Dreamweaver 4 Magic [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by Al Sparber (Author), Craig Foster (Author), Murray Summers (Author), Linda Rathgeber (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Many designers have "pop-up menu" envy over all the sleek variations that can be found on the Web. Al Sparber and the crew at Projectseven.com are well known for their tutorials and Dreamweaver extensions that help designers create state-of-the-art effects. This book shares some of their work, particularly the latest in cool menu designs.

It's like a gift-bag of Project Seven's best offerings with step-by-step tutorials detailing how things work. For example, the authors show how to use cascading style sheets (CSS) and cookies to make user-controlled visual themes, how to build Dynamic HTML (DHTML) drop-down and fly-out menus, and even how to make menus that collapse and expand or have a tree functionality similar to that found on Windows or Mac operating systems. These aren't just eye-candy tricks either; they're also the sorts of interfaces that Web site visitors will intuitively understand. Other practical lessons show readers how to save bandwidth by using CSS to make an imageless navigation system or how to make a clickable DHTML tabbed interface. Also, the authors do not neglect compatibility issues. The book's not about showing off--these are practical methods that also give a site a fresh look.

The project files are all included on the CD-ROM, along with finished results. The real deal is found in the custom Dreamweaver extensions, creating with just a click content that would otherwise require a lot of valuable time to write in JavaScript.

Although readers should have experience with Dreamweaver, the book is written in a clear manner that outlines carefully what will be accomplished at each stage and why you might want to carry out any given task in a certain way. Since the tutorials all rely on the custom extensions, readers do have to follow along faithfully. In essence, this is a cookbook-style manual, using some prepackaged ingredients, and with each recipe producing the desired meal. Each chapter ends by explaining how readers can modify the results with their own design flavorings. --Angelynn Grant

Product Description

This book answers many of the top advanced-level questions posted on the Dreamweaver Newsgroup through a series of 30 projects. Projects are grouped into design issues for easy reference. Each project will be from 3 to 10 pages in length and be designed in a 2-column format with step-by-step instructions on the left and corresponding graphics (or code) on the right. In addition, sidebars will be used to provide additional tips and tricks. Any effect, technique, or tip can easily be customized to fit a reader's own design needs.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 303 pages
• Publisher: New Riders Press (May 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735710465
• ISBN-13: 978-0735710467
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,068,147 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beginner to advanced, in 12 Hands-On projects... Get it!, August 10, 2001

By	Redza Ali (Subang Jaya, Malaysia) - See all my reviews

With no previous experience in using Dreamweaver(DW) and some knowledge of HTML, I went out to look for some DW books. After reading several pages of this book, I discovered that the results you can produce and the skills you can gain was simply AMAZING.

I was able to create, modify & design, really, really brilliant and professional web designs by the time I completed the first 2 chapters. This book gives you:

-Step-by-step instructions

-Screenshots of almost every step

-Tutorial in easy-to-follow beginner language

-Professional design techniques: like how to optimize webpage design, how to make websites easy to navigate, etc.

-Professional editable graphics: the CD contains editable image files you can either use for your own websites or for you to learn how to create similarly optimized images that's small in size so that they load faster.

-Links to websites that exploit DW's tools to create cutting-edge web designs which can help/inspire you as you go on to design your own websites. Some of the sites recommended have free tutorials.

-An extremely good book. I was turned non-user/beginner to advanced in 12 projects for about [price]. Some people pay thousands for web design training and still cannot come close to producing professional looking sites like the ones I was able to create JUST by reading this book. It's worth every penny.

And if you think you need to learn CascadingStyleSheets(CSS), DynamicHTML(DHTML) or Javascript before reading this book, let me tell you that you'll be wasting time and money. With HTML knowledge, I was able to pick up knowledge in CSS on my own through the Hands-On projects of this book. And because you'll be using Macromedia's DW & Fireworks software, you don't need to know Javascript/DHTML at all to be able to create high-impact websites.

The CD does NOT contain Dreamweaver4 30-day-trial software.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have Dreamweaver 4 companion!!, July 1, 2001

By	Alli Paterson (Perth, WA Australia) - See all my reviews

Resisting all temptation to simply rip the CD from its plastic prison I instead sat down and read the introduction to Dreamweaver 4 Magic.

Having already had some exposure to the Author Al Sparber and his work, my expectations were high. I hadn't even finished the introduction and it was plain to see this was someone who not only enjoyed what they did but also was very proud of what they had produced and had pulled together a team that felt the same way.

If you are looking for a book that offers advanced and intermediate level then this is the one for you. The projects aren't going to be over the heads of a beginner either. The way the projects are laid out and the step-by-step instructions and screen shots make it easy to check you are on the right track as you progress through the projects.

It is hard to convey in brief the quality, attention to detail and thoroughness that has been put into this book. There are 12 projects in the book, each covering a different design and navigation feature.

From the start, each project lays out good work practices for you to follow and rather than just spoon feeding you, the information leads the reader intuitively through each process. The text explains the reason why each step done a certain way then encourages you to go on and make modifications to the project so they reflect your own style.

The projects themselves are supported with a library of the images and style sheets required to create them. These are provided on the CD supplied with the text.

Incorporated into the projects are some great new behaviours making it possible to incorporate complex java scripting and Dynamic HTML (DHTML) into pages without the need to understand the java code or DHTML. These behaviors are included on the CD that accompanies the book.

This book would have to get a 10 out of 10 from me. It will serve as a very valuable learning tool and a must have for any one that wants to design dynamic web sites with Macromedia Dreamweaver.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is not just a book..., May 25, 2001

By	Dana L. Beck (Blackwell, OK USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Having heard of Studio VII's work, I was eager to get a copy of this book. Well, to be more acccurate, I made a flying tackle for the UPS man before he even got out of his truck.

And I wasn't disappointed...despite knowing of their work, I simply didn't expect the book to be this good. Aside from the book's rich production quality--lots of white space, easy-to-read screen captures, informative sidebar "watch-out's"--the content is simply stupendous, the writing precise, economical, and witty. Each complex task is approached in a linear fashion with, as Bill Murray says, "baby steps." At no point does the book "hurry" the reader through a given process. Moreover, not only does the book tell users what to do, but it also points out, just as importantly, what to avoid.

And here's the kicker: where else can you get this information? Nowhere else. No other book that I've ever seen. As the authors patiently escort the reader through the processes of constructing a vast array of cutting-edge digital structures, Al Sparber and Gerry Jacobsen use--or, more accurately, twist, bend, and manipulate--Dreamweaver as effortlessly as if it were an erector set. Appearances notwithstanding, Dreamweaver 4 Magic is not a book...it's a tour de force software kit.