The bad news is that you need to learn HTML and CSS. There really isn’t any good way around this. While I know you’re used to the WYSIWYG world of Delphi’s form editor, the web based WYSIWYG editors just don’t give you the flexibility or control that you’ll need to make great applications.

The good news is that neither HTML nor CSS is actually that hard to learn, and the basics will likely be good enough. Additionally, some good tools are available that will make dealing with these things easier.

It’s way beyond the scope of my abilities to try and teach HTML and CSS in this blog, but I will recommend some resources for you to go about it on your own. First, a book: Head First HTML with CSS and XHTML. This is a great book, and it’ll get you going quickly.

For tools: the best CSS editor I’ve used on Windows (and, in fact, it’s a great HTML editor as well!) is TopStyle, and I’m not saying that just because it was written in Delphi by a legend in the community, Nick Bradbury. No, it really is fantastic. The torch has recently been passed, and a beta of TopStyle 4 is available, or you can buy the current 3.5 release from Nick’s company, NewsGator. A must-have on Windows. 80 bucks, but there’s also a free “lite” version.

If you’re using a Mac, I highly, highly recommend CSSEdit. It’s one of the most amazing tools I’ve used, and its ability to override stylesheets on existing websites with an immediate live preview of changes make it ideal for learning what exactly is going on. I love this product. 30 euros.

Don’t let HTML and CSS scare you. They’re actually pretty straightforward when you get used to them, and with the right tools it just makes it that much easier to get your application looking great.