Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 for Windows & Macintosh [Paperback]

J. Tarin Towers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0321213394 | ISBN-13: 978-0321213396

Even if you've never used Macromedia Dreamweaver before, this Visual QuickStart Guide will have you up and running with Macromedia's popular Web authoring program in no time. In this completely updated edition of our best-selling guide to Macromedia Dreamweaver, everybody's favorite Dreamweaver guru, author J. Tarin Towers, returns with her trademark crystal-clear instructions and friendly prose to introduce users, both veteran and new, to the brave, new world of Dreamweaver MX 2004. Using step-by-step, task-based instructions and loads of visual aids, Tarin explains how to use all of the program's visual layout tools, application development features, and code editing support to create stunning, accessible Web sites. Along the way, you'll find extensive coverage of all the program's new features: dynamic cross-browser validation, improved CSS support, built-in graphics editing, and more. Whether you're using Macromedia Dreamweaver MX as a WYSIWYG page-layout tool or a sophisticated text editor, you'll find this guide the key to it all.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

J. Tarin Towers, based in San Francisco, wrote Peachpit's previous editions of Dreamweaver Visual QuickStart Guide, and has contributed as a writer and technical editor to more than a dozen books about computers and the Internet. As an editorial consultant, she has worked with such companies as Netscape Communications, Microsoft, Informix Software, Infoseek, and IDG. She is a published poet, fiction writer, and essayist, and her web site resides at www.tarin.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 736 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press (August 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321213394
• ISBN-13: 978-0321213396
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #315,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #60 in Books > Computers & Technology > Graphic Design > Web Design > Dreamweaver

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Useful Reference, April 7, 2005

By 

Adaera (Vancouver) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 for Windows & Macintosh (Paperback)

I had not been using Dreamweaver for very long before obtaining this manual-and as many of my associates can attest to, I was ready to hit "uninstall" several times per day. I found Dreamweaver to be very cluttered and difficult to navigate. I am happy to report that Ms. Towers' book prevented the uninstall process as far as Dreamweaver was concerned. By following this book from the first chapter and working through the tutorials, even a beginner can successfully configure Dreamweaver and begin designing fully functional and aesthetically pleasing web sites.

However, I did find a few areas too lightly covered, such as making and working with custom templates. Also, being aware that this book is focussed on a Macromedia product, I would have liked to have seen more information for working with or importing work from, other applications such as PhotoShop and Image Ready. Understandably Ms. Towers covered a bit more about integrating Dreamweaver with Macromedia's Fireworks, but even working in the design field, I personally know very few people who use Fireworks as opposed to PhotoShop.

There were a few other areas I would have liked to have seen handled differently or perhaps laid out in a different format. I found that when trying to learn how to use Dreamweaver's CSS tools, I had to do a fair amount of chapter jumping to get the information I needed. Personally I would prefer to have like functions grouped together for ease of advancement in that area.

The illustrative examples are numerous, well-labelled and relevant to each page's content. In many areas, I found the illustrations to offer a better explanation of how to accomplish something than the textual instructions. In my opinion, one of the best sections in this book was that on managing web sites. Gone are the days when the majority of websites consist of one page of information and perhaps a few graphics. Even a simple personal site can easily encompass several pages of content. The tips on managing everything from a small domain to a large network are very practical and invaluable.

I would have liked to have seen some quick reference tables and or appendices in this book; while there are many such resources online, I still find Dreamweaver to be somewhat cluttered and it's easier to be able to look up a reference table than it is to find what I need somewhere in the programme. Besides, some of us still like books. Overall I wouldn't hesitate in recommending this book to anyone who is just starting out with Dreamweaver, but I would hesitate in recommending it to someone new to both Dreamweaver and web designing, as many areas of this book seem to assume that the reader is more than a novice as far as web coding knowledge is concerned.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Falls down where needed most - at the beginning, July 15, 2005

By 

John A Lee III "jal3" (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 for Windows & Macintosh (Paperback)

As a training aide, this book started off badly and got only slightly better. For those who know nothing about Dreamweaver at all, a better initial learning source is needed.

The text spends a great deal of time going over redundant items that it would seem anyone with a modicum of Windows experience would know already; this is mainly a matter of navigating the basic Windows interface. This is not a bad thing, in and of itself, for those with limited experience but it gets infuriating when something a little more advance, actually using Dreamweaver, is attempted. At that point, readers must make leaps of faith and, all too often, the general descriptions given have only a passing resemblance with what appears on the screen. I get the impression that the book was written for an earlier product and that the updating process was not complete.

The matter of the screen shots is another problem area. The book is full of them. Unfortunately, many of them are so small that discerning any details is often problematical. That is bad enough with my 41 year old eyes but my nephew's 16 year old eyes did not fare much better.

The explanations as to the process of setting up a site are the most infuriating at all. The author admits that this is where most people have the most trouble. That is a clear signal to pay attention. The job is then bungled. Looking in other books made it clear.

The book is not without its strengths. Later on, when things like dealing with frames, images, styles and such are presented, the explanations are for the most part clear and intelligible. The screen shots are still too small to be useful but the text generally made the reading worthwhile.

If you already know the very basics, this book might help. I think it would be better to look for another one though.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful, if very basic at times., May 19, 2005

By 

Graye Mathison (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 for Windows & Macintosh (Paperback)

I started with this book because I decided to do an independent study of dreamweaver at my high school and it was the only one the computer lab had. I may not have chosen it if I was picking one for myself, I don't really know, but it's worked out quite well for me. It goes over everything I really needed to know, it wraps up concepts fairly well in their respective chapters so I could skip to or over what I wanted not to bother with or get to quicker withou too much trouble. My only complaint is really minor and only because I use computers quite a bit. It goes over, sometimes in some detail, even basic functions such as renaming a file by clicking, waiting, and clicking again or write clicking. It explains how to save and how to click from one window to another when they're both up on screen anyways. It was a bit frustrating at times, sort of funny at others, but skipping over those it taught me quickly what I wanted to know and now I've got dreamweaver MX at my house and I bought the same book because it was quite useful and I know how they write it. They include pictures of the menus and functions pretty much every page as well to help you out.