| 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. |