Introducing Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1 Introducing Dreamweaver MX 2004 Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Introducing Dreamweaver MX 2004 In this tutorial, you will: Explore the structure and history of the Internet and the World Wide Web Become familiar with the roles of Web servers and Web clients Learn the basic components of a Web page Open a Web page in a browser Use Hyperlinks Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Introducing Dreamweaver MX 2004 In this tutorial, you will (cont’d): Review the history and design approaches of Web design software Start Dreamweaver and select a layout Create a local site definition Explore the Dreamweaver tool set Investigate the Dreamweaver Help features Exit Dreamweaver Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Dreamweaver and the Internet The Dreamweaver software allows you to create and manage Web sites. A network: Is a series of computers connected together to share information and resources Allows information to be exchanged between computers Has a server that controls the information sharing The Internet is a global network containing many smaller interconnected computer networks Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Dreamweaver and the Internet The Internet as a series of interconnected roadways Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Dreamweaver and the Internet When connecting to the Internet, information is shared using a set of technical specifications that define a format for sharing information called a protocol. Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is the standard format for most e-mail software, which allows people with different e-mail services to communicate. The World Wide Web (WWW or Web) is a portion of the Internet with its own protocol. Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Dreamweaver and the Internet The Web uses HTTP protocol and an HTML document structure. The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) controls the transfer of Web pages over the Internet. The Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) defines how to format Web pages for display. Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Dreamweaver and the Internet Web pages are a set of electronic documents of information on the Web. A group of related and interconnected Web pages is a Web site. Hyperlinks provide the connections enabling the user to move from one Web page or Web site to another. Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Dreamweaver and the Internet An Illustration of the World Wide Web Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Dreamweaver and the Internet Web servers store and distribute information to computers that are connected to the Internet. Web clients are the computers used to access the information. One common option for accessing the Internet and viewing Web sites is through an Internet Service Provider (ISP). A Web browser is the software that interprets and displays Web pages. Every Web page has unique address called a URL. Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Dreamweaver and the Internet Parts of a URL Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Dreamweaver and the Internet You may also want to view local Web pages not posted to the Web by typing the file path name instead of the URL. The home page is the main page of a Web site. Information branches out from the home page to many different sites through hyperlinks. The left side of the status bar displays the URL of the hyperlink. You can move between two or more open Web pages by using buttons on the browser toolbar. Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Dreamweaver and the Internet Opening a local Web page (Catalyst) Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Dreamweaver and the Internet The main purpose of most Web sites is to provide information, which is conveyed through the content. A Web page usually contains a combination of: Text Graphics Multimedia elements (i.e., video, animation, or interactive content) Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Evolving Web Design Tools The original Web pages only consisted of text written directly into HTML code. The complexity and syntax of HTML eventually led to software packages that created HTML for non-programmers. Dreamweaver was designed as an easy-to-use site development and management tool for non-programmers to design Web pages. Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Evolving Web Design Tools There are two main types of Web page design software: Page-centric design, which concentrates on designing and creating individual Web pages and then linking them together Site-centric design, which focuses on planning the Web site structure and design before creating any pages Dreamweaver is a site-centric design package which allows changes at the site level and is more comprehensive. Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Starting Dreamweaver and selecting a Workspace Layout Configuration Dreamweaver has two preset workspace environments: Designer - Recommended for most users, it is an integrated workspace that uses multiple document interface (MDI). In this environment, the Document window shows Design view by default. Coder (HomeSite) – This environment uses the same integrated workspace as the Designer workspace layout, but the panels are arranged to twp other Macromedia products, HomeSite and ColdFusion Studio. The Document window shows the Code view by default. Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Starting Dreamweaver and selecting a Workspace Layout Configuration Once a work environment is selected, you can move windows and adjust the workspace. Dreamweaver opens in the same environment it was in when it was last closed. In the Designer environment, the menu bar is at the top of the work area and each panel group is on the right side of the screen. A panel contains related commands, controls, and information about different aspects of Dreamweaver. Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Starting Dreamweaver and selecting a Workspace Layout Configuration Dreamweaver in Designer workspace environment Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Creating a Site Definition You must set up a site definition for Dreamweaver, telling it where to locate the local copy (where changes and corrections are made) and the remote files for the Web site (where others can view the Web site). The site definition also defines parameters on how the site is set up. Dreamweaver stores a local Web site in the same format as it will be posted on the Web. Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Creating a Site Definition The Local site definition tells Dreamweaver where the local root folder is located. Dreamweaver has a Site Definition Wizard on the basic tab in the Site Definition dialog box that will walk you through the process of creating the local site definition. You can also use the Advanced tab and input the information manually. Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Creating a Site Definition Advanced tab in the Site Definition Dialog Box Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Creating a Site Definition The parts of a Local Site Definition that must be entered are: Site Name – an internal name Local Root Folder – the location of all the files to create the local version of the Web site Refresh Local File List Automatically – If checked, Dreamweaver automatically updates the file list when necessary. HTTP Address – the Web site URL Cache: Enable Cache – If checked, allows Dreamweaver to update links when necessary Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Exploring the Dreamweaver Environment To manage local and remote site files, you will use the Files panel. Once you open the root folder for the web site you can: Find a list of the folders and files in the local site – an internal name Perform any editing function on the files/folders such as move, copy, delete, etc. Transfer files to the remote site Browse files outside of your site Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Exploring the Dreamweaver Environment File panel with site file list Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Exploring the Dreamweaver Environment You can view your Web site using the site map. The site map is a visual representation of how the pages in a Web site are interrelated. The site map can be viewed in the Files panel by selecting Map view from the View menu. You can open any page in the Web site by double-clicking its filename in the file list or the site map. You can open multiple pages at one time, moving between them by clicking the page name. Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Exploring the Dreamweaver Environment Files Panel with Site Map Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Exploring the Dreamweaver Environment Files Panel with File List and Site Map Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Exploring the Dreamweaver Environment Web Pages Opened from Files Panel Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Exploring the Dreamweaver Environment The Document window is the main workspace where you can create and edit Web pages. The Web page can be manipulated using the Document toolbar. The title bar information includes the page title and the filename of the selected Web page. There are three different ways to display the Document window: Design view, Code view, or Split view. Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Exploring the Dreamweaver Environment Home Page in Design View Home Page in Code View Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Exploring the Dreamweaver Environment Home Page in Split View Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Exploring the Dreamweaver Environment The status bar is located at the bottom of the Document window showing: The Tag selector which displays all HTML tags surrounding the current selection in the work area. The Window size menu which shows the current dimensions of the current window in pixels. The document size/estimated download time which shows the size of the current page in kilobytes (K) and the approximate time to download it over a 28-Kbps modem. Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Exploring the Dreamweaver Environment Status Bar items Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Exploring the Dreamweaver Environment The Property inspector is a toolbar with buttons that for examining or editing the attributes of any selected element. A page element is either an object or text. The Property inspector buttons and options change to reflect the attributes of the selected element. Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Exploring the Dreamweaver Environment Property Inspector with Text Attributes Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Exploring the Dreamweaver Environment Property Inspector with text link attributes Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Exploring the Dreamweaver Environment Property Inspector with Image Attributes Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Exploring the Dreamweaver Environment In Dreamweaver, anything created or inserted into a page is an object (i.e., tables, images, and links). The Insert bar contains buttons that are used to create and insert objects. The Insert bar is broken down into buttons reflecting categories of objects. Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Exploring the Dreamweaver Environment Insert bar categories Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Exploring the Dreamweaver Environment The Insert Bar Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Getting Help in Dreamweaver There are several ways to get help when using Dreamweaver. The Using Dreamweaver Help command includes information about all of the features available. You can get information using the Contents, Index or Search Tab. Dreamweaver also provides information about the program with a quick tour and Tutorials. Further support can be accessed from the Dreamweaver Support Center on the Web site. Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Getting Help in Dreamweaver Using Dreamweaver Help Contents Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Getting Help in Dreamweaver Using Dreamweaver Help Index Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Getting Help in Dreamweaver Using Dreamweaver Help Search Window Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Exiting Dreamweaver To Exit the program: Use the Exit command on the File menu. This exits the program and closes any open windows. Use the Close command or Close button on any open windows. This will also prompt you to save any unsaved work before closing. Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1

Tutorial Summary You should now be able to: Understand the basic parts of Web sites on the Internet and how to get to them Know the basics about browsers and opening Web pages Open Dreamweaver Understand the basics about Dreamweaver layout and tools Define, view, and edit a web page Get help in Dreamweaver Dreamweaver MX 2004 Tutorial 1