Top 6 new features in Dreamweaver CS4
by Billy Gee
In this article I will be reviewing the top new features in Dreamweaver CS4 and then deciding whether they are worth the $199 Adobe is charging for the upgrade.
As a rule of thumb if you didn't upgrade from CS2 to CS3 then the investment to upgrade from CS2 to CS4, also only for $199, is a no brainer.
These are my top 6 new features in Dreamweaver CS4:
1. Related Files and Code Navigator - This is a great feature which is going to significantly cut down of development time. Updating CSS can be quite tedious, especially when the style sheet is a lengthy one. By clicking the included file, shown in the Related Files bar, you will now be able to see both the CSS source in Code view and the parent page in Design view. By selecting any particular item in Design view, Dreamweaver will automatically locate and highlight the corresponding CSS in Code view. This allows to you make any necessary changes to the CSS whilst at all times having a live preview in Design view. This feature can also be used for other include files, but edit CSS is where you will see the most benefit. I give this new feature a 10 out of 10.
2. Live View - Brilliant! We had be asking for this feature for some time! Anyone who has been using Dreamweaver for any period of time will know that design view in Dreamweaver can look quite different to how a Web page displays in a browser. As a result, every time you made a change in Dreamweaver you needed to click the F12 shortcut, which would then display the page in your default browser. Live view is an in-application browser view of your Web page which updates persistently as and when any code is edited. This is going to please a lot of Dreamweaver users. I give this new feature a 9 out of 10.
3. Code hinting for Ajax and JavaScript frameworks - for more advanced Dreamweaver users who add AJAX and Javascript to Web pages, these new code hints will speed up development time and reduce errors. I give this new feature a 7 out of 10.
4. Adobe Photoshop Smart Objects - This feature allows you to insert any Adobe Photoshop file into Dreamweaver, and create a Smart object. Smart objects retain their link back to the original source file, which in this case is a .PSD file. This feature allows you to use Photoshop editing tools from within the Dreamweaver interface. this is also referred to as round-trip editing which has been a feature between Fireworks and Dreamweaver for many years. This improvement is going to be very beneficial for Photoshop users. I give this new feature a 6 out of 10.
5. Adobe InContext Editing - InContext Editing is a new web-based service offered by Adobe. Designers can make certain parts of Web pages editable, and then end users can access this Web service to update content. For those of you who are familiar with Adobe Contribute, this new feature would be very similar to the online version of Contribute. I was never really a big fan of Contribute however if your clients use Contribute, then you may want to look a little deeper at this new feature. I give this new feature a 5 out of 10.
6. New Interface - Dreamweaver CS4 has a new interface. Although it preserves a lot of familiar features, there's a much bigger choice of pre-defined workspace layouts, and there's virtually no limit on the way you can reorganize the workspace to suit your own personal needs. I am still using the classic setting as I am so used to it. We had be asking for this feature for some time. I give this new feature a 5 out of 10.
Summary - as I often need to edit CSS files created by other Web developers, the new Related Files and Code Navigator feature alone is worth the $199 upgrade fee. I also like the Live View feature and I see that saving myself a lot of time. If on the other hand you use CSS sparing, and you perhaps only build the odd website, then I could understand why you won't want to upgrade, but everyday users will really enjoy this new release.
About the Author
Billy Gee is Training Coordinator for Training Connection. Training Connection offers certified Dreamweaver classes in Chicago and and Los Angeles. Come learn Dreamweaver CS4 and we will throw in a Photoshop class for FREE. For more details please visit -> http://www.trainingconnection.com
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น