Dreamweaver 4 Bible [Paperback]

Joseph W. Lowery (Author), Kevin Lynch (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0764535692 | ISBN-13: 978-0764535697

Written by best-selling author and Dreamweaver guru Joe Lowery, this latest edition of the bestseller features 100 percent of what readers need to know to master the world's hottest Web development application. This in-depth book covers the latest Web technologies (such as XML and SMIL), shows how to add active content to your Web pages through Dreamweaver's automation and database features, and details the use of JavaScript behaviors using the JavaScript library support. Includes a CD-ROM with hundreds of useful Dreamweaver extensions and a library of Javascript behaviors -- plus trial versions of Dreamweaver 4, Flash 5, Fireworks 4, and more.

Covering all of Dreamweaver 4's new features, this definitive reference is the one-stop solution for everyone from the novice to the professional Web developer.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

There's a reason that Macromedia Dreamweaver appears on most Web developers' resumés: It offers both tremendous productivity and extensibility in a professional development environment. Dreamweaver 4 Bible covers this remarkable product from soup to nuts, guiding you through the basics of the program all the way to implementing sophisticated techniques.

Over 1,100 pages in length, Dreamweaver 4 Bible comes with a trial version of Dreamweaver 4, making it a one-purchase training resource for anyone looking to learn and master the product. A good chunk of the first portion of the book is devoted to providing the lay of Dreamweaver land and examining the development interface, configuration options, and effective use of the help system. Although one of Dreamweaver's strongest claims to fame is its ability to create fully functional Web sites with little or no HTML coding, the book wisely educates you on HTML basics nonetheless.

As your knowledge of Dreamweaver grows, the book's presentation style evolves. Early on, material is presented via discrete tasks, such as adding a navigation bar, adjusting font size, and adding an e-mail link. Later on, general techniques are discussed, such as using rollovers and exploiting cascading style sheets. All of the examples are accompanied by excellent narration, tips, notes, and pointers to examples on the CD-ROM. If you're diving into Dreamweaver, take the plunge using this fine resource. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered:

• HTML basics
• Tables
• Forms
• Links
• Frames
• Images
• Behaviors
• Fireworks
• Flash
• Shockwave
• Video
• Audio
• Dynamic HTML
• Layers
• Timelines
• XML
• Templates
• Collaborative development

Review

"...Truly an excellent book..." (Beginners Books, September 2002)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 1120 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764535692
• ISBN-13: 978-0764535697
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,793,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable!, May 17, 2001

By 

M. Perkins - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dreamweaver 4 Bible (Paperback)

Positively the most comprehensive presentation of a very complicated, ever-changing arena.Joeseph Lowery has a writing style that is easy to read. Despite its three inch thickness, the book is well laid out, well cross-referenced and very well formatted where the reader can spot the important 'stuff' at a glance. Better yet, one can go back for deeper details. I've read a lot of books in this field. Very few have real 'meat' to digest, and the others just skim the surface. The DW bible gives you answers. Best yet, the author anticipates where the reader/novice could go wrong. Having 'been there, done that', he guides the reader around the pitfalls rather than allowing him to fall in it! Awesome job!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Tries to do too much, December 8, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Dreamweaver 4 Bible (Paperback)

I got this book after positive reviews on this website. It was my first foray into web design. Boy, did Lowery's approach get me off on the wrong foot.

Firstly, the writing is appalling. Here's are a few example (at random):

"The term cascading describes the capability of a local style to override a general style"

"Although you can design the most beautiful, compelling image possible in your graphics program, if it's intended for the Internet, you need to view it in a Web page."

"Checkboxes enable an option to be selected or deselected, so the only information that a function needs from a checkbox is whether it has been selected."

Argh! Why use 5 words when 15 will do? I also get the impression that Lowery is paraphrasing the Macromedia Tech guides. And his book is riddled with errors. Consider this howler:

"For instance, rather than just specifying Palatino - a sans serif font common on PC's but relatively unknown on the Mac - you could insert a tag such as the following ..."

Not only is Palatino a *serif* typeface, it has been included as a system Macintosh font since the 1980's - it's a default install on every Macintosh sold! I emailed Lowery about this, and to his credit he replied within 24 hours. His response?

"Okay - how about I change it to Verdana next time ;)"

Joseph, I think you're missing the point.

In his defence, the tone is paternal and he seems to be a well-meaning buffoon. But I've found the book terribly confusing and, after shelling out £40 for the doorstop, ended up getting most of my Dreamweaver help from the web.

I find it incredible that such a third rate manual gets published, let alone gets a high customer ranking. Steer clear, you can do better.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of useful information, March 25, 2002

By 

M. Moffatt (Auckland, New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dreamweaver 4 Bible (Paperback)

This book tries to be all things to all people and as such it includes basic stuff and quite advanced stuff. There's basic info about HTML (ie what's a

tag) which I skipped straight over but which a beginner would find useful (although there's plenty of other books that cover this material). For the more advanced user there's some great info on how to make your own Dreamweaver extensions, cross-browser compatibility issues, and incorporating the Beatnik plug-in into your pages to make interesting sound effects.

The accompanying CD-ROM is full of useful Dreamweaver extensions (although you could have downloaded these from various websites), as well as trial versions of Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash. Also included is the complete text of the book in PDF format.