[center][center]WebPlus X5 is the latest version of thisfoolproof web site design application. The package is billed as abusiness tool, but its suitable for use by anyone with small tomedium web site ambitions, but who also lacks the technical know-how torealise them in raw HTML or a heavyweight application like AdobeDreamweaver.
WebPlus X5 is very much a WYSIWYG web editor thatkeeps code out of sight and instead favours a drag and drop designapproach. Thats not to say it places any constraints on how pages arecreated, and ambitious types with distinct ideas can start with ablank document and then assemble a layout from scratch using a varietyof predefined web elements. Text frames, image frames, buttons andnavigation bars can all be dragged onto a page from the QuickBuilderBar and then formatted, much like in a DTP application, using a rangeof toolbars, palettes and Properties dialog boxes.

TheWebPlus X5 interface mimics that of other Serif applications and makesextensive use of drag-and-drop tools for page creation and DTP-likeoptions for formatting

Basic page structure in place, more webfurniture can then be dropped into place from the Flyout toolbar thatruns down the left of the WebPlus X5 window. These range from simplethings like image galleries, creatively formatted text for logos,tables and embedded multimedia, to far more sophisticated content likesite search tools, RSS feeds and javascript-powered pop-ups. WebPlusX5 also offers three e-commerce options, including PayPal, althoughthe emphasis here is on ease of set-up rather than flexibility. Evenso, the fact that WebPlus X5 can create a basic online sales sitewithin a matter of minutes without the need to worry about anyserver-side set up makes this a promising application for a fledginginternet business.

WebPlus X5 can also be used to create entirestructured sites using a simple tree-structured interface thatprovides full control over page metadata

A similar Wizard-ledapproach is also used to implement more sophisticated online featureslike forums and blogs. The learning curve does get a little steeperhere, but WebPlus X5 completely does away with the need to worry aboutserver-side PHP installs and mySQL databases. Instead, these areinserted as Smart Objects into a site. Serif provides a 12-monthWebPlus.net hosting package as part of the WebPlus X5 purchase price,but Smart Objects are stored for free on Serifs servers.

With all the necessary configuration and coding handled by WebPlus X5,the user just has to provide some relatively simple set-up informationto get things going. The Help system could be a little moresupportive in explaining this process, but anyone with a basicunderstanding of what a forum or blog is about should be able tofigure things out quickly enough.

WebPlus.net doesnt have tobe used for site hosting, as WebPlus X5 can publish a site to anyhost via FTP (Smart Objects are still stored on Serifs servers,though). However, with WebPlus.net you get domain name registrationfor one .com or .co.uk address, 2GB of space and 25GB a monthbandwidth and fool-proof integration with the application, which makesit very suitable for novices. After the first year hosting costs A?4 amonth or A?40 for a years package, which is reasonable. Smart Objectbandwidth is measured separately and capped at 500MB a month, butSerif assured us that this has so far been ample for its users.