Changing Source Code Editor in Internet Explorer

ID: Q163606

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 for Windows 98
Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 2.0, 3.0, 3.01, 3.02, 4.0, 4.01, 5 for Windows 95
Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 3.0, 3.01, 3.02, 4.0, 4.01, 5 for Windows NT 4.0
Microsoft Windows 98

SUMMARY

This article describes how to configure Internet Explorer to display an Edit button on the toolbar. This allows you to view Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) source code with the editor of your choice.

MORE INFORMATION

By default, you can use the Source command on the View menu in Internet Explorer to view HTML source code in Notepad. To add an Edit button to the toolbar so that you can view HTML code in the editor you want, follow these steps:

1. Quit Internet Explorer (if it is running).

2. Double-click My Computer.

3. On the View menu, click Options (or Folder Options).

4. Click the File Types tab. In the Registered File Types box, click

   Internet Document (HTML), and then click Edit.

   NOTE: If you are running Internet Explorer 4.01 or Windows 98, click
   Microsoft HTML Document 4.0. If you are running Internet Explorer 
   5.0, click Microsoft HTML Document 5.0.

5. If Edit is not listed in the Actions box, there is not an Edit button

   on the Internet Explorer toolbar. To add an Edit button to the toolbar,
   click New, type "Edit" (without quotation marks) in the Action box, and
   then type the full path to the name of the editor that you want to use
   in the Application Used To Perform Action box. If you are using
   Internet Explorer 2.0 or 3.x as your browser, you may need to type a
   space and "%1" (including the quotation marks) at the end of the
   command. For example, if you want to use Notepad to be your default
   HTML editor, type the following command:

      c:\windows\notepad.exe "%1"

   NOTE: If you do not know the path or file name for the editor you want
   to use, you can click Browse to locate the editor instead of manually
   typing it in the Application Used To Perform Action box.

   If Edit is listed in the Actions box, there is already an Edit button
   on The Internet Explorer toolbar. To select a default HTML editor,
   click Edit under Actions, click the Edit button, and then type the full
   path to the program you want to use as your default HTML editor.

6. Click OK, click Close, and then click Close again.

Once you have completed these steps, Internet Explorer displays an Edit button on the toolbar and a Page (or Current Page) command on the Edit menu. Use either of these to view the source code for the current document. Also, after you have completed these steps, the Edit command is added to the context menu that appears when you right-click an HTML file.

Notes

If you are using Internet Explorer 2.0 or 3.x and do not type the "%1" at the end of the command, you may receive the following error message when you attempt to view source code:
```
      <DRIVE>:\Temporary
      Cannot find this file.
      Please verify that the correct path and file name are given.
```
This error occurs when the file is contained in a folder with spaces in its long file name. Examples include the "Temporary Internet Files" folder and the "My Documents" folder.
The editor you choose must be able to understand long file names, or you may receive an error message similar to the following when you try to view the source code:
```
      Cannot find the "C:\Windows\tempor~1\Cache\<filename.htm>
```
Although the Edit button and Current Page command both open the HTML source in the editor you specified, using the Source command on the View menu still opens the HTML source code in Notepad.

Additional query words: 2.00 3.00 3.01 4.00

Keywords          : msiew95 msient win98 msiew98 
Version           : WINDOWS:
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbinfo

Last Reviewed: March 23, 1999