Should I Commit to Macromedia's Dreamweaver 4 HTML Editor?
Written: Mar 20 '01 (Updated Mar 20 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Not only for the high-end developers, but for frontier adventures in Web site building.
Cons: To be utilized to the fullest extent, one will need to practice a lot!
The Bottom Line: From simple to complex Web pages, Dreamweaver can do it with ease.
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| Lajeaca's Full Review: Adobe Dreamweaver 2 Full Version Academic, Not For... |
No fun being on information overload from too much input. There is HTML, JavaScript, DHTML, XML, VBScript, all swirling in my head, not to mention ASP and Cold Fusion. Then there was Dreamweaver…..
This time last year I knew what Dreamweaver was, but I did not know what Dreamweaver could do. Once you find out the capabilities of Dreamweaver you will probably want to experiment with your own Web page building. I am sure that is what the manufacturer, Macromedia, would want you to do, and that is what Dreamweaver 4 can do for you know matter what level of education you are at.
The learning curve is that which requires time and dedication to this particular HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) editor, authoring tool, and Web site management tool all rolled into one. Those "all-knowing" expert Web Masters, as well as people just beginning their Web site building adventuring can use this quite remarkable software tool. But, anybody is going to put some hours behind them to really learn it.
Being a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor, Dreamweaver is an extremely powerful application that is also a lot of fun to use. You can use Dreamweaver without ever having to learn any HTML. But, Dreamweaver lets you adjust and play with the HTML code directly if you want to put the time into learning it.
Dreamweaver is absolutely excellent at quickly creating forms, frames, tables, and other HTML objects. Don’t want a boring Web site? Dreamweaver 4 really shines above the rest when it comes to Dynamic HTML (DHMTL), the more recent Web functionality that enables timeline animation, absolute positioning of the content, and the scripting to make it all work. Just a simple point and click to add scripted functionality to an object!
I purchased Dreamweaver 4 bundled with Fireworks which is for Web graphics, animations, rollovers, imagemaps, slices, and of that sort. This gives you control not only over the design of your pages, but most important---the finished product.
It is very obvious that Macromedia is tuned into the wishes of those of us wanting to create beautiful Web sites. Most of the new features of Dreamweaver 4 I have tried to list below. Some of these existed in the previous version of Dreamweaver, which no doubt made it so well known and which have been perfected in this newer version of Dreamweaver 4.
The fantastic features of Dreamweaver 4:
· Split View Dreamweaver enables you to split the document window to view both the HTML and the WYSIWYG view at the same time. You can edit the HTML, and immediately see the results.
· Layout Mode This is a very important feature for me. Layout mode enables you to design your Web page visually by drawing table cells. You can draw table cells in the document window and drag them around the page until you get them positioned the way you want them.
· Flash Buttons These are pre-defined, animated Flash buttons that you can include in your Web pages. You can also create your own if you prefer.
· Toolbar This very functional toolbar is at the top of the document window that enables you to edit the page title manage the current view of the page, and quickly enables you to launch various menu options such as Preview in the Browser.
· Template Building This a very important feature if you want each page on your site to have the same look and feel. This version of Dreamweaver makes it easier to visualize the editable regions of templates.
· Enjoy Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)? Style sheets are very manageable in Dreamweaver 4. You can define an external styles sheet when you create a new style or you can very easily attach an existing style sheet.
· Reference This has helped me a great deal! This is a JavaScript, CSS, and HTML online reference book built in.
· Roundtrip Graphics Editing For those of us using Fireworks to help create images, the Roundtrip Editing process enables you to make changes in Dreamweaver, which automatically saves them to Fireworks.
· Site Reporting This is the capability to help with making sure that your Web site doesn’t have any problems. Such things as pre-built reports that will find untitled documents or missing alt tags. You can also write custom reports.
· Asset Management The Asset panel helps catalog, organize, and reuse assets in your Web site. This panel enables you to see lists of all the colors images, external URL’s, scripts, Flash Shockkwave, QuickTime, Templates, and Library items. You can also save your own items to a favorites list for quick access.
This have been a very quick overview of Dreamweaver 4, but I hope this has given you some idea of what Dreamweaver can do for you if you have never used this tool before. Also, some of the features I listed, I hope to have provided a quick overview for those of you who have experienced Dreamweaver before and just want to know some of the new features of Dreamweaver 4.
Recommended:
Yes
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Lajeaca
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Location: Tucson, Arizona
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