use Tidy. Alert user (through highlighting) of deprecated features in the markup or CSS. Discourage use of proprietary browser features and favour standard *HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and DOM use. Favour use of CSS rather than markup styling. Discourage use of tables and images for layout.

3. Markup languages support.
This includes:

[EDIT] HTML 4.01 (http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/)
[EDIT] XML 1.0 Third Edition (http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml/)
[EDIT] XML 1.1 (http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml/)
[EDIT] XHTML 1.0 Second Edition (http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/)
XHTML Basic (http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml-basic/)
XHTML 1.1 (http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/)
XHTML 2.0 (http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml2/)


[EDIT] Including all the errata for them.

[EDIT] Note that the changes between XML 1.0 and 1.1 are quite significant.

Also option of default language to use for webpage creation. XHTML 1.1 for experts and XHTML 1.0 Transitional for newbies (*only* if 1st Page outputs nothing but valid code, otherwise HTML 4.01 Transitional). Also convert all markup to lowercase for HTML and CSS selectors. I wouldn't expect anything with XHTML 2.0 support yet, but at least DOCTYPE awareness is welcome, as well as strict XML rules enforcement.

4. CSS support.
This includes:

CSS1 (http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-CSS1)
CSS2 (http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-CSS2/)
CSS 2.1 (http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21)
CSS3 (http://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/current-work#table)


[EDIT] CSS 2.1 is currently in Candidate Recommendation Working Draft state and this is the version you should target. However, you should also take a serious bite at parts of CSS3, which are already in Candidate Recommendation state.

5. Support of DOM in JavaScript.
This includes:

[EDIT] ECMAScript (ECMA-262 3rd Edition) (http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/files/ecma-st/ECMA-262.pdf)
JavaScript 1.5 (http://www.mozilla.org/js/js15.html)
[EDIT] DOM Level 1 Second Edition (http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/WD-DOM-Level-1-20000929/)
DOM Level 2 (http://www.w3.org/DOM/DOMTR#dom2)
DOM Level 3 (http://www.w3.org/DOM/DOMTR#dom3)


Typeahead/autocompletion of DOM functions and properties and JavaScript syntax checking. Encourage declaration of every used JavaScript variable.

6. Unicode and UTF support.
This includes:

[EDIT] Unicode 4.1 (http://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode4.1.0/)
UTF-8
UTF-16BE
UTF-16LE
UTF-32BE
UTF-32LE


I expect UTF being the default encoding for the pages 1st Page creates. It should have no problems opening *and* saving in any of above encodings as well as recognise their respective ISO-10646-* names and aliases defined (http://www.iana.org/assignments/character-sets) by IANA. On documents marked as UTF-16 and UTF-32 (and UCS-4) it should be able to correctly (http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/library/utfencodingforms/#h4) detect wether it's BE or LE. You can use these testcases (http://jshin.net/i18n/utftest/) for testing your implementation. Also I expect editing of this page (http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/utf8.html) in 1st Page to be a beeze. Automatic selection of the best UTF encoding during save, depending on ammount of multibyte characters to minimise the file size.
Support for non-universal charsets is also essential. Conversion (Save As) between all of these encodings would be nice too, as well as an option to automatically add character encoding and MIME tags to markup during Save:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="whatever"?>
or
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=whatever" />

Proper handling of Unicode for Clipboard exchange is also a big plus.

[EDIT] It must reject malformed UTF byte sequences and shouldn't create them itself. Use this testcase (http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/ucs/examples/UTF-8-test.txt) to check your implementation.

[EDIT] There should be an option specifying wether a BOM should be put in the saved UTF documents or not.

7. Fast start-up time.
This is hard (if not impossible) to achieve for a feature rich application, but is essential. I like Notepad for being able to RightClick->Edit and having the document in front of me instantly. Do your best. :)

---------------------------

Please give feedback on all of above listed points. Your plans, implementation status, and so on.

[BoR|S]

Wow! Nice wishlist!
I'll sign under it as well! :)

[Tarmithius]

Wow that is one big list and I would love to see those options/ features added to FP. :D

Although I think they are adding some of those already like the Gecko and loading faster part, not sure though I could be wrong.

[Delicates]

Another note on valid markup output is - it should prevent creation of malformed HTML comments. For example:

This is well formed (but still should be discouraged):
<!----------foo---------->

while this is malformed and should not be allowed to be created (unless it's intentional):
<!----------foo-------->

See HTML spec (http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/intro/sgmltut.html#h-3.2.4).

[BoR|S]

Well, what will you do if you first building a HTML skeleton of a dynamic page that will include losts of tables one inside another, without comments, you'll get lost in that HTML forest very easily.
Also comments will tell the people that browse your source what part of it represents the thing they've went to view the source.

[BoR|S]

In any case, I aslo think that commenting your code is a sign of a good-taste-coding (at least for me) ;)

[Maverick]

The comment tags are extremely useful on many sites. A lot of people still use Dreamweaver, and it uses nested tables in the WYSIWYG editor. It's jsut good policy to use them if you do not have CSS i use.

[-TheDarkEye-]

you should have said ECMAscript. javascript is specific to netscape/mozilla.

;)

everything else sounds good to me. i think it would be great if 1stpage xp was aware of all those things you listed.

[Delicates]

Originally posted by -TheDarkEye-
you should have said ECMAscript. javascript is specific to netscape/mozilla.


No, I did mean JavaScript. ECMAscript is not a language, it's a standard. It's a language framework. When you say "ECMAscript language", it meant a language that implements ECMAscript standard.
At the moment JavaScript is the best implementation of ECMAscript out there. Because it is created by the same people that devise ECMAscript standard. And yes it is Netscape. They created JavaScript in the first place and then felt need to have the language features standartised to bring some order into browser application world instead of having incompatible "free for all". This is why I chose JavaScript.

I could of chosen TCL, or Perl, or something else, but I feel that JavaScript implementation of ECMAscript standard is the most appropriate.
:)

[justice]

oh yes that would be very nice!

a fully featured web-development support

[GraduateK]

I agree with above except i think 1st page should be able to work alongside Visual Quickstart Guides for newbies like me.
And adhere to WASP Standards
General Standards compliance would be good idea and newbies way too plus validation in XHTML.
Is a more up to date version available in XHTML? with CSS Support
An option to import Scripts of choice would be good.

[Delicates]

I have added an extra point in Unicode/UTF section with a link to a testcase.

[bosswana]

I note you have a page for templates on the developers site. It would be useful to have a range of templates but to have them layered so newbyies can learn from looking at a standard and graduate up.

It would also be useful to have an area on your site that people can design adn add templates.

Finally, how about also downloadable parts so that those of us who need our phone line to do other stuff can download, use and then load back

Just some thoughts
:D

[Delphi4Life]

Support for XML, XSL, XSLT and XPath DOM as well. . I wonder if their custom real-time rendering engine will have a parser to do this? If it does not then it is not worth my time or effort to use. Yes, I can use XHTML , but sometimes I prefer to use XML, XSL and XSLT. Been waiting AGES for this release, and I have my doubts.

[Delicates]

Updated the list:

Replaced Unicode 3.2 support with Unicode 4.0, spec of which has been released recently.
Fixed broken URL for CSS1 spec
Explicitly indicated that desired XHTML 1.0 support is for Second edition.
Explicitly indicated that desired DOM Level 1 support is for Second edition.
Changed what's wanted for CSS support, because CSS2.1 spec has already moved to Recommendation Candidate state, as well as a lot of CSS3 parts.


Also XHTML 2.0 draft is starting to take shape. So soon we might want more support for it.

JavaScript 1.5 is also in Release Candidate state at the moment.

[Kevinnaia]

Originally posted by dbindel
Well that must be it then. I'm a CSS person and I only use tables when appropriate. 3:- )

Same For Me

Ice Out :D

[Delicates]

Another 2 years down the track and another update:


New XML version has come out, as such changed 3rd section from "XHTML" languages to "Markup languages" and added both XML 1.0 and 1.1 to it, noting the significance of differences between them. Added HTML 4.01 just for backwards compatibility, but emphasis of whole product should still remain on XHTML.
Specified that support for standards should take into account their erratas.
Added ECMAScript, which should be generic and try to support not just JavaScript, but for other scripts as well with it.
Unicode 4.1 is also out now.
Added a note that an option is needed for wether or not to save BOM with UTF documents.

[oO_KIWI_Oo]

Hi everybody :)

I have a question: Is it correct, that First Page 2006 does not yet support the UTF8 encoding? At the moment I use the editor PSPad for coding my websites and I have to youse UTF8 because of our content management system but I want to switch to First Page. However I need UTF8 support...

[Cary]

Is it correct, that First Page 2006 does not yet support the UTF8 encoding?

That is correct.

[salmanq]

Hi, This post is very informative, however I would like some specific information. If someone can help me then please send me a private message. Best Regards,

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