| Welcome to Dreamweaver MX Weekend Crash Course. You can learn Dreamweaver in just
one weekend. It may seem impossible to master a program as rich and powerful as
Dreamweaver in such a short time, but you can. I have been using Dreamweaver for years
and have discovered that most of Dreamweaver’s power falls into several key areas. Once you
understand the big picture, the details fall right into place.
With that in mind, I have designed this book with two levels. In the first section of the
book, you create a simple Web site. This exercise allows you to learn the foundation techniques
in a simple context. Then, when you are comfortable with the essential methods for
creating reliable HTML code with Dreamweaver and have learned to avoid many of the pitfalls
of Web design, you get to move forth and design a complex Web site. You’ll find yourself
drawing on your new knowledge from the early sessions and adding many of
Dreamweaver’s advanced features as you build a major site.
This is not a book on HTML, JavaScript, or CGI, but I have not ignored the fact that Web
pages are built with HTML and other code. You learn how to work with the Design view,
which allows you to see the code Dreamweaver creates as you build your pages. At the same
time, you learn how to make sure that the code you produce will display on most browsers.
However software, or even code alone, does not build effective Web sites. You also learn to
organize a site plan, ensuring that your visitors can easily navigate your site, and how to
place external scripts. Finally, I provide field-tested methods for creating great pages in an
efficient manner. I earn my living using Dreamweaver, so I know time counts.
Dreamweaver MX includes features that were available only as part of Dreamweaver
UltraDev in previous versions. However, there is much to learn in basic page and site preparation,
so there is no space in a weekend course to include the dynamic data capabilities
that are now part of Dreamweaver MX. But everything that you learn in this book will serve
you well when you decide to move to producing dynamically generated pages.
Many enterprising graphic artists and programmers have built careers and businesses creating
Web sites using Dreamweaver. Many employers now list Dreamweaver knowledge as a
required skill. Some people use Dreamweaver to maintain their own business sites; others
use it to build Web sites as a rewarding hobby. Whatever your goal, you are just one weekend
away from mastering one of the most popular Web-site creation tools on the planet.
Find an undisturbed space, put a “do not disturb” note on your door, and get ready to
emerge Sunday evening with a valuable new skill. |
