Description:
This review refers to the Windows version of Dreamweaver 4.0. Some folks pour Web code from their soul using nothing more than a simple text editor. Others avoid code altogether by building pages in a WYSIWYG editor's visual interface. Whatever one's preferences, Macromedia's Dreamweaver 4.0 delivers a powerful collection of features for building and maintaining even the most complex sites. Since its initial launch, Dreamweaver has charmed Web developers with an easy-to-use, yet versatile editing environment. Boasting an impressive collection of resources for both hand coders and visual layout designers, complex code is cleanly served up via a powerful visual layout editor or a text editor that inspects source code. In-depth features that create forms, Flash files, frames, cascading style sheets, Java, and ActiveX files are perfectly integrated into the application. For professional Web development crews, a multi-user environment efficiently manages the fast-paced flow of page content updates. Add an ever-growing Web community offering hundreds of extensions that automate and simplify the development process, and it's easy to see why Dreamweaver is a favorite Web-authoring tool. Dreamweaver 4.0 offers a fresh set of features, upgrades, and improvements. Already a great visual editor, Dreamweaver 4.0 pumps up its hand-coding capabilities with a new Code View feature--a text editor with such customizable features as live syntax coloring, tag balancing, and auto indenting. In Split View, the Code and Design views display simultaneously, providing the best of both worlds for novice and pro coders alike. A Code Reference feature provides a thorough guide to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Graphic designers will enjoy Dreamweaver 4.0's seamless integration with other Macromedia products, such as Fireworks and Flash. One can now create editable vector graphics--Flash buttons and text--directly in Dreamweaver, a feature we found particularly useful. Current users may want to consider taking a close look at Macromedia's Dreamweaver 4.0 Web site to ensure that the collection of new features warrants an upgrade this time around. New users, especially Web-building novices, may find the initial learning curve a bit steep, though frequent visits to the help files are well worth the enormous power this program yields. --Eric Twelker
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