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Optimize Dreamweaver workspace for visual development

  1. Dreamweaver User Guide
  2. Introduction
    1. Responsive web design basics
    2. What's new in Dreamweaver
    3. Web development using Dreamweaver - An Overview
    4. Dreamweaver / Common Questions
    5. Keyboard shortcuts
    6. Dreamweaver system requirements
    7. Feature summary
  3. Dreamweaver and Creative Cloud
    1. Synchronize Dreamweaver settings with Creative Cloud
    2. Creative Cloud Libraries in Dreamweaver
    3. Using Photoshop files in Dreamweaver
    4. Work with Adobe Animate and Dreamweaver
    5. Extract web-optimized SVG files from Libraries
  4. Dreamweaver workspaces and views
    1. The Dreamweaver workspace
    2. Optimize Dreamweaver workspace for visual development
    3. Search files based on filename or content | Mac OS
  5. Set up sites
    1. About Dreamweaver sites
    2. Set up a local version of your site
    3. Connect to a publishing server
    4. Set up a testing server
    5. Import and export Dreamweaver site settings
    6. Bring existing websites from a remote server to your local site root
    7. Accessibility features in Dreamweaver
    8. Advanced settings
    9. Set site preferences for transferring files
    10. Specify proxy server settings in Dreamweaver
    11. Synchronize Dreamweaver settings with Creative Cloud
    12. Using Git in Dreamweaver
  6. Manage files
    1. Create and open files
    2. Manage files and folders
    3. Getting and putting files to and from your server
    4. Check in and check out files
    5. Synchronize files
    6. Compare files for differences
    7. Cloak files and folders in your Dreamweaver site
    8. Enable Design Notes for Dreamweaver sites
    9. Preventing potential Gatekeeper exploit
  7. Layout and design
    1. Use visual aids for layout
    2. About using CSS to lay out your page
    3. Design responsive websites using Bootstrap
    4. Creating and using media queries in Dreamweaver
    5. Present content with tables
    6. Colors
    7. Responsive design using fluid grid layouts
    8. Extract in Dreamweaver
  8. CSS
    1. Understand Cascading Style Sheets
    2. Laying out pages using CSS Designer
    3. Using CSS preprocessors in Dreamweaver
    4. How to set CSS Style preferences in Dreamweaver
    5. Move CSS rules in Dreamweaver
    6. Convert inline CSS to a CSS rule in Dreamweaver
    7. Work with div tags
    8. Apply gradients to background
    9. Create and edit CSS3 transition effects in Dreamweaver
    10. Format code
  9. Page content and assets
    1. Set page properties
    2. Set CSS heading properties and CSS link properties
    3. Work with text
    4. Find and replace text, tags, and attributes
    5. DOM panel
    6. Edit in Live View
    7. Encoding documents in Dreamweaver
    8. Select and view elements in the Document window
    9. Set text properties in the Property inspector
    10. Spell check a web page
    11. Using horizontal rules in Dreamweaver
    12. Add and modify font combinations in Dreamweaver
    13. Work with assets
    14. Insert and update dates in Dreamweaver
    15. Create and manage favorite assets in Dreamweaver
    16. Insert and edit images in Dreamweaver
    17. Add media objects
    18. Adding videos in Dreamweaver
    19. Insert HTML5 video
    20. Insert SWF files
    21. Add audio effects
    22. Insert HTML5 audio in Dreamweaver
    23. Work with library items
    24. Using Arabic and Hebrew text in Dreamweaver
  10. Linking and navigation
    1. About linking and navigation
    2. Linking
    3. Image maps
    4. Troubleshoot links
  11. jQuery widgets and effects
    1. Use jQuery UI and mobile widgets in Dreamweaver
    2. Use jQuery effects in Dreamweaver
  12. Coding websites
    1. About coding in Dreamweaver
    2. Coding environment in Dreamweaver
    3. Set coding preferences
    4. Customize code coloring
    5. Write and edit code
    6. Code hinting and code completion
    7. Collapse and expand code
    8. Reuse code with snippets
    9. Lint code
    10. Optimize code
    11. Edit code in Design view
    12. Work with head content for pages
    13. Insert server-side includes in Dreamweaver
    14. Using tag libraries in Dreamweaver
    15. Importing custom tags into Dreamweaver
    16. Use JavaScript behaviors (general instructions)
    17. Apply built-in JavaScript behaviors
    18. About XML and XSLT
    19. Perform server-side XSL transformations in Dreamweaver
    20. Performing client-side XSL transformations in Dreamweaver
    21. Add character entities for XSLT in Dreamweaver
    22. Format code
  13. Cross-product workflows
    1. Installing and using extensions to Dreamweaver
    2. In-App updates in Dreamweaver
    3. Insert Microsoft Office documents in Dreamweaver (Windows only)
    4. Working with Fireworks and Dreamweaver
    5. Edit content in Dreamweaver sites using Contribute
    6. Dreamweaver-Business Catalyst integration
    7. Create personalized email campaigns
  14. Templates
    1. About Dreamweaver templates
    2. Recognizing templates and template-based documents
    3. Create a Dreamweaver template
    4. Create editable regions in templates
    5. Create repeating regions and tables in Dreamweaver
    6. Use optional regions in templates
    7. Define editable tag attributes in Dreamweaver
    8. How to create nested templates in Dreamweaver
    9. Edit, update, and delete templates
    10. Export and import xml content in Dreamweaver
    11. Apply or remove a template from an existing document
    12. Edit content in Dreamweaver templates
    13. Syntax rules for template tags in Dreamweaver
    14. Set highlighting preferences for template regions
    15. Benefits of using templates in Dreamweaver
  15. Mobile and multiscreen
    1. Create media queries
    2. Changing page orientation for mobile devices
    3. Create web apps for mobile devices using Dreamweaver
  16. Dynamic sites, pages and web forms
    1. Understand web applications
    2. Set up your computer for application development
    3. Troubleshoot database connections
    4. Removing connection scripts in Dreamweaver
    5. Design dynamic pages
    6. Dynamic content sources overview
    7. Define sources of dynamic content
    8. Add dynamic content to pages
    9. Changing dynamic content in Dreamweaver
    10. Display database records
    11. Provide and troubleshoot live data in Dreamweaver
    12. Add custom server behaviors in Dreamweaver
    13. Building forms using Dreamweaver
    14. Use forms to collect information from users
    15. Create and enable ColdFusion forms in Dreamweaver
    16. Create web forms
    17. Enhanced HTML5 support for form elements
    18. Develop a form using Dreamweaver
  17. Building applications visually
    1. Build master and detail pages in Dreamweaver
    2. Build search and results pages
    3. Build a record insert page
    4. Build an update record page in Dreamweaver
    5. Building record delete pages in Dreamweaver
    6. Use ASP commands to modify database in Dreamweaver
    7. Build a registration page
    8. Build a login page
    9. Build a page that only authorized users can access
    10. Securing folders in Coldfusion using Dreamweaver
    11. Using ColdFusion components in Dreamweaver
  18. Test, preview, and publish websites
    1. Preview pages
    2. Preview Dreamweaver web pages on multiple devices
    3. Test your Dreamweaver site
  19. Troubleshooting
    1. Fixed issues
    2. Known issues

 

 

Display web-application development panels

Select the Data category from the Category pop-up menu of the Insert panel to display a set of buttons that let you add dynamic content and server behaviors to your page.

The number and type of buttons that appear vary depending upon the document type opened in the Document window. Move your mouse over an icon to display a tooltip that describes what that button does.

The Insert panel includes buttons to add the following items to the page:

  • Recordsets

  • Dynamic text or tables

  • Record navigation bars

    If you switch to Code view (View > Code), additional panels might appear in their own Insert panel category, allowing you to insert code in the page. For example, if you view a ColdFusion page in Code view, a CFML panel becomes available in the CFML category of the Insert panel.

    Several panels provide ways for you to create dynamic pages:

     

    • Select the Bindings panel (Window > Bindings) to define sources of dynamic content for your page and add the content to the page.

    • Select the Server Behaviors panel (Window > Server Behaviors) to add server-side logic to your dynamic pages.

    • Select the Databases panel (Window >Databases) to explore databases or create database connections.

    • Select the Components panel (Window > Components) to inspect, add, or modify code for ColdFusion components.

Note:

The Components panel is enabled only if you open a ColdFusion page.  

A server behavior is the set of instructions inserted in a dynamic page at design time and executed on the server at run time.

For a tutorial on setting up the development workspace, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0144.

View your database within Dreamweaver

After connecting to your database, you can view its structure and data within Dreamweaver.

  1. Open the Databases panel (Window > Databases).

    The Databases panel displays all the databases for which you created connections. If you’re developing a ColdFusion site, the panel displays all the databases that have data sources defined in the ColdFusion Administrator.

    Note:

    Dreamweaver looks at the ColdFusion server you defined for the current site.

    If no database appears in the panel, you must create a database connection.

  2. To display the tables, stored procedures, and views in the database, click the Plus (+) sign beside a connection in the list.
  3. To display the columns in the table, click a table name.

    The column icons reflect the data type and indicate the primary key of the table.

  4. To view the data in a table, right-click (Windows) or Control‑click (Macintosh) the table name in the list, and select View Data from the pop‑up menu.

Preview dynamic pages in a browser

Web application developers often debug their pages by checking them often in a web browser. You can quickly view dynamic pages in a browser without first manually uploading them to a server (press F12).

To preview dynamic pages, you must complete the Testing Server category of the Site Definition dialog box.

You can specify that Dreamweaver use temporary files instead of the original files. With this option, Dreamweaver runs a temporary copy of the page on a web server before displaying it in your browser. (Dreamweaver then deletes the temporary file from the server.) To set this option, select Edit > Preferences > Preview In Browser.

The Preview In Browser option does not upload related pages such as a results or a detail page, dependent files such as image files, or server-side includes. To upload a missing file, select Window > Site to open the Site panel, select the file under Local Folder, and click the blue up arrow in the toolbar to copy the file to the web server folder.

Restrict database information displayed in Dreamweaver

Advanced users of large database systems like Oracle should restrict the number of database items retrieved and displayed by Dreamweaver at design time. An Oracle database may contain items that Dreamweaver cannot process at design time. You can create a schema in Oracle and use it in Dreamweaver to filter out unnecessary items at design time.

Note:

You cannot create a schema or catalog in Microsoft Access.

Other users may benefit from restricting the amount of information Dreamweaver retrieves at design time. Some databases contain dozens or even hundreds of tables, and you might prefer not to list them all while you work. A schema or catalog can restrict the number of database items that are retrieved at design time.

You must create a schema or catalog in your database system before you can apply it in Dreamweaver. Consult your database system documentation or your system administrator.

Note:

You cannot apply a schema or catalog in Dreamweaver if you’re developing a ColdFusion application, or using Microsoft Access.

  1. Open a dynamic page in Dreamweaver; then open the Databases panel (Window > Databases).
    • If the database connection exists, right-click (Windows) or Control‑click (Macintosh) the connection in the list, and select Edit Connection from the pop‑up menu.

    • If the connection does not exist, click the Plus (+) button at the top of the panel and create it.

  2. In the dialog box for the connection, click Advanced.
  3. Specify your schema or catalog, and click OK.

Set the Property inspector for ColdFusion stored procedures and ASP commands

Modify the selected stored procedure. The available options vary depending on the server technology.

  1. Edit any of the options. When you select a new option in the inspector, Dreamweaver updates the page.

Input Name options

This Property inspector appears when Dreamweaver encounters an unrecognized input type. Typically this occurs because of a typing or other data entry error.

If you change the field type in the Property inspector to a value that Dreamweaver recognizes—for example, if you correct the spelling error—the Property inspector updates to show the properties for the recognized type. Set any of the following options in the Property inspector:

Input Name

Assigns a name to the field. This box is required, and the name must be unique.

Type

Sets the input type of the field. The contents of this box reflect the input type value that currently appears in your HTML source code.

Value

Sets the value of the field.

Parameters

Opens the Parameters dialog box so you can view the current attributes of the field, as well as add or remove attributes.

 Adobe

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