Dreamweaver 2 Hands-On-training"A Must Have Dream of a Book" |
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| Dreamweaver 2 Hands-On-Training is a process-oriented book on Macromedia's Dreamweaver 2, a WYSIWYG HTML editor (see our review: Dreamweaver 2). The book teaches you core principles, techniques, and tips in a hands-on training format. It is the first of several H.O.T titles designed specifically for learning digital art tools and principles related to Web Design, Animation, and Digital Imaging. The hands-on exercise approach is to get you up to speed quickly in Dreamweaver 2, while you are actively working through the book's lessons. Many books offer instructions that tell you what to do, but not why to do it or when to do it. This leaves you in the dark as to how to apply the information to a real-world situation, or understand why or when you would use the technique again. This book is different. The lessons contain lots of background information for each given subject, which are designed to help you understand the process as well as the particular exercise, and there are over 70 of these lessons. There are 12 QuickTime movies to show any process that's difficult to explain with words. They are located on the CD disk. This book is appropriate for both PC and Macintosh users. | ||
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Title: Dreamweaver 2 Hands-On-Training |
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| Beginning and Intermediate users. The book is appropriate for beginning and intermediate Web developers. With its step-by-step instructions, it is perfect for beginners who might be intimated by the subject or the program itself. But it has enough information for intermediate users. | ||
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Dreamweaver 2 Hands-On Training has several components, including step-by-step exercises, commentary, notes, tips, warnings, and movies. There is a short introduction,14 chapters, plus an appendix and FAQ section. Introduction--describes basics about how the book works and background on the author. Chapter 1: Background--presents information on: Roundtrip HTML;
HTML; File Naming; Extending Dreamweaver; DHTML; XML; and JavaScript.
Includes a very clear description of what HTML is and provides a great
visual chart. It includes helpful charts on file-naming conventions;
filename extensions; and DHTML terms. Chapter 3: Site Control--covers: Defining a Site; FTP; Relative and Absolute Links; Understanding Paths; and Site Maps. Very important chapter on the necessity of defining a site in Dreamweaver with a root folder so that Dreamweaver can automatically update your pages when you add, modify, move, or delete files or folders. There are charts on FTP settings and path notations. Chapter 4: Basics--presents information on: File Name Versus Title Name; Significance of index. Html; Inserting Images and Text; Page Properties; Links; and Meta Tags. Walks you step-by-step through the process of creating a Web page with images, links, and meta tags. It includes charts on Color Palette buttons and page properties. Chapter 5: Layout--discusses: Tracing Images; Layers; Converting Layers to Tables; Converting Tables to Layers. Step-by-step instructions on how to apply a tracing image to a Web page, use layers on create a Web page, turn the layers into a table, and then turn the table back to layers again. The chapter includes a chart on how to convert layers to table descriptions. Chapter 6: Tables--gives you information on: Creating, Sorting and Modifying a Table; Using Tables to Align Images & Text; Assembling Seamless Images; Combing Pixels and Percentages. Shows you how to stop a browser from collapsing an empty cell by creating and inserting a transparent GIF. Useful step-by-step instructions on sorting the contents of a table and creating an image map. There are charts on anatomy of a table; sorting features; and cellpad versus cellspace. Chapter 7: Typography--shows: Creating and Formatting Text; Font Lists; Aligning Text; Using the <PRE> Tag; Ordered, Unordered, and Definition Lists; Color Schemes; Formatting Text in Tables; Character Entities; Blockquotes and Non-Breaking Spaces. Informational charts of system fonts; font sizes; alignment features; ordered and unordered lists; and character entities are included. Chapter 8: Style Sheets--provides information on: Redefining the Style of HTML Tags; Making Classes; Linking to a Style Sheet; Converting Style Sheets to HTML; and Browser Sniffing. Excellent step-by-step tutorials for making the three types of style sheets and then converting styles back to HTML. There is a chart on when to use style. Chapter 9: Templates/Libraries--discusses: Creating and Modifying Templates; Setting Up Templates So Others Can Use Them; Locking Template Content; and Creating and Modifying Library Items. Step-by-step instructions are easy to follow and make creating and modifying templates a snap. Chapter 10: Frames--covers: The Pros and Cons of Frames; Coloring Frames; Setting Borders and Scrollbars; Links and Targets; Fitting Background Images to Frames. There are charts describing the good and bad features of frames; ways to save frames; HTML specifications; frame size settings; and frames settings. Informative chapter on a difficult subject. The author hits on the basics without overwhelming you with detail. And you even get to create a seamless background across two frames. Chapter 11: Rollovers--describes: Creating Simple, Animated, and Pointer Rollovers; and Using JavaScript to Trigger Multiple Events. If you think you can't make rollovers, after reading this chapter you will become a pro. Well, almost! Chapter 12: Forms--provides information on: Elements of Forms; Working with Form Objects; Combining Forms and Layout; and Opening a New Browser Window. The chapter has a chart for form objects. Again, the author makes this task look simple. Chapter 13: DHTML--describes: Dragging Layers; Using Timeline for Animation; and Playing, Stopping, and Resetting the Timeline. The chapter shows you what you can do with DHTML in a straightforward manner. There is a chart for timeline features. Chapter 14: Plug-Ins--covers: Linking to Sounds; Embedding Sounds; Inserting Flash Content; Inserting Shockwave Content; and Inserting QuickTime Content. This chapter includes charts for URLs for downloading plug-ins and sound formats. Preferences--provides numerous charts that show what each Preference in Dreamweaver 2 controls. Troubleshooting--gives you frequently asked questions and answers. |
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| If you want to learn Dreamweaver as painlessly as possible, this is the book for you. The step-by-step tutorials are invaluable, and the movies are great for visual-oriented learners. The writing is clear and the tone of the book is casual, not pedantic. This is a wonderful book with information on everything necessary to get your Web site up and running. There are charts galore in most chapters to help you along, and they can be used later as a quick reference. What more could you want from a book. You get step-by-step instructions, charts, hints, and even movies! This is a must have book. | ||
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Graphics:
Illustrator 8& Adobe Photoshop
Web Page Editor: Macromedia Dreamweaver 2.0 Scanner: Hewlett Packard ScanJet 6250C Professional Series |
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Author:Lynda
Weinman