How to Start Using Nvu for Web Design

Nvu (pronounced N-view) is a completely free open source WYSIWYG web design tool.

Nvu works on Windows, Mac and Linux. It has a helpful forum for its users. Because it's open source, it's free. Here is how to get started with Nvu.

Things You'll Need

• A web browser
• A computer

Instructions

1. Go to nvudev.com (see Resources below) to download the appropriate version for your computer.

2. Click the Download link, then click the download you need.

3. Install the software on your computer in the normal way for your operating system.

4. Open Nvu. You may be asked to set up a user profile and click a link to confirm your download.

5. 

   Take a look at the Nvu workspace.

6. 

   On the left of the workspace you see the Nvu site manager. In this image, there are no sites yet.

7. 

   To create a new site, click the Edit Sites button. A dialog opens that allows you to edit an existing site, create a new site or delete an existing site. Note that for each site, you need to supply information on the site name, the HTTP address and the FTP address. The FTP address will be on the server where you are hosting the new site. You need to give your username and password for that server, so files can be transferred from your computer to the server.

8. 

   Various tools are available across the top of the workspace that will allow you to create new pages, format text, add images, tables and forms, create lists, apply CSS styles and do other tasks.

9. 

   The large area on the right is where you create your HTML documents using the WYSIWYG tools. You can view it as a Normal view, as HTML tags, as HTML source or as a preview of how the page might look in a browser.

10. 

    New pages can be opened in Tabs or in a new window. When you save a page, you give it a title.

11. 

    After you give the page a title, select the proper folder in which to save it and give the page a filename. Nvu will suggest a filename based on the page title, but you can change it to something with no spaces and all in lowercase if you want.

Tips & Warnings

• Check my other articles on Nvu. This is one of several.

Resources

• Nvu
• KompoZer, Nvu's unofficial bug fix release