HTML editors are an essential part of development because they help developers write code in an organized, clean, and efficient manner. Without them, complicated and extensive applications would take an extremely long time to make.
They have tons of features that reduce the chances of syntax errors and increase productivity. Some also allow for less or no coding. This is what we’ll be exploring.
HTML Editors
HTML editors are software applications used by developers for writing code and doing software projects. These editors have two types: text editors and WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) HTML editors.
A text editor lets users write code directly. Most modern ones have syntax highlighting, promoting better readability and fewer errors. They also usually support several programming languages for different projects and platforms.
These days, text editors are still essential and helpful. They are, however, more challenging to get used to for newer developers, and more experienced developers typically maximize their features and benefits.
On the other hand, a WYSIWYG HTML editor lets developers see code changes in real-time without having to refresh a browser. Instead, it significantly reduces code writing and development time while reducing errors and inconsistencies.
They are tailored for every developer, letting new ones create more complicated programs in less time while skyrocketing the productivity of more experienced ones.
More recently, the world has seen an increase in WYSIWYG HTML editors as they are highly efficient tools. In this article, we will be focusing on WYSIWYG HTML editors.
Some WYSIWYG HTML editors already offer great features. But there’s a way to make them even more programmable for your needs: using APIs.
APIs
APIs, or Application Programming Interfaces, are interfaces for integrating two or more software applications. They allow multiple programs to communicate with one another, share data, or even use predefined functions, offering more customization and flexibility.
APIs are used everywhere nowadays. Some use them to distribute content or share data, while others use them to perform functions that are otherwise difficult to implement quickly. For example, developers can write less code and finish their projects faster.
They also allow for cleaner, more abstracted code. Even better, APIs won’t have to be maintained by developers who use them. Instead, they’ll rely on API version updates or stick to whichever version they have.
Therefore, APIs are reliable and time-saving tools that significantly improve development. But can it also help WYSIWYG HTML editors? The answer is yes.
Making an HTML editor programmable with APIs
Many WYSIWYG HTML editors on the market come with powerful API support, and for a good reason. However, developers can do more with their HTML editors, which are already robust tools. By integrating APIs into your HTML editors, you can provide more features and comfort for your users without exerting much effort.
Aside from the plenty of features available with the base editor, you might want to implement other, more complicated ones. These include collaboration, spelling and grammar checking, advanced image editing, embedding, and support for equations, among others.
Adding all these features to your WYSIWYG editor helps make it stand out and offers more to your users.
Here are some APIs that could make your HTML editor more programmable, unique, and interactive.
Collaboration features
Perhaps one of the most sought-after editing features today is collaboration. It allows users to create, edit, review, and communicate while staying on a single platform.
Users could comment, suggest, share files, and even track the changes made. Having one in your editor will undoubtedly be beneficial to your users.
There are collaboration APIs for WYSIWYG HTML editors, such as this real-time editing plugin. These APIs cater to those who want users to be in continual, productive communication with others, especially students and employees.
To add collaboration APIs to your editor, simply add a JavaScript code for API initialization. This is usually found in the docs of your editor. Afterward, replace the API key value with your own.
Spelling and grammar checking
Users need to make as no spelling and grammatical mistakes as possible, especially in business where clarity is essential. With spelling and grammar checkers, users won’t worry too much about making mistakes.
This allows them to focus more on their content than syntax and semantics.
The leading WYSIWYG HTML editors support spell and grammar checking through APIs. Including them in your editor will further improve its intuitiveness and user-friendliness.
With these checking features, users only have to look for underlined or highlighted words or phrases and then hover over them for suggestions.
Simply subscribe to the service to integrate a spelling and grammar checker API within your editor. Afterward, get the activation key and use it as an option in your editor’s initialization script.
Advanced image editing
WYSIWYG editors have built-in image editing. It’s suitable for a lot of image editing situations, but you might find yourself in need of a more advanced image editing experience.
You might need to crop, flip, add text, or draw on an image. In that case, built-in image editing might not be enough.
Fortunately, you can usually integrate WYSIWYG HTML editors with advanced image editing APIs. However, they allow users to do more with images without burdening developers.
To begin integrating this feature, just call the API files (through CDN, package managers, or manual download), and you’re all set.
Embedded content
Embedding content from other platforms has become integral to most content-based modern applications. It allows users to share content from other sites on the web or from other applications, adding convenience for users and trust to your site.
WYSIWYG HTML editors can use APIs for embedding content easily. Developers must call on its files through a CDN or locally. After that, it’s as easy as adding it to the toolbar.
Equations and formulas
Last on the list are APIs for math equations and formulas. Learning Management Systems, data science-related applications, and other applications rely on equations and formulas.
Usually, people in those fields won’t want to use editors that can’t display equations correctly or cleanly. That’s why developers must anticipate this and provide support for equations and formulas.
There are APIs for WYSIWYG editor math support as well. With these, developers won’t have to consider every formatting possibility for equations and formulas. These will also keep users happy and content with your editor.
Just download the latest versions of your chosen editor and the math equation API to get started. After that, you’ll need to load it into your project and update your editor’s configuration options.
Conclusion
In this article, we have seen how APIs make HTML editors more programmable, helping improve their quality and reliability.
While additional features are essential, it’s also worth noting that the more features you have, the heavier and messier your editor and app get.
That’s why finding an editor that’s lightweight, clean, and yet still powerful is also essential. Nevertheless, APIs provide a significant number of improvements for your WYSIWYG editor.
The more programmable and customized your editor is, the better your users’ editing experience will be.
