CKEditor 3

A few years ago, FCKEditor was introduced and the JavaScript Editor immediately gained a "unique" attention. The name sounds like a shortcut to English swear word but it's actually a shortcut of the creators name (Frederico Caldeira Knabben). But the name doesn't mean anything if you're looking for a good editor. Fortunately, the FCKEditor is a pretty decent editor that has the ability to easily create pages with little to no effort. Despite the name, FCKEditor was regarded as a remarkable page editor.

Frederico Caldeira Knabben opted to provide developers an update of the application. Aside from the name, the CKEditor 3 offers additional features that will surely provide improvement in application development.

Improved Reaction to Commands

If you've worked with various versions of FCKEditor, you'll notice that the changes in source codes and other parts of the application is a little bit sluggish. But the new version is exceedingly fast compared to its predecessor. You should be able to create data from your webpage and see the results in the source code fast. Check the online demo and see how you can easily interact with the functions offered by CKEditor.

Rewritten Code

The reason why the current edition of CKEditor is fast and relatively easy to work with is that the creators of the editor opted to rewrite the entire code of the application. By rewriting the code of the application, developers were able to work with standard code created by the application. This means, the code created by the application should be able to work well with various browsers.

New Interface

While the FCKEditor has provided developers some memorable UI, it's not the best in the world. But the new interface now competes with some of the best editors in the industry. You should be able to easily locate the functions you need as the new editor has the MS Office look. Tabs were also created which serve as a shortcut for other functions in the editor. It's actually a very smart change for the editor because it will never confuse new and old developers who were familiar with FCKEditor.

Open Source for API Creation

As an open source application, developers can practically do everything they can with the editor. But the remarkable update of the application is the ability to create APIs instead of a fully functional application. Developers can even recreate the application so that the functions of the editor can be integrated in an online application.

The Downside

While CKEditor is a remarkable update for the popular editor, there are notable changes that have affected the performance of the application. Among them is the changes of the output of the editor. Because of the rewritten code, some functions created by the application might not work well in other browsers. But the limitations in browsers are highly minimal and you might not even notice it. Just focus on simple functions in creating the application.

With a little downside, changed name and a rewritten code, CKEditor can be a professional's choice of site editor for JavaScript and Ajax based applications.