Dreamweaver 4 Weekend Crash Course [Paperback]

Wendy Peck (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764535757 | ISBN-13: 978-0764535758 | Publication Date: 2001

With this highly structured guide, rookie Web developers will be able to master the basics of Dreamweaver -- in a single weekend! Using lesson files and a trial version of the latest Dreamweaver release from the CD-ROM, you can work your way through 30 focused half-hour lessons that explore everything from Dreamweaver fundamentals to JavaScript objects, Flash animations, and other sophisticated effects.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Get up to Speed on Dreamweaver 4 -- in a Weekend!
The big day is Monday. The day you get to show off what you know about Dreamweaver 4. The problem is, you're not really up to speed. Maybe it's been a while since you worked with Dreamweaver. Or maybe you haven't used Dreamweaver before. In any event, we've got a solution for you -- Dreamweaver 4 Weekend Crash Course. Open the book Friday evening and by Sunday afternoon, after completing 30 fast, focused lessons, you'll be able to jump right in and start building Web sites. It's as simple as that.

THE CURRICULUM
FRIDAY
Evening: 3 Sessions, 1-1/2 hours:
Introducing Dreamweaver; Getting Started; Getting a Site

SATURDAY
Morning: 7 Sessions, 3-1/2 hours:
Creating a Document; Introducing FTP; Creating Tables in Dreamweaver; Using Tables for Liquid Design; Enhancing Tables with Background Color and Images; Addinf Background, Meta Tags, and Links; Using Dreamweaver Site Management
Afternoon: 6 Sessions, 3 hours:
Editing HTML; Producing and Checking Links; Generating JavaScript Rollovers; Preparing Forms; Creating Library Items; Building Templates
Evening: 4 Sessions, 2 hours:
Planning Site Navigation; Using Automated Site Management Tools; Creating a Template for the New Site; Preparing Library Items for the New Site

SUNDAY
Morning: 6 Sessions, 3 hours:
Exploring Dreamweaver's Production Tools; Placing Graphics and Rollovers in Your Site; Controlling Text with CSS; Pulling Your Site Together; Creating a Finished Page; Placing and Creating the Extracts
Afternoon: 4 Sessions, 2 hours:
Using Layers for Layout; Using DHTML; Working with Frames; Increasing Productivity

BONUS CD-ROM INCLUDES
* Trial versions of Dreamweaver 4, Fireworks 5, and Flash 5
* Assessment software to help you gauge your progress
* Plus evaluation versions of PaintShop Pro and Image Optimizer 3

About the Author

Wendy Peck jumped the fence from fashion design to professional graphic design in 1989 and began teaching computer graphics at the college level and for corporate clients in 1992. In 1997, after being on the Web for four years, she again changes her focus, turning her attention to Web design. Today, she divides her time between writing articles on graphic design for WebReference.com (www.production graphics.com), and other publications, while reserving about half of her time for designing Web sites. Wendy lives with her rapidly shrinking family (kids in their late teens who are moving out one by one) in Northewstern Ontario. She works from her home office, or increasingly, from the road, because she is an obsessive traveler. The Midwestern and south central United States is her favorite haunt.

Product Details

• Paperback: 505 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764535757
• ISBN-13: 978-0764535758
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,005,248 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for DW trainers and students, May 19, 2001

By 

Margo Matthew (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dreamweaver 4 Weekend Crash Course (Paperback)

I gave this book 5 stars in spite of the typographical and CD errors because this is the best teaching book I've seen. Corrected CD files are available at the author's web site and the typographical errors, although regrettable, are not huge stumbling blocks.

The surface problems do not hide this book's well-planned and well-written core. I teach Dreamweaver classes and was looking for a book to use for a new 5-day class. The Macromedia Authorized book still had not exited the publisher and we had sign-ups for our new class. I finally found this book and my company bought copies for all the students. The first session of the new class ended last Friday and the students were extremely happy with what they had learned.

The fact that I was able to use a book advertised as a 15-hour weekend course for five 6-hour sessions shows that there is more here than can practically be covered in one weekend. But it's also due to the fact that more average computer users are starting to use DW and they need a slower pace to absorb the material. This book is perfect for that profile as well as web professionals looking to learn a new program.

A huge amount of information is covered through orderly step-by-step exercises. The author conveys a feeling of excitement at all the cool things that DW can do. I really like the personal, conversational style written by someone who uses the program professionally. She also makes the reader step into the HTML code, which I also believe is necessary to use any web-related program successfully.

For some reason, web authors seem to shy away from giving specific instructions on how to use CGI scripts. But this author dives in and tells us exactly what we must do to use a popular mail script, telling us where to go to download it, what changes to make in the script, and what to do with the form we've created in DW. She also gives step-by-step instructions on embedding sound/music. This is simpler in DW than one might imagine and the author takes away the mystery with a few short paragraphs.

Finally, even though I thought I knew DW well, using this book taught me some new tricks. I hope this author continues to produce a book with each new DW version.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very frustrated with this book and its missing files, April 30, 2001

By 

Y. Kahn (Potomac, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dreamweaver 4 Weekend Crash Course (Paperback)

I was extremely frustrated with this book when I sat down to use it, inserted the CD-ROM, and, after some time, realized that very important files were missing (including an index page that other pages supposedly linked to). Not only that, there was nothing indicating any kind of support on the publisher's web site! I can understand publishers being in a hurry to get these books out to the public in a timely manner, but when the whole point is having a CD to work with, this kind of sloppiness is unforgivable. I will even admit that if I'd had a place to vent to the publisher I might not be writing this review here.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ultimately Satisfied, May 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Dreamweaver 4 Weekend Crash Course (Paperback)

When I first started working with this book I had the same experience as these other readers and was quite annoyed. However, I emailed Hungry Minds and they said the problem was being corrected in a reprint and they immediately (same afternoon) sent me the missing files. Although there's really no excuse for their error, the new files filled in the blanks and it was smooth sailing from then on. I ultimately was quite satisfied: The author's writing is clear, friendly and informative, and within a few days (I did weeknights instead of the weekend), I had created a fairly complex site with Dreamweaver. (My friends are impressed.)The nicest surprise, however, was that after had written Hungry Minds about the problem, the author herself emailed me with her apologies! She said she was going to post the files on her site at wpeck.com and that they'd be on the HM site. Considering all that, I'd recommend this book.