How to Convert HTML Text to Normal Text
With the introduction of What You See Is What You Get (a.k.a., WYSIWYG, pronounced "wizzy wig") website applications such as iWeb and Dreamweaver, a novice with little or no programming experience can construct an entire website with a few clicks of a mouse. However, the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) code that browsers read to display websites and provide the user interface sometimes needs to be fine tuned, which requires the code to be converted to editable text.
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Instructions
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Use keyboard shortcuts when possible. Open a page in Firefox or Safari. Select "View" and "Page Source" (Command + U) for Firefox or "View" and "View Source" (Option + Command + U) in Safari.
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Copy and paste HTML just like ordinary text. Select the code that you want to convert to text in the new window. Select the entire contents of the window by choosing "Edit" then "Select All" (Command + A). Copy the code by selecting "Copy" (Command + C) from the "Edit" menu.
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Edited code can be saved back to HTML format from most word processing applications. Open any text editor (e.g., AppleWorks, Word, TextEdit), create a new document (Command + N) if necessary and paste the copied text into the new document by selecting "Edit" and then "Paste" (Command + V). Name and save the document. The code can now be edited as if it were regular text.
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Verify your changes. Copy and paste the edited text into a WYSIWYG HTML editor, save the page, then open it in a web browser to verify the changes or to determine if the code requires additional editing. If so, reopen the saved text document and make the changes.
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Tips & Warnings
Work more efficiently using macros when possible.
Become familiar with basic HTML commands and formatting even when using a WYSIWYG application.
Internet Explorer (for PCs) offers additional functions beyond those of Firefox and Safari, including directly saving the source code, direct editing and "Find."
Although these steps have been tested and found to work on Apple computers, they may differ slightly on PCs, though the process remains the same.
Do not alter the HTML code of a web page unless you have the experience to do so, since one erroneous keystroke or improperly formatted line of code could render an entire site inaccessible, sometimes irrevocably.
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