What to Learn: Coding, or Coding Software?

The question always exists for novices: should I learn to do everything with code, or should I just create the site with an editor?

Some answer, "Use the editor: nothing can go wrong, and it's easier."

Really? Not really. The built-in inflexibility of webpage editors makes it ideal for small webpages, but impossible to use for slightly more complex sites.

Take this for an example. A friend was creating a website with Dreamweaver CS3, the newest stuff, only to have three PHP errors inside the code because DW didn't know the hierarchy of the files it was creating.

Adding three "../"'s fixed the problem.

Here's one thing to remember: If you learn to program in code, you will have no trouble using a WYSIWYG editor, but if you learn to go the (seemingly) easier way may produce more troubles than you desire.