Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 for Windows & Macintosh (Visual QuickStart Guide) (Paperback)

by Tom Negrino (Author), Dori Smith (Author)
Key Phrases: property inspector, insert bar, page properties, Site Map, Help Figure, Choose File (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
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, leading technology authors Tom Negrino and Dori Smith use their trademark crystal-clear instructions and friendly prose to introduce you everything that’s new in Dreamweaver 8. Filled with step-by-step, task-based instructions and loads of visual aids, this book 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: drag-and-drop integration of XML data feeds, improved CSS support, advanced style rendering toolbar, the industry’s first integrated Web accessibility evaluation tool for Section 508 and WCAG 2 checkpoints, and more!

About the Author
Tom Negrino has been working with Macs since 1984. As a longtime contributor to Macworld magazine, he’s written about everything from upgrading your Mac to Web design and presentation software. He’s authored more than two dozen computing-related books, including Macromedia Contribute 3 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide, Keynote 2 for Mac OS X: Visual QuickStart Guide, and co-authored with Dori Smith, JavaScript for the World Wide Web, Fifth Edition: Visual QuickStart Guide.

Dori Smith has been programming for over 20 years. As a partner in Chalcedony Consulting, she does programming, training, writing, and Web design. Dori is also a contributing editor for NetProfessional magazine, is on their advisory board, and is a member of the Web Standards Project Steering Committee. She’s also the author of Java 2 for the World Wide Web: Visual QuickStart Guide.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press (December 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321350278
• ISBN-13: 978-0321350275
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #336,311 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you want fast & straight to the point learning of this program...this book is for you, March 23, 2006

By	Web design teacher "Yours truly" (South Florida) - See all my reviews

I have looked at several Dreamweaver 8 books that were released recently. This book has great value.

It covers the interface very well and explains the vast features of Dreamweaver clearly.

Perfect for someone that has a project they need to complete in Dreamweaver and would like to get up to speed on the program fast.

The only thing I don't like about the book is once you do get up to speed this book will simply end up collecting dust somewhere or inherit other uses that it was not originally intended to serve.

It is why it is called "Visual Quickstart".
The flow of the material isn't as fluid as some of the other books I've come across. It is somewhat lacking in enrapturing what the program really does as a whole.

For example, "Dreamweaver 8 unleashed" walks you through the process of starting a web site from beginning to end within the context of Dreamweaver *AND* in the order it should be accomplished.

I was also impressed by "Dreamweaver 8 Hands On Training" by Lynda.com folks. The book was in color for goodness sakes.
For a second I thought it was a book on Adobe's products.

Those two books are *the* best book to learn if you want to get trained from start to finish in order to deploy a project.

If you know how to create sitemaps, set-up local server, ftp etc AND you simply want to center your focus on learning Dreamweaver alone then the "Visual Quickstart" book is or you otherwise I would recommend trying out the other two books in mentioned earlier.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Desktop Companion for All Dreamweaver 8 Users, March 4, 2006

By	A. J. Sparber ": Author DW 4 Magic" (Hudson, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There are some software books that try to be all things to all levels of users and wind up serving no one very well. The title of this volume says it all - "Visual Quickstart Guide". Smith and Negrino's book hits its target dead center.

If what you want is a straightforward, to-the-point handbook to learn how to use Dreamweaver 8, this is it. The VQG covers the entire Dreamweaver interface - all the menus, panels, and features. It is not a book that teaches you how to program a PHP, ColdFusion, or .NET application - that's not its purpose. What it does, it does very, very well. So well, that it's one of two books I keep within arm's reach on my desktop.

True to its name, the book is capable of taking a beginner through the processes of configuring the Dreamweaver workspace, defining a site, and creating his or her first pages. It'll help an intermediate user grapple with Templates, get up to cruising speed with CSS, or work with and create Snippets. Of great importance (at least to me)is the authors' willingness to tell it like it is when it comes to using some of the not-so-grand features such as Layout Tables, Layers, and Layer-to-table conversions.

Dreamweaver 8's CSS panels are a work of programming art. There is no comparison to similar tools in competing programs. Negrino, Smith, and contributing author Virginia DeBolt explore these new panels very thoroughly. As someone who can write CSS with a fair bit of expertise, I learned some fascinating ways that the new CSS tools in Dreamweaver can help me achieve a more efficient workflow. Without reading this book, I very likely would not have explored these features in much detail.

I rarely recommend Dreamweaver books but give this one a hearty thumbs up - actually I give it all five digits. Get it - you need it.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most useful reference for Dreamweaver so far, February 26, 2006

By	RoyalBlue - See all my reviews

I've been using Dreamweaver for a couple of years now, and I've found this to be the most useful Dreamweaver reference in my library. The visual images alongside the bulleted points is perfect for my learning style, and this book covers exactly the information I was looking for. The authors demystify some of the more complex tasks, and even provide new tips for some old favorites.