Adobe Dreamweaver CS3
Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 is considered the standard web design application that is easy enough for beginners to grasp immediately for personal webpages but also powerful enough for veteran web designers to utilize for large scale web projects. Now I have been using Dreamweaver since version 3 and the program has progressed tremendously since then.
When I picked up Dreamweaver CS3, I was very curious to see what Adobe would do to the product on their first release of it since they acquired Macromedia. Here is what I discovered about Adobe Dreamweaver CS3.
Dreamweaving My Web World
Unlike the interface changes to some of the other Creative Suite 3 applications, Dreamweaver CS3’s interface has remained unchanged. This is defintely a good sign as I am one who enjoys being able to stick to my application usage routine and pick up the new features as I go along.
For those familiar with Dreamweaver, the basic functionality of the program remains. You can create a variety of file types such as standard HTML and CSS files along with some dynamic file types such as PHP, javascript, Cold Fusion and more. Dreamweaver has always done a great job in helping you put webpage elements together without knowing a single line of code. Need a form, just go up to Insert in the menu bar and select the Form option. With a few additional clicks, you will have a form with all of the text fields and buttons you need.
Similar to previous additions of Dreamweaver, CS3 continues to add more dynamic features to the program. If you’ve been using the program as long as I have, you know how far this program has come. From the beginning where it was used to primarily edit static webpages, then moving on to better support for cascading style sheets to the addition of more script and database support, Dreamweaver CS3 has moved into more dynamic content and code management support.
Some of the new features in Dreamweaver CS3 includes the Spry technology which gives users the ability to add interactive functionality to their website without the need for extra programming. The Spry widgets are based on the use of HTML, CSS and javascript. You will need to download the Spry widget technology from the Adobe Labs website first and upload the contents to your website. The Spry widgets will need to access these external files for it to operate properly.
Once those external files are in place, you can now add any of the Spry widgets offered through the initial installation. Some of the available widgets include an accordian style, collapsible panel, tabbed panel, menu bar, validation text field and text area and a validation select and checkbox. Using Spry, you can also call in data from an XML data file to create dynamic content pages.
Another great, new feature is the browser compatibility check, which gives you the opportunity to test your code for problems. Dreamweaver will check your code based on the following web browsers: Firefox 1.5, Windows Internet Explorer 6.0 and 7.0, Mac Internet Explorer 5.2, Netscape Navigator 8.0, Opera 9.0 and Safari 2.0.
I ran this function on a page I purposely left in bad code to see if it would pick it up. Surprisingly, it marked the tag and informed me that the code would cause a problem in Windows Internet Explorer 6. This is a wonderful addition and should help keep your website clean across the web.
Dreamweaver CS3 has also improved CSS handling by giving you a quick and easy way to take your inline CSS code and move it into an attached CSS file or into the HEAD tag of the document. This is a very cool feature because it gives you the option to add code that you already know works properly to your attached CSS file without having to manually place it in there. Once you select the STYLE code, you right click and select CSS Styles>Convert Inline CSS to Rule. This will bring up a window prompt where you can select the style sheet you want to enter the code or you can enter it into the document’s HEAD tag. If you select a style sheet, the CSS file will be opened into Dreamweaver and the code will be automatically entered into the file. You will also notice that the STYLE tag in your document will be changed to a DIV CLASS.
The Final Word
While the program may appear like the previous version, Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 is a valuable upgrade. The Spry technology will enable you to build some really great dynamic functionality into your webpages without the programming hassle. I hope that more Spry widgets can be made available because it could help boost the program’s usability the same way that plug-ins served Photoshop. The improved CSS code features are also a nice addition and time saver. The program also brings better integration of Photoshop and Fireworks files.
With Dreamweaver CS3, you continue to see how the program is evolving to bridge the gap between the content producers and dynamic content generation. I am very impressed by the new features in Dreamweaver CS3 and hope they can continue to build on the Spry widgets and more scripting options. Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 earns 4.5 stars out of 5. Highly recommended.
You can click here to download a 30-day trial of Dreamweaver CS3. You can also visit the official Dreamweaver CS3 website. You can also click the following links to purchase Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 for Apple Macintosh or Microsoft Windows computer systems. Dreamweaver CS3 is compatible with the Windows Vista operating system and Intel Macintosh systems.
About Adobe Dreamweaver CS3
Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 remains the de facto standard for web design applications. It can help you design a simple HTML based website or you can build a completely dynamic website. You can also use Dreamweaver’s functionality to help you manage and maintain existing websites.
