Getting Started > What's new in Dreamweaver 4
Getting Started > What's new in Dreamweaver 4 |
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The new features in Dreamweaver 4 enhance HTML editing, make it easier to design pages, improve site and asset management, let you create your own Flash objects, streamline your workflow, improve team collaboration, and allow you to customize and extend Dreamweaver.
The Dreamweaver toolbar allows you to manage how you view a page—Design view, Code view, or a view of both code and design. The toolbar provides easy access to commonly used features such as Preview in Browser and Design Notes. See Toolbar
Code view provides a new way to view HTML source code directly in the Dreamweaver Document window. See Opening the Code view (or Code inspector). You can also edit non-HTML documents such as JavaScript files and XML files directly in Dreamweaver's Code view. See Inserting scripts.
Integrated code editors Dreamweaver now has integrated, state-of-the-art code editors—the Code view and the Code inspector. You can set word wrapping, code indenting, live syntax coloring, and more from the Options menu in either of these editors. See Setting Code view (or Code inspector) options.
The Reference panel is a quick reference tool for HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. It provides information about the specific tags you are working with in the Code view (or Code inspector). See Using Dreamweaver's Reference panel.
The Code Navigation pop-up menu allows you to select code for JavaScript functions in a page; by using this menu, you can quickly navigate JavaScript code while working in Code view. See Viewing script functions.
The JavaScript Debugger lets you debug JavaScript document while in Dreamweaver. For example, you can set breakpoints to control the code you want to examine. See JavaScript Debugger overview.
Layout view lets you quickly design your Web pages by drawing boxes (tables or cells) to which you can add content. See Drawing layout cells and tables.
Improved templates make it easier for you to identify the editable regions in a template file. Templates now display a tab that contains the editable region's name and a bounding rectangle. See Creating templates.
CSS style sheets can now be defined as soon as you create a new style. You can also easily attach an existing CSS style sheet with a button in the CSS Styles panel. See Using CSS style sheets.
Flash buttons and Flash text are now built right into Dreamweaver. You can pick from a set of predefined Flash buttons and insert them into your document or have your Flash designer create custom button templates for you. See Using Flash button objects and Using Flash text objects.
Roundtrip slicing lets you work seamlessly between Dreamweaver and Fireworks 4. You can edit and update images and HTML tables you import from Fireworks. You can also edit in Dreamweaver or Fireworks and have the changes preserved in both places. See Editing Fireworks files placed in Dreamweaver.
The Web-safe color picker allows you to easily match colors with graphics. With just one click, you can select a color from anywhere on the desktop and the color picker snaps to the nearest Web-safe color. See Working with colors.
The Assets panel allows you to manage your site's assets. You can see all the images, colors, external URLs, and scripts, as well as Flash, Shockwave, QuickTime, template, and library items in a central location. Preview assets, and then drag them right into place on your HTML document. Save commonly used assets in a favorites list and reuse them across sites. See Using the Assets panel and Using favorite assets.
Improved Design Notes let you attach notes to a file so you can track changes or communicate about development issues with other members of your team. You can insert and view comments directly in Dreamweaver's Site window. See About Design Notes and Using reports to improve workflow.
Integrated e-mail allows you to communicate with team members. When a file is checked out by someone else, you can now click on the team member's name to send an e-mail message. See Setting up the Check In/Check Out system.
Site reporting lets you use several predefined reports to test common HTML document problems, such as untitled documents or missing alt tags. You can also write custom reports to suit your needs, display report results, and open problem files within the Report results window. See Setting up the Check In/Check Out system and Creating reports.
SourceSafe integration If you own SourceSafe, you can now check files into and out of SourceSafe while working in Dreamweaver. See Using Dreamweaver with Visual SourceSafe.
WebDAV integration now use Dreamweaver to transfer files using the WebDAV protocol. See Using Dreamweaver with the WebDAV protocol.
The Extension Manager easily install extensions with a single click. Visit the Macromedia Exchange and download useful extensions to make your job easier. See Adding extensions to Dreamweaver.
Keyboard shortcuts have a new interface that is common to all Macromedia Web publishing products. This new interface allows you to edit existing keyboard shortcuts, create new shortcuts for menu items, and delete keyboard shortcuts you don't want. You can also switch between sets of keyboard shortcut configurations. See Using the Keyboard Shortcut Editor.
Window management is now improved: all windows snap into place. When you open a new window, Dreamweaver prevents it from overlapping visible panels.
Panels now have a new Macromedia look and behave consistently across the Web publishing products. All panels have icons and text so that you can easily identify them. Panels all use system colors and fonts on both Windows and Macintosh systems, and have consistent snapping and dragging behaviors.
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