Dreamweaver

[Mike]

Anyone else here use Dreamweaver at all?
I'm looking at slapping a quick website together using mostly HTML and Javascript and so was looking at the latest Dreamweaver - which for some reason put me off. So I unearthed my old version of Dreamweaver 3 (yep you heard me :)), blew the dust off, and installed it. I seem to prefer 3 to the current one. Maybe it's due to the fact that the new one somehow seems... overblown, maybe? I don't know. What does anyone else think?

And if you don't use Dreamweaver and can think of a better (and hopefully cheap! ;)) editor then let me know. As you can see I'm not fussed about bells and whistles.

Mike

[cjmUK]

Unfortunately, Dreamweaver has long since taken over the mantle of tool-of-the-noobs from the now-defunct Frontpage. In the hands of a skilled developer, it's a pretty good productivity tool; in the hands of a noob, it's a crutch that will help them render some unwieldy, non-validating, inaccessible HTML-esque abominations.

If you are part of the former, you might get some use out of the advanced features DW, but if you are comfortable with v3 then stick with it.

If you are part of the latter, you be better advised to using a far simpler tool that will require you actually figure out what you are doing before you indiscriminately spray a page with jacascript!

There are dozens of freebie packages out there, including:


Notepad++
UltraEdit
HTML_Kit
Visual Web Developer

Fancy tools can't compensate for knowledge.

[Yes, I know I'm a snob! :agree:]

[Mike]

Hi cjmUK

I'd rather get an honest opinion than a honey coated (and possibly misleading) one.

I wouldn't count myself a noob, but I wouldn't say I'm close to a web developement professional either: I just haven't put a site together in a long time (4 to 5 years!) so I'm well out of touch editor wise.
I think I'll probbaly stick to Dreamweaver 3, but I'll certianly have a look at your other suggestions.

Thanks for the reply

Mike

[PeteA]

I use Notepad++ (or gedit if I'm using linux)

It's just syntax highlighting in lots of languages. And then I use a customised version of wamp that fits on a usb stick as a php & mysql local server.

I found dreamweaver is too complicated for it's own good. 3 was by far the best version.

[cjmUK]

It's just syntax highlighting ...

Syntax highlighting and basic validation is really all that is needed. :thumbs:

Once you know what you are doing, you can use additional productivity tools, but until then...

[PeteA]

Syntax highlighting and basic validation is really all that is needed. :thumbs:

Once you know what you are doing, you can use additional productivity tools, but until then...

Indeed.

The problem I find with dreamweaver is that it creates really messy code

[Mike]

Indeed.

The problem I find with dreamweaver is that it creates really messy code
Now that's certainly true!

But it could be worse: you could be using Word (Office 97 variety)! :D

[PeteA]

Now that's certainly true!

But it could be worse: you could be using Word! :D

And even worse than that, publisher, the code from that is virtually impossible to re-edit.

[thehitmen]

I use http://www.realmacsoftware.com/rapidweaver/

Much better than dreamweaver :P

**** Iweb is :D

[promedia]

I find most modern software to be pretty pathetic,
it often starts as a good piece of software and then destroyed by reinveting the wheel as, supposed, "standards" change.

I often just use a Text Editors, Hex editors and programming.
I don't get on with Notepad ++'s layout personally it's what ever floats your boat but Notepad 2 [v1.05] is nice...

Usually the syntax highlighting tells me enough whe I've misstyped or forgotten to return to finish a line...

For something like Java, .NET, PHP, ASP etc...
I would use something like Eclipse since you can add on support for languages you need with all the definitions and stuff.

Useful for keeping a project organised. For example: where things are included functions from other files you use, it will throw up the parameters as you go through the functions

Jim,

[scratch]

Until I started doing uni courses, I had always used older apps like Frontpage etc. as it worked for me (at the time) but I've now found notepad++ to be really good. It's a pain to initially 'get it' etc. but for javascript and html it's a worthy app to get familiar with.

I also found it very good for porting a structured English statement quicker into javascripting using the logic variables.

I'm using notepad++ V5.3.1 so not sure if there's newer versions out though.

[Darker X]

im using dreamweaver CS4 atm but only for code view to be totally honest i meant to get round to looking at all its features etc but im mroe than happy to just type it out in code view rather than dreamweaver shove all its crappy code in if you drag and drop etc lol

normally im a good old notepad man though :P

[Vigoro]

Dreamweaver is funny as **** when you go to W3C test the page lol, someone did it at sixth form last year and it flagged up about 30 errors, whereas my notepad site flagged up none :cool:

[boxrick]

I normally use Notepad++ combined with an FTP drive mapped to a drive letter, meaning you can simply save it and see the results uploaded instantly without any messing. Great for checking the code you made actually does what it is meant too!

[promedia]

with an FTP drive mapped to a drive letter, meaning you can simply save it and see the results uploaded instantly without any messing.

Same with WinSCP - except you don't have to map it as a "Drive" - it just works :P
Plus the lazy PuTTY auto connect Button is really nice.

Jim,

[I3R0K3N7FEET]

i have dreamweaver but it boggles my mind.. im not from jakarta thus javascript is not my native tongue...

[SilverKnight]

Dreamweaver is my favorite tool to work with to design websites, but it could easily be improved, there are some things which take longer to make, such as the layouts which could be done faster.

[gary.hammett]

I use notepad++ all the time, not only will it work fast and quickly, its fantastic for picking up any opening and closing tags in web code, has a really good search facility and id recommend it to anyone. Id validate with w3c validator, for code and style sheets. then optimize it for google. simplez.

[hollowunknown]

Try a free content management system if you dont want to code anything major.
Try something like kentico CMS, i use it at work. its rather good with SQL.

[adammark]

Updated support for ColdFusion MX 7 includes new server behaviors and code hinting.
To match the code hinting and debugging with the correct version of ColdFusion,
Dreamweaver automatically detects the server version the first time the tool connects
to the site. The tight integration between Dreamweaver and ColdFusion allows users
to add and remove databases directly from the database and components panel in
Dreamweaver to show only CFCs defined in the current site—making navigating
CFCs a snap.