Dreamweaver 4.0

Since its initial launch, Dreamweaver has charmed Web developers with an easy-to-use, yet versatile editing environment. Boasting an impressive collection of resources for both hand coders and visual layout designers, complex code is cleanly served up via a powerful visual layout editor or a text editor that inspects source code. In-depth features that create forms, Flash files, frames, cascading style sheets, Java, and ActiveX files are perfectly integrated into the application. For professional Web development crews, a multi-user environment efficiently manages the fast-paced flow of page content updates. Add an ever-growing Web community offering hundreds of extensions that automate and simplify the development process, and it's easy to see why Dreamweaver is a favorite Web-authoring tool.

Dreamweaver 4.0 offers a fresh set of features, upgrades, and improvements. Already a great visual editor, Dreamweaver 4.0 pumps up its hand-coding capabilities with a new Code View feature--a text editor with such customizable features as live syntax coloring, tag balancing, and auto indenting. In Split View, the Code and Design views display simultaneously, providing the best of both worlds for novice and pro coders alike. A Code Reference feature provides a thorough guide to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Graphic designers will enjoy Dreamweaver 4.0's seamless integration with other Macromedia products, such as Fireworks and Flash. One can now create editable vector graphics--Flash buttons and text--directly in Dreamweaver, a feature we found particularly useful.

Current users may want to consider taking a close look at Macromedia's Dreamweaver 4.0 Web site to ensure that the collection of new features warrants an upgrade this time around. New users, especially Web-building novices, may find the initial learning curve a bit steep, though frequent visits to the help files are well worth the enormous power this program yields. --Eric Twelker--This review refers to the Windows version of Dreamweaver 4.0.

Amazon.com Product Description
Dreamweaver 4 is everything that you need to create and manage small business sites, corporate Intranets, and complex Web businesses. Familiar page-layout techniques let you "draw" complex table-based layouts with pixel-precise accuracy, while generating clean, version-3.0-friendly table code. Professional hand-coding environment includes autoindenting, punctuation balancing, and the ability to debug client-side JavaScript directly in your browser. And, if you're ready to master the nuances of HTML, you can refer to the integrated online reference material from O'Reilly Publications. Dreamweaver 4 makes it simple to incorporate content from Microsoft Office and graphics from Macromedia Fireworks. You can even generate Macromedia Flash (.swf) graphics directly in Dreamweaver to create engaging Web experiences. Working on teams and tracking projects is easier, too. Quickly organize site assets, create sitewide reports, and integrate with WebDAV and Microsoft Visual SourceSafe for Windows for maximum productivity.

I love the easy Flash text and Flash buttons, how wonderfully Dreamweaver integrates with Fireworks (and if you download the extension, you can import ImageReady HTML as well). I know I haven't even scratched the surface of this wonderful program, but it is head and shoulders above any other WYSIWYG program I've used. And such wonderful resources! Plenty of Dreamweaver extensions to download, plenty of fun new things you can get it to do!

I know how to do a little HTML, so I appreciate how I can "look under the hood" at my code with BBEdit, or with Dreamweaver's "split view" that shows both WYSIWYG, and code windows. So, even if you don't like to be far from the code, you can still find a lot to like about Dreamweaver.

All I know is that because of the program, my web pages have a more polished appearance, and web authoring is easier and more seamless. The program runs fine on my little iMac, with OS 8.6. Though - if you want to run Dreamweaver *and* Fireworks/Photoshop at the same time, stock up on RAM! RAM is always a good thing.


Nothing Too New Here   October 3, 2001
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

While there have been a few minor upgrades in this version, it is nothing to get excited about. The tools are powerful but the interface is still cryptic and difficult to understand. There are just to many open window, that could easily be consolidated. Adobe's Golive, has all the same functionallity and is more intuitive and user friendly. It works better with photoshop too.


This is the absolute best   July 13, 2002
Edward D Andrea (Bellevue, WA USsA)
I've been developing web sites since 1995 and I have tried absolutely everything for web development. I keep coming back to this as the solution. I tried Microsoft Front Page, but that took so long to learn to get past the basics, and I had so many problems with uploading sites and especially individual pages that I concluded it is just not a professional tool.

The system for creating templates can speed the creation and update of your web creation tremendously. I have done over 400 small business websites with this product and think you should start with this one, and learn how to use it really well. It is the best. I now have other designers working with me and we can all use this tool and co-operatively design websites and control content. Great integration with other products and technologies too.