Making small changes to a web page is not always as simple as it sounds; the web developers end up spending more time on setting up to make the changes than the changes them self. This is where the use of a tool can come in handy, why waste so much time when it can be done for you. Dreamweaver is one such tool that has made coding and maintaining web sites a lot easier for the developers.
Dreamweaver is an HTML text editor which allows the user to preview the site in a locally installed browser and make changes to it accordingly. Dreamweaver was initially designed by Macromedia but is now being developed and marketed by Adobe after its acquisition of the product in 2005. Since then Adobe has continuously worked on improving the CSS functionality and this is reflected in the newest version of Dreamweaver available (CS5). The only trouble here is all the new web developers whom don’t know about the usefulness such a tool like Dreamweaver really can be,
The use of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) functions in Dreamweaver has made the lives easy for many web designers, especially when one has to deal with large volume of pages using CSS. The excellent file management features of Dreamweaver have made it a great web editor for both pro and novice designers alike.
We will now take a look at some of the great features Dreamweaver has to offer that make it the perfect solution for many developers.
Coding Made Simple: What many would argue the best feature of Dreamweaver is the environment in which they allow you to code. The built in CSS feature will help you in reducing unnecessary hours of manual labour via the automatic systems it provides. It creates much of the code for the user which is particularly useful for people who are not hardcore designers, or simply don’t know every code function available. Also, Dreamweaver has the ability to pickup any mistakes in your code and correct them for you. Reduction of unnecessary coding has also helped in reducing the loading time for web sites you create in Dreamweaver.
File management: Another way in which Dreamweaver is useful lies in its file management system. It allows the coders to switch between many pages and other files with ease. The preview option available allows the designer to keep track of the changes they have made and how they actually look in a browser. This is particularly helpful for viewing the site in a web browser as your users would.
Easy FTP Upload: The built in File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client in Dreamweaver allows the user to upload many file easily to their web sever. There are even keyboard shortcuts available to make uploading just that little bit easier.
Drag and drop functionality: If you want to avoid coding for certain elements or don't know how to code it, you can simply drag and drop it in the Dreamweaver window. This again is another little way that Dreamweaver saves the developer time.
Dreamweaver Template Files: Usage of Dreamweaver templates makes coding and editin g web pages even easier for the developer. While coding with Dreamweaver templates you can make changes to multiple pages instantly, rather than having to do it one at a time. It offers more flexibility to your site and Dreamweaver allows designers to create their own templates using the tool.
Dreamweaver tutorials: Another factor that has helped popularizing this application is it’s easy to use features. With the help of the Dreamweaver tutorials even a novice who has never coded before can start creating web pages. This is not an option that many of the HTML web editors available as they require you to have a high level of coding knowledge.
With each improved version of Dreamweaver, its features have become more sophisticated. The newest available version of Dreamweaver is Adobe CS5 (Creative Studio 5). It has improved features and promises to make it easier for both the novice developers along with experts as well. It incorporates features that allow the designer to compare the design live on their own computer, and also to compare the design on various web browsers. Video files are integrated flawlessly with a special feature available on CS5.
How to use Dreamweaver
Dreamweaver is very easy to master, even for those who have never used a previous version. This is what makes it a popular choice with the web design community. One can follow the instruction of a Dreamweaver tutorial and get straight into the action, creating their own web site right away.
Initially, Dreamweaver designers have predominantly used Netscape Navigator for designing but now as time has gone on almost all of the browsers offer support to CSS. This means that you can now design web sites for any browser using Dreamweaver alone. It has also facilitated easy management of web pages and allows easy integration of CSS, tables and forms.
Dreamweaver can't be compared to other web editors available. It really is a class of its own, and is right at the top. There are web design professionals who might prefer hand coding over using Dreamweaver but the usefulness of the tool can't be ignored when it comes to creating and managing large volumes of web pages in a short amount of time.
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