Web Teacher

Sure, Macromedia created all its Web tools to play well together, but from my perspective as a writer I would find it very challenging to write a book combining the use of two of Macromedia’s complex software tools.

Author Christian Crumlish met the challenge with success in Dreamweaver MX Fireworks MX Savvy from Sybex. This is the second book in the new Savvy series from Sybex that I have reviewed, and I must say that the Savvy series has impressed me mightily so far.

Dreamweaver MX Fireworks MX Savvy is aimed at users of all experience levels. The book does not walk you through each feature of each tool in an attempt to give you every nuance about both Dreamweaver MX and Fireworks MX. Instead, Crumlish takes an approach that matches real-world work flow. This work-oriented approach starts in Dreamweaver with planning and setup, moves into Fireworks for graphic creation, and then back to Dreamweaver to build the site. A simplified listing of the tasks covered in order is:

1. Set up the workspace
2. Learn templates and libraries
3. Produce graphics
4. Build basic pages and apply CSS
5. Add interactive elements and multimedia
6. Add e-commerce and database functions
7. Add web services and .NET
8. Set up security and administration
9. Test and publish

There are over 600 pages of in-depth information, project and tutorial files on an accompanying CD, useful appendices, and a generous helping of other resources in the book’s 32 chapters. In keeping with the site-building approach, the book includes information about such matters as site maintenance after the launch, cleaning up an existing site, meeting accessibility guidelines, CGI, Cold Fusion, and customizing Dreamweaver.

Crumlish has written 15 other computer books. He has taught Web design at the university level. (This book would be an excellent text book for a Web design class.)

Another good new book from Sybex, Dreamweaver MX: Design and Technique, written by Ethan Watrall, is aimed at beginning to intermediate Dreamweaver users.

The book explains Macromedia Dreamweaver MX using text and illustrations. The accompanying CD contains hands-on files for use with a couple of chapters dealing with connecting to a database and adding dynamic content from a database to a Web page. Otherwise the learner is strictly studying the text and illustrations to master the software. This approach is perfect for someone who has a project already in mind and wants to look up various techniques as they apply to their own needs. With or without a hands-on activity, the chapters and explanations are clearly (and rather too chattily) written.

My chief gripe about the new Dreamweaver MX is that it retained the font tag options right there on the top of the properties panel. Macromedia did put a toggle on the properties panel so the user could select CSS classes instead of font tags in MX, but I was hoping to see the priority given to font tags on the properties panel go away completely.

My chief gripe about Dreamweaver books is that they teach the font tags and the Page Properties including bgcolor and other deprecated tags in the first chapters of the book. I assume they do this because they are hesitant about using CSS or because the font tags are right there on the properties panel and look like the expected way to manipulate text. This book is no different in that respect. Other than explaining how to set up a site and save a page, the first instruction the reader gets is in the use of deprecated tags. This book finally gets to style sheets in Part III: Working with Dynamic HTML, which the author takes on after a thorough discussion of Intermediate Dreamweaver techniques in Part II.

There is a nod to the art of Web design with an overview of the topic at the beginning of the book and Design Reminders and Design Inspiration features in every chapter. The book includes a full color Gallery of inspirational Web sites near the beginning of the book.

Because the Windows version of Dreamweaver MX has capabilities not available on the Macintosh version, Watrall chose to use mostly Windows screen shots in the book. This should not hamper a Mac user in getting the good from the book in any way, however.

Features new to MX are clearly marked with an MX icon, a nice touch for the more experienced Dreamweaver users navigating the book. I, for example, was attracted by the new to MX icon to the terrific new Insert Hyperlink popup panel accessibility options. These are new options in Dreamweaver MX, available only under the Insert drop down menu. Using Browse for File or Point to File, as in Dreamweaver 4, does not reveal this panel with accessibility options for hyperlinks.

Watrall has written two other books for Sybex: Dreamweaver 4 / Fireworks 4 Visual JumpStart and Flash MX Savvy. He is an instructor at Ivy Tech State College in Indiana.