What is Adobe Dreamweaver?

Adobe Dreamweaver  is a web software application that provides total support for website creation and management. This advanced program meets the needs of many skills levels, from professional web designers to beginners just learning about page creation. Read on to discover some of the main features that make up Dreamweaver .

1. WYSIWIG Generator

   • Adobe’s WYSIWIG (What You See Is What You Get) generator provides a page that allows for content editing and gives users a visual way to keep track of the look of the document as it progresses. Using a “Properties” window, creators may click different buttons on the toolbar to perform various actions, such as formatting text, inserting links or adding different types of lists to the page. As these actions take place, Dreamweaver automatically generates the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) code that creates the web document.

   Insert Window

   • Using  “Insert” window, website elements, such as forms, are added with a click of a button. By placing the cursor in the WYSIWIG view, users determine where they want the functionality to go and click the name of the element to get a customized “Properties” window to appear. This window allows for customization of the item, such as specifying the number of rows in a table, as well as formatting enhancements like adding a table border color.

   CSS Support

   • Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are the industry standard for styling web pages and Dreamweaver provides multiple avenues of support for this feature. For those that are new to CSS, version CS3 includes style rule templates in the “New Document” dialog box that users can start creating pages from. Additionally, the “CSS” window allows for greater customized style as users can select content and click icons to include new formatting rules. Further, if an outside style sheet is already created, Adobe provides a link button that imports the style rules and enables users to edit style sheets inside the Dreamweaver application.

   Media Implementation

   • Media, such as photos and music files, are common among web pages and Adobe’s Dreamweaver provides a seamless integration for this enhancement. After creating documents and storing them in the desired folder, users can select content to link to by clicking the “Link” button in the “Properties” window, or they may access the “Insert” window to click the appropriate media icon. This task prompts Dreamweaver to create the code necessary to successfully call up the file when clicked. In addition, CS3 also includes an advanced working relationship with the PhotoShop graphics editor in that users may select any section of a file and paste it directly into a Dreamweaver document.

   Spry Integration

   • An important addition to Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 is the implementation of Spry widgets. A widget is a component of page code that brings together HTML, CSS and JavaScript to create a dynamic user experience. In addition, Spry also includes a framework for Ajax technology, which provides an even richer Internet environment. For example, using the Spry buttons in the “Insert” window, users can create forms that auto-suggest what visitors may want to enter, or they may create advanced menu bars that do not require additional page loads when a menu item is clicked.