I usually use dreamweaver, but was wondering is there a better editor out there that is more intuitive? Meaning offers an all in one validation - cross browser compliant coding structure? Is this just a pipe dream I have?
I think its a dream you just need to learn all the does and donts and you will be fine. I can code a page without looking at it now and it will be valid css and html. I use dream weaver because i like the colors.
I like the css functions in Microsoft Visual Developer. There is an express version that you can download for free. When you are editing a style you can right click and choose the "build style" menu option and it gives you a tabbed dialog with the various options in it. Makes it pretty easy...
A program more intuitive than DW? Is the extensive drop-down list of code hints for xhtml, css & php not working for you?
As for the compliance issue, DW has a built in validator. It doesn't matter if your code is or isn't valid - the odds are that it's still not going to display correctly in ie.