Dreamweaver is one of the top HTML and code editors according to me. I tried others including Frontpge, but i always came back to Dreamweaver.
Tip 1. Manage your sites.
Before you start any new project in dreamweaver, make sure that you manage your site. The advantage of starting like this is clear when you start working. Dreamweaver uses site management to store files that you don't need to show on your web site but witch you will need for later updates like templates.
If you are working with more then 1 person on the project you can leave designers notes to others. Another good thing is the check in and check option. So the file you are working on can only be edited by you and not be overwritten by one off your colleagues. Also link will be update automatically when moving file around.
There are 2 ways of setting up the new project. Site an via FTP. If you are working local then choose Site to manage your web site. You need an FTP client or use the build-in synchronisation tool to upload your files to the web server. The other option FTP & RDS will allow you to to update your web site on the web server directly. Use this option if your not doing any testing anymore.
Tip 2. Getting Help.
A lot of information can be found on web sites like roscripts.com But before looking for a solution and spend valuable minutes on searching the internet try hitting the F1 key and open the help file that comes with dreamweaver. This help file will give you a lot of information to help you find a solution.
Tip 3. Working with Extension.
Dreamweaver has the power to make your live as a web site designer easy. Use it! Extensions will do a lot of work for you and speed up your business.
Extensions can be found on the Adobe web site. You will find commercial and free extension to speed up your work. Extensions are separate files which can be installed but also de installed if they doesn't do the job for you. A good example is the Lorum Ipsum Generator from technocurve wich alouds you to insert up to 5 paragraphs of Lorum ipsum content. Easy and fast text to test your design.
Tip 4. Create Templates.
Another great way of speeding up your work and make it less fault tolerance, is working with templates. Before putting in any content in your design save your new design as a template. In your template you can insert Editable Regions (Insert -> Template Objects -> Editable Region). Once your Template is saved you can add new pages from the template with out the worries about the design or your menu. This saves you lots of time.
Tip 5. Validate your site.
We all want a high page rank in search engines. Search engines like Google will scan index your web site and also looks at your code and will validate your web site on content, pictures and HTML. To get better results make sure that your HTML code is in place by validating your web site. Validating your web site will give you an overview of problems that influence your ranking. For example. you insert a photo but you don't put in a alt text. Google will index this but doesn't no what kind of photo it is. by putting in alt texts Google understand the picture and will increase your ranking. With the build in validating tool from Dreamweaver you find al those forgotten alt attributes.
Tip 6. Inserting images by paste.
You just found a good picture on your computer and you want to use this on your web site. an easy way is to just copy the file
(CTRL - C) and go back to dreamweaver. in your web page set the point where you want the picture and just paste it in. Although the picture is not part of your web site project, Dreamweaver will ask you to copy this to your managed web site and asked for place to store the file. So far not really interesting. So lets move a step further with screen captures.
Instead of buying or using freeware screen capture programs use the powerful tool witch comes with Dreamweaver.
To capture a screen use the print screen key on your keyboard. if you just want to capture the active window use the ALT key together with the print screen button. Then paste the captured by CTRL + V in your web document. Here comes the good part. A new window opens and give you a build in screen capture tool from dream weaver. This tool lets you adjust the quality of the picture, the export area and optimises it for you. Try the transparent option in GIF area. Even creation of animated GIF's is build in.
Tip 7. The Spry Framework.
The Spry Framework is a collection (library) of java scripts that give you the easy way of getting data (XML file) into your web site.
They all come with separate style sheet so adjustable to your original design. With your knowledge of HTML and CSS you don't have to sort out the javascript. You want to create a fast menu bar with child nodes. It is allready there for you.
Tip 8. Link Checker
To make sure that every link in your web site works you have to check every link separate or use a link checker. again you can find freeware link checker on the internet and install them on your pc. o you end up with all different kind of tools that will low done your computer but even worse, it slows down your whole project. With the build in link checker in Dreamweaver you check all your links in your web site in one. Another effort is that when a broken link is found, a simple click will bring you straight to the code.
Tip 9. Using grid, rulers and guides.
Especially when your working with layers, the positioning of all the layer can be hard. Switching on the grid and rulers help you out to get your design in position. Guides can be found by click and holding on the rulersbar. Then drag, when mouse is still clicked, the guide into place. The view options can be found on the document bar. more adjustment to the guides and rulers can be done via view in the main menu bar.
Tip 10. Drag to make a link.
Creating an internal link has never been simplier then with the drag and drop function. Click the crosshair next to link properties and drag it on one of your files in the files panel. your link is there.
