Both W4’s WebMerge 2.4 and Mergemill are web site builders that take local database data and turn it into full-blown web pages. Both are based on the use of tags, and both offer an alternative to dynamic web sites, like ColdFusion sites and PHP/MySQL sites.

First question that I asked myself was whether a WebMerge or Mergemill built site could compete with a true dynamic site. The answer to that question is that it depends. Both WebMerge and Mergemill create static web pages. These pages must be uploaded to the web server, where they will sit quiet, being static.

If your site must be integrated with a back-office system, the method of WebMerge and Mergemill will not work. There is no way you can locally create dynamic pages without server functionality present on the web server. However, perhaps not the entire site must be dynamic, database-driven. If that is the case, WebMerge and Mergemill can be used for those pages that can be left alone.

That raises another question: why would you want to do that, of you have a server anyway, for example a ColdFusion server? There would be no reason, so if a server is present, both WebMerge and Mergemill serve no purpose.

For many other sites, however, WebMerge and Mergemill could just as well be used as any server technology available today. The only requirement for using WebMerge or Mergemill is the presence of a database populated with data and structured in such a way that it can be used by these programs.

Mergemill

Let’s start with Mergemill. CrossCulture in Hong-Kong developed Mergemill with power in mind rather than ease-of-use. The result is that you can use Mergemill with LOOKUP tables, exported to delimited text files (Mergemill nor WebMerge support native database formats, requiring you to export the data to a text file of some kind), and that it is possible to use XML files for collaborative web site development with Mergemill.

The downside of Mergemill’s power is that it is not very easy to use. This lack of user-friendliness is aggravated by the lack of a good and concise manual, and by the use of an overly simple interface which does not offer any guidance at all. The two disadvantages go hand-in-hand, as a good manual might make up for the interface and vice-versa.

The result is that I couldn’t make out how to use LOOP/ENDLOOP constructions, and that the XML file usage went by me completely. They are mentioned in the few pages of basic explanation that are available with the program, but they are not explained in detail.

Unless you work out how Mergemill works ---and I am sure that you can, given the time--- you can only create simple web sites with it. However, the potential of Mergemill is impressive, especially with its support for LOOKUP.

WebMerge

WebMerge is a Fourth World product. Its interface is radically different from Mergemill’s. The interface is idiot-proof, easy to understand and guides the user through the process of creating the web site. Given an afternoon and the excellent manual, you can quickly and repeatedly create complex web sites, based on database data that has been converted into delimited text files.

However, WebMerge is not as powerful as Mergemill. It doesn’t support XML files, and it doesn’t support LOOKUP tables. It does support all the other features that Mergemill does as well, and this in a far easier to use package. It’s also important to understand that MergeMill is at version 3.x, while WebMerge is but at 2.4. Even then, WebMerge does add Wiki style tags, enabling a far faster and simpler syntax in database fields which describe web content.

Conclusion

Of the two solutions, my preference would go to WebMerge because its learning curve is far less steep than that of Mergemill’s. The presence of a good manual and a pleasant interface that helps you achieve your goal is also a plus to me.

However, if you’re into puzzling out how an application works, and you are interested in the most complicated conversion of data into web pages, then MergeMill might be better --- for now.