Write HTML Faster with Sparkup (Vim and Textmate)

jetpackweb.com

29 points·anveo··11 comments

I like this, opposed to other solutions to HTML's verbosity, in that this is like a Vim macro language. Quick to type, then expanded to full formed HTML. No need for any other compilation or intermediate processing to HTML.

The drawback, though, is that you can only use this to generate HTML quickly the first time you write it. Changing the code once it's generated is just as painful as it was when you were working with just HTML. This kind of write-only coding is like throwing away your source after every build.

You can also get similar results with some of the Zen Coding plugins for Textmate: http://code.google.com/p/zen-coding/

Anyone know where I can download the Zen Coding plugin? The link on Google Code seems to be broken.

Obligatory emacs link: http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/ZenCoding

or you could just use HAML (or NHaml, GHRML, etc.)

While this is very cool for producing HTML, I still like HAML and StaticMatic better because it's reproducible. The Zen Coding plugin and this both look like they are just shortcuts, whereas HAML sticks around and gets expanded when I compile.

#sidebar.grid_4 => <div id="sidebar" class="grid_4></div>

And I don't lose that. I have no problem writing HTML with the shortcuts I already have - it's maintaining what's there that's the real pain, at least for me.

"If you are a fan of HAML but forced to use standard HTML in your projects this plug-in might make you a bit happier."

Sounds great to me.

How is this better than markdown? Or should I say, how is this different than markdown?

For one you can't do spans or divs, or apply classes and ids. Markdown isn't a replacement for HTML.

I think it misses a <ul> in the example.

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