Description:
Dreamweaver UltraDev is an enhanced version of Macromedia's leading Web-authoring tool. The standout additional feature is dynamic content, which is when pages have live links to databases or other types of server-side scripting. Most products of this type require extensive manual coding, but UltraDev has an extensive library of built-in scripts, called Server Behaviors, that allow even moderately sophisticated sites to be built with little or no code. Version 4 looks similar to its predecessor, but includes important changes that make it more complete and easier to use. One of the best new features is the split code and design view, which lets you edit either the code or the visual design and see changes instantly echoed between them. There is also built-in security, so you can create login procedures and password-protected sites. Finally, the Live Objects wizards automatically create page elements to handle common tasks, such as a master/detail page set, or forms to insert and update records. UltraDev supports three kinds of server-side scripting: Active Server Pages, JavaServer Pages, and Cold Fusion. Unfortunately, it does not support PHP, which is popular on Linux and Unix servers, although because UltraDev is extensible, there may be some third-party add-ins. The features for the three models are similar but not identical, although in every case there is excellent database support. Its great strength is that you can focus on designing your pages and let UltraDev handle the data access code. You can even display live data at design time, making it easier to get exactly the right appearance. Everything in Dreamweaver is also in UltraDev, so this is the ideal package for Web authors who need to add dynamic content with a minimum of fuss. --Tim Anderson
| 
