Dreamweaver MX

This series presents instruction on designing for the Web using Macromedia Dreamweaver MX. Topics include an introduction to the new interface and the basic concepts of Web design, in addition to procedures for setting up the site, managing the site and a development team, creating pages, inserting basic text, links, and images, and finding or creating Web-optimized images. The latter part of the series covers advanced topics such as tables and frames, stylesheets, DHTML, data and interactivity, and other complex designs. The content is geared toward basic computer users who are new to Web design, but is also useful for professional Web designers who wish to learn about the new features of Dreamweaver MX.

Syllabus

INTRODUCTION

Provides an introduction to the interface and the new features of Dreamweaver MX.

• Introducing Dreamweaver MX
• Designing your site
• Workspace windows and panels
• Workspace Inspectors and the Status bar
• The Launcher bar
• The Menu bar
• Using Dreamweaver MX with other programs
• Ten timesaving Dreamweaver MX tips

SETTING UP A WEB SITE

Shows users how to define a new Web site or import an existing site, create new pages, apply basic formatting to text, place images, and set links. It also describes how to set up Web access and put a site online.

• Defining a new site
• Setting up Web server access
• Using Check In/Out and Design Notes
• Cloaking files
• Activating Site Map Layout
• Downloading an existing Web site
• Creating new pages
• Adding images
• Setting internal links
• Using named anchor links
• Setting external and e-mail links
• Changing page properties
• Putting a Web site online

DESIGNING THE SITE

Explains Web site management and structure, the principles of good site design, and how to use the features of Dreamweaver MX to work with a team of designers. Specific procedures for using templates, Library items, Tracing Images, and the Quick Tag Editor are also included.

• Preparing to develop a new site
• Managing your site's structure
• Naming your files
• Organizing images and managing links
• Making global changes to links
• Finding and fixing broken links
• Using the Site Reporting feature
• Synchronizing local and remote sites
• Working with templates
• Creating templates
• Saving an existing page as a template
• Using templates
• Making global changes with templates
• Creating and using Library items
• Highlighting and changing Library items
• Using the Tracing Image feature
• Integrating e-mail addresses
• Using the Quick Tag Editor

ADDING GRAPHICS

Provides an introduction to Web graphics and shows users how to integrate graphic elements on a Web page. It also includes tips and strategies for creating Web graphics and for finding or buying images that are already optimized for the Web.

• Getting great graphics
• Creating your own images
• Understanding the basics of Web graphics
• Inserting images on your pages
• Aligning images on a page
• Creating a background
• Creating image maps

TABLES

Explains how to use HTML tables to create complex page layouts that work in the most common Web browsers. A highlight of this section is the Dreamweaver MX Table Layout View, which makes it easy to create complex Web designs.

• Creating simple tables in Layout View
• Editing tables in Layout and Standard Views
• Controlling cell options
• Using the Format Table feature
• Formatting multiple cells in a table
• Using the Sort Table feature
• Importing table data from other programs
• Using tables for spacing and alignment
• Aligning a navigation bar
• Merging and splitting table cells
• Using nested tables

FRAMES

Provides information on HTML framesets: when to use them, when to avoid them, and step-by-step instructions for creating them using Dreamweaver MX.

• Appreciating HTML frames
• Understanding how frames work
• Creating a frame in Dreamweaver
• Saving files in a frameset
• Using links and naming frames
• Setting links to a target frame
• Changing frame borders and sizes
• Creating alternative designs for older browsers

STYLES AND CSS

Provides an overview of Cascading Style Sheets: how they work and how they can save development time. Also included are descriptions of all of the styles available in Dreamweaver and instructions for creating and applying styles.

• Formatting text
• Applying font attributes
• Creating your own HTML styles
• Working with Cascading Style Sheets
• Creating Cascading Style Sheets
• Defining styles
• Creating a custom style
• Redefining HTML tags
• Applying styles
• Creating external style sheets

DYNAMIC HTML

Explains the features of Dynamic HTML, such as layers and behaviors, which allow precise design control and new levels of interactivity. It also introduces extensions and shows how to locate, download, and install them.

• DHTML
• Creating and manipulating layers
• Adding layers to layers
• Nesting layers
• Layer options
• Converting layers to tables
• Behaviors
• Events
• Creating a rollover image
• Varying behaviors and events
• Extensions

ADVANCED DHTML

Introduces the Dreamweaver MX timeline, and shows users how to create animations and even more complex designs with DHTML.

• Understanding timelines
• The Timelines panel
• Creating a timeline
• Recording a layer's path
• Playing animations
• Swapping images
• Supporting older browsers
• Converting to 3.0 browser compatibility
• Dreamweaver and XML

MULTIMEDIA INTEGRATION

Provides an introduction to Fireworks, the Macromedia image program for the Web, and shows how to take advantage of the Dreamweaver/Fireworks integration to create complex images. This section also demonstrates how to use Dreamweaver to link a variety of multimedia file types - from Flash to Java to RealAudio - to Web pages.

• Integrating Fireworks and Dreamweaver
• Using other image editors
• Optimizing an image
• Inserting and editing Fireworks HTML
• Shockwave and Flash plug-ins
• Inserting Shockwave and Flash movies
• Setting parameters for Shockwave and Flash
• Creating Flash files from within Dreamweaver
• Working with Java and ActiveX
• Working with other plug-in technologies

DYNAMIC WEB SITES

Helps the user understand how database-driven Web sites work and why they have become so important on the Web. It also shows how to add dynamic content to a Web site, define data sources, and display recordsets.

• Understanding the dynamic Web site
• Defining key concepts
• Server technologies supported by Dreamweaver MX
• Making the data connection
• Exploring the panel
• Creating a recordset
• Using a recordset on your page
• Repeating a region
• Adding a dynamic image
• Creating a master-detail page set

FORMS AND INTERACTIVITY

Explains HTML forms and how to use Dreamweaver to add interactive elements, such as search engines, online discussion areas, and e-commerce systems, to a Web site. Other topics include how to build master pages, create pages to search databases, and test the site with a live connection.

• Understanding forms
• Understanding CGI scripts
• Creating HTML forms
• Creating radio buttons
• Creating check boxes
• Adding text fields
• Adding a drop-down list
• Adding Submit and Clear buttons
• Using jump menus
• Other form options
• Establishing user authentication
• Securing sensitive information
• Searching for database records
• Editing a database from a browser
• Updating a record via a browser
• E-commerce basics
• Extending Dreamweaver

Qualifications

Qualification: Printable Transcript

On completion of this course you may print a transcript off as evidence of your progression throughout the course.

Requirements for Entry

There is no experience or previous qualifications required for enrolment on this course. It is available to all students, of all academic backgrounds.

Study Options

If you do not have Internet access, or would prefer to study this course via the traditional paper/postal based study method, you can find more information on the course by clicking on the link below.

Study Hours

This is only an approximate figure and is dependant upon how much time you can dedicate to your studies and how well you grasp the learning concepts in the course material. Furthermore, at the end of each lesson there is a question paper that needs to be completed and returned to your tutor. You should allow at least 1 - 2 hours of study to complete each question paper.

The approximate amount of time required to complete the course is: 40 hrs.