Dreamweaver MX - Online Course

This series presents instruction on designing for the Web using Macromedia Dreamweaver MX. Topics include an introduction to the new interface and the basic concepts of Web design, in addition to procedures for setting up the site, managing the site and a development team, creating pages, inserting basic text, links, and images, and finding or creating Web-optimized images. The latter part of the series covers advanced topics such as tables and frames, stylesheets, DHTML, data and interactivity, and other complex designs. The content is geared toward basic computer users who are new to Web design, but is also useful for professional Web designers who wish to learn about the new features of Dreamweaver MX.

This series is for anyone who is interested in learning more about designing Web sites with Dreamweaver MX. This online course contains 12 lessons and should take approximately 42 hours to complete.

Lesson 1: Introduction (3.0) hours

Introduction teaches you how to identify the new features of the Dreamweaver interface, implement design ideas that will enable the creation of a compelling Web site, and use timesaving tips and techniques. This course provides an introduction to the interface and the new features of Dreamweaver MX. Topics include Introducing Dreamweaver MX, Designing your site, Workspace windows and panels, Workspace Inspectors and the Status bar, The Launcher bar, The Menu bar, Using Dreamweaver MX with other programs, and Ten timesaving Dreamweaver MX tips.

Lesson 2: Setting Up a Web Site (4.0) hours

Setting Up a Web Site teaches you how to define a new site, make new pages, create links, and put a Web site online. This course shows users how to define a new Web site or import an existing site, create new pages, apply basic formatting to text, place images, and set links. It also describes how to set up Web access and put a site online. Topics include Defining a new site, Setting up Web server access, Using Check In/Out and Design Notes, Cloaking files, Activating Site Map Layout, Downloading an existing Web site, Creating new pages, Adding images, Setting internal links, Using named anchor links, Setting external and e-mail links, Changing page properties, and Putting a Web site online.

Lesson 3: Designing the Site (6.0) hours

Designing the Site teaches you how to propose a Web site design after assessing various planning issues, manage the work of a team of developers using site management features in Dreamweaver MX, and employ various tools in Dreamweaver MX to manage a site. This course explains Web site management and structure, the principles of good site design, and how to use the features of Dreamweaver MX to work with a team of designers. Specific procedures for using templates, Library items, Tracing Images, and the Quick Tag Editor are also included. Topics include Preparing to develop a new site, Managing your site's structure, Naming your files, Organizing images and managing links, Making global changes to links, Finding and fixing broken links, Using the Site Reporting feature, Synchronizing local and remote sites, Working with templates, Creating templates, Saving an existing page as a template, Using templates, Making global changes with templates, Creating and using Library items, Highlighting and changing Library items, Using the Tracing Image feature, Integrating e-mail addresses, and Using the Quick Tag Editor.

Lesson 4: Adding Graphics (2.0) hours

Adding Graphics teaches you how to obtain royalty-free images from the Internet, choose an image-editing program for working with graphics, insert and align images on a Web page using appropriate file formats, and use image maps. This course provides an introduction to Web graphics and shows users how to integrate graphic elements on a Web page. It also includes tips and strategies for creating Web graphics and for finding or buying images that are already optimized for the Web. Topics include Getting great graphics, Creating your own images, Understanding the basics of Web graphics, Inserting images on your pages, Aligning images on a page, Creating a background, and Creating image maps.

Lesson 5: Tables (3.0) hours

Tables teaches you how to create and edit HTML tables, use table sorting and formatting features, practice importing table data into Dreamweaver, and arrange complex HTML page designs using tables. This course explains how to use HTML tables to create complex page layouts that work in the most common Web browsers. A highlight of this course is the Dreamweaver MX Table Layout View, which makes it easy to create complex Web designs. Topics include Creating simple tables in Layout View, Editing tables in Layout and Standard Views, Controlling cell options, Using the Format Table feature, Formatting multiple cells in a table, Using the Sort Table feature, Importing table data from other programs, Using tables for spacing and alignment, Aligning a navigation bar, Merging and splitting table cells, and Using nested tables.

Lesson 6: Frames (3.0) hours

Frames teaches you how to describe how frames function in Web pages, create, save, and name frames in a frameset, create targeted links in frames, change frame and frameset properties, and list some design guidelines to follow when using frames. This course provides information on HTML framesets: when to use them, when to avoid them, and step-by-step instructions for creating them using Dreamweaver MX. Topics include Appreciating HTML frames, Understanding how frames work, Creating a frame in Dreamweaver, Saving files in a frameset, Using links and naming frames, Setting links to a target frame, Changing frame borders and sizes, and Creating alternative designs for older browsers.

Lesson 7: Styles and CSS (3.0) hours

Styles and CSS teaches you how to create and apply a new HTML style, create and apply a new CSS Style, demonstrate the process of redefining HTML tags, and create and edit an external style sheet. This course provides an overview of Cascading Style Sheets: how they work and how they can save development time. Also included are descriptions of all of the styles available in Dreamweaver and instructions for creating and applying styles. Topics include Formatting text, Applying font attributes, Creating your own HTML styles, Working with Cascading Style Sheets, Creating Cascading Style Sheets, Defining styles, Creating a custom style, Redefining HTML tags, Applying styles, and Creating external style sheets.

Lesson 8: Dynamic HTML (4.0) hours

Dynamic HTML teaches you how to describe what Dynamic HTML (DHTML) is and how it is used, position elements using layers, create and apply behaviors, and describe what extensions are and how they are used. This course explains the features of Dynamic HTML, such as layers and behaviors, which allow precise design control and new levels of interactivity. It also introduces extensions and shows how to locate, download, and install them. Topics include DHTML, Creating and manipulating layers, Adding layers to layers, Nesting layers, Layer options, Converting layers to tables, Behaviors, Events, Creating a rollover image, Varying behaviors and events, and Extensions.

Lesson 9: Advanced DHTML (3.0) hours

Advanced DHTML teaches you how to create timelines, use behaviors with timelines, and employ options for supporting multiple browsers. This course introduces the Dreamweaver MX timeline, and shows users how to create animations and even more complex designs with DHTML. Topics include Understanding timelines, The Timelines panel, Creating a timeline, Recording a layer's path, Playing animations, Swapping images, Supporting older browsers, Converting to 3.0 browser compatibility, and Dreamweaver and XML.

Lesson 10: Multimedia Integration (4.0) hours

Multimedia Integration teaches you how to employ roundtrip graphics editing between Dreamweaver and Fireworks, use other image editors with Dreamweaver, demonstrate the process of inserting and editing Fireworks HTML in Dreamweaver, integrate Shockwave and Flash elements into your Web pages, create Flash files in Dreamweaver, and apply elements from Java, ActiveX, and other technologies to your Web pages. This course provides an introduction to Fireworks, the Macromedia image program for the Web, and shows how to take advantage of the Dreamweaver/Fireworks integration to create complex images. This course also demonstrates how to use Dreamweaver to link a variety of multimedia file types - from Flash to Java to RealAudio - to Web pages. Topics include Integrating Fireworks and Dreamweaver, Using other image editors, Optimizing an image, Inserting and editing Fireworks HTML, Shockwave and Flash plug-ins, Inserting Shockwave and Flash movies, Setting parameters for Shockwave and Flash, Creating Flash files from within Dreamweaver, Working with Java and ActiveX, and Working with other plug-in technologies.

Lesson 11: Dynamic Web Sites (3.0) hours

Dynamic Web Sites teaches you how to define a dynamic Web site, identify the required components of a dynamic Web site, create and utilize recordsets, and create a Web page that uses dynamic data. This course helps the user understand how database-driven Web sites work and why they have become so important on the Web. It also shows how to add dynamic content to a Web site, define data sources, and display recordsets. Topics include Understanding the dynamic Web site, Defining key concepts, Server technologies supported by Dreamweaver MX, Making the data connection, Exploring the panel, Creating a recordset, Using a recordset on your page, Repeating a region, Adding a dynamic image, and Creating a master-detail page set.

Lesson 12: Forms and Interactivity (4.0) hours

Forms and Interactivity teaches you how to create and use forms and form elements, set up user authentication, search and edit databases, and understand the basics of e-commerce. This course explains HTML forms and how to use Dreamweaver to add interactive elements, such as search engines, online discussion areas, and e-commerce systems, to a Web site. Other topics include how to build master pages, create pages to search databases, and test the site with a live connection. Topics include Understanding forms, Understanding CGI scripts, Creating HTML forms, Creating radio buttons, Creating check boxes, Adding text fields, Adding a drop-down list, Adding Submit and Clear buttons, Using jump menus, Other form options, Establishing user authentication, Securing sensitive information, Searching for database records, Editing a database from a browser, Updating a record via a browser, E-commerce basics, and Extending Dreamweaver.