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Summary: Essential guide for the Advanced Dreamweaver user
Review: Being a Dreamweaver author, instructor, and avid user, I see the amazing power that the tool has to offer on a day to day basis. Most people will agree that Dreamweaver's complexity ranges far beyond that of simply creating layers, attaching behaviors, and working with style sheets. This book dives right into the complexities that most people never see or use but probably should. Accessibility, XML, extension development, and content management are all covered within this book, in a way that only Joseph can captivate users.
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Summary: Pushing the Limits of Dreamweaver
Review: Beyond Dreamweaver covers one of my favorite things about Dreamweaver, which is its open-endedness. Web design is all about pushing limits -- of our own knowledge, of HTML, of browsers -- and Dreamweaver gives its users lots of room to push. So you want to adapt Dreamweaver to work with your company's Content Management System? This book shows you how. You want to work with the latest, greatest XML-based language out there, even though Dreamweaver doesn't *officially* support it? Dreamweaver can support just about anything you throw at it, and this book shows you how. And each chapter is written from a problem-solving, why-would-I-want-to-do-this perspective that makes it quickly useful.
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Summary: Extend Yourself
Review: Beyond Dreamweaver MX is for designers and developers looking to take full advantage of the power of Dreamweaver MX. Instead of attempting to be a complete Dreamweaver reference, the book focuses on providing experienced users with tools to solve some common real world problems. In addition to addressing specific issues such as integrating with a content management system (CMS) or creating accessible sites, Beyond Dreamweaver MX provides so much great general information concerning customization, extensibility, templates and Flash/Fireworks integration that it seems certain to be useful to almost any user who is looking to increase productivity. This makes Beyond Dreamweaver worthwhile for developers who have specific needs as well as anyone just looking for ways to make their workflow smoother. What makes Beyond Dreamweaver different is not so much the features and topics it discusses, but that it covers them from a developer's perspective and places them in a real world context. There are other books that touch on the features mentioned in this book, but Beyond Dreamweaver presents some compelling real world reasons for utilizing these features as well as some helpful examples of how you can put them to work to make your life easier.
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Summary: Take Your Dreamweaver Skills To The Next Level!
Review: Holy Extensibility Batman!! IMHO, one of the most valuable features of Dreamweaver MX isn't its database-connectivity or it's easy to use GUI. Nope...what takes Dreamweaver MX beyond other Web development software is its extensibility and Joseph Lowery has created an incredible book that can take your Dreamweaver skills to the next level. If you're looking for new ways to allow Dreamweaver to work with Flash and Fireworks, this book has it! Or maybe you're trying to figure out the best way to bring your site into Section 508 compliance...this book has it! Joe has done an outstanding job of showing the reader how to take their Web development skills to the next level by extending Dreameaver waaaaay beyond its "out-of-the box" capabilities. For instance, my favorite chapter deals with making site navigation eaier to maintain. Anyone who has ever built a sequential Web site (like a step-by-step tutorial) using static pages knows that linking to the first, next, previous, and last pages can be a real pain when you have to insert new pages into the tutorial. Basically, you have to go back and change links in many of your pages. And the more pages you have to insert, the more links you have to update! This book, however, shows three different ways to streamline this task through the use of Templates, JavaScript, or a database and shows you how to accomplish each method in an easy to read manner. One note, however....this book is very code-oriented and it's obvious that Joe doesn't just want to show you how to perform a task but, instead, he wants to help you understand exactly what is going on in the background so you can apply the same concept in a different situation. Because the book covers advanced topics, this is not a book for those who are just learning to use Dreamweaver. In addition, there are some sections that require an understanding of JavaScript and C++. Because of the complicated topics addressed, this book is more of a guide for advanced Dreamweaver users who would like to find alternative solutions that can cut your development and maintenance time significantly. Basically, if you think you know all there is to know about Dreamweaver check out this book! I guarantee that Joe will show you some things that you hadn't thought of.
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Summary: Think you know everything about Dreamweaver? Think again.
Review: I must admit this is the first Dreamweaver book that I have purchased since 2000. During the past two years, I couldn't find a Dreamweaver book worth buying. I have been using Dreamweaver almost daily since 1997 and I found that I have reached the point where I didn't need to buy a book with each new release. I just read about the new features in the Dreamweaver manual. Now, like this book's title suggests, Joe Lowery has taken Dreamweaver far beyond the information found in any previous book or manual. Like a skilled mechanic, Lowery opens up Dreamweaver MX's hood and takes us on a journey through the program's vast javascript and xml classes and libraries. He shows how to use Dreamweaver to import and export XML templates, cascading style sheets, and how to template navigation systems. This is information that you won't find in any other book or even on Macromedia's manuals or website. If you are an experienced Dreamweaver developer and want to know more, this is your guide to all the nooks and crannies in this great program. No where else can you read about extending Dreamweaver with javascript interfacing with C++. Still, this book isn't perfect. I wonder why Lowery bothered to devote a chapter to SMIL. SMIL is a multimedia language that has been around for years, and it has never gained a following. SMIL's biggest drawback is that it requires the user have either a RealMedia or QuickTime player installed. Most developers who are serious about multimedia will use either Flash or DHTML, which doesn't require a special player (Note that the Flash player comes standard on newer Microsoft and Apple operating systems). Yes, the Dreamweaver editor can be used to create SMIL applications, but this chapter should have been used for something more useful. Nonetheless, this is a great read for the experienced Dreamweaver developer who is looking to expand their knowledge. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down.
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Summary: TAP INTO THE POWER OF DREAMWEAVER MX !
Review: If you have been working with Dreamweaver for some time now, and are ready to take your skills to the next level, Beyond Dreamweaver is the perfect resource. Through a concise and straightforward writing style, the author takes you on a broad exploration of development possibilities beyond Dreamweaver's "everyday" usage. The book begins with an excellent chapter on the ease of integrating Dreamweaver MX with Content Management Systems. While this chapter may not seem as relevant to developers since Macromedia's introduction of their content management system - Contribute, it clearly demonstrates the extensibility of Dreamweaver. In doing so, it opens the reader's mind to virtually unlimited possibilities for creating custom integrations. Additionally, it continues to be a valuable example for developers using other Content Management Systems such as Interwoven or BlueMartini. The next chapter provides an excellent overview of Section 508 website accessibility requirements. It also discusses new features available in Dreamweaver MX that will assist developers in ensuring that their websites are accessible. Beyond Dreamweaver goes on to provide a great introduction to XML. Examples clearly demonstrate how to use Dreamweaver MX, both to export template content to XML and import XML into Dreamweaver templates. The next few chapters present a variety of techniques that will enhance productivity. You will learn how to build Sequential Navigational Systems for both small and large scale websites; about Dreamweaver's ability to cross-integrate with other Macromedia products such as Fireworks and Flash; and how to go beyond Dreamweaver's built in capabilities and actually build your own custom cross-product extensions. If you are interested in creating your own extensions, Beyond Dreamweaver explains how to use the standard classes and libraries that ship with Dreamweaver as a starting point. And if you really want to dig in and explore under the hood, it gives you an excellent example of how to take this even further by using C++ to create your own extensions to JavaScript. The chapter "Making Flash Connections" was of particular interest to me as a designer/developer who specializes in Flash site development and dynamically generated database driven websites. A valuable example that was provided demonstrates the ability to pass data - either static or dynamically generated - from a Dreamweaver coded page to a Flash .swf file. Additionally, a second example demonstrates the new Flash Remoting features which allows Flash to send and receive more complete data structures. I particularly enjoyed exploring the possibilities of combining the Macromedia tri-product MX powerhouse - Flash, Dreamweaver and ColdFusion. Quite a combo! Beyond Dreamweaver does not extensively delve into any one topic. Instead it provides the reader with a broad range of examples that can be used as a springboard for further exploration.
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Summary: Another Winner from Joe Lowery...
Review: Joe Lowery has once again written a "must have" book for web developers. If you are looking to get even more out of Dreamwever than you have been, then this is the book that will allow you to do that. The very aptly titled "Beyond Dreamweaver" does just that- it takes you beyond what the manual covers, deep into the heart and soul of Dreamweaver. While aimed primarily at the DW power user, anyone looking to stretch their web development wings will gain invaluable tips and skills from this book. Whether you're looking to incorporate a Content Management System into your site, concerned about meeting accessibility requirements, or looking to write your own extensions, you will find inspiration and good solid know-how in this book. Joe knows this program inside and out and that knowledge is evident throughout this book. Chock full of code examples, Joe explores deep into the heart of Dreamweaver and takes you on that journey with him. If you're looking to streamline your workflow, increase your productivity and take your skills up a notch, then this book should be on your bookshelf.
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Summary: Good coverage of possibilities beyond Dreamweaver
Review: Joseph has written a very good book covering a bunch of topics that are sure to be useful to about anyone.
I found the Fireworks section of particular use in my upcoming releases of my commercial Dreamweaver photo galleries (inTensa, inTensaLite and the new Augwa). The class and library usage helped clear up a couple of questions I've had on those items. Other sections of the book will come in handy as I've taken some ideas from each section on developing to the fullest extent that Dreamweaver will allow. Many users will find the 508 compliance, dynamic 2 static page generation (esp. useful now that Contribute is out) and Flash connection very handy. Windows users will be able to further explore the C++ integration in extensions as the final chapter of the book. A few good read.
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Summary: Unique material
Review: Joseph Lowery has a love affaire with Dreamweaver dating back to 1998 and version 1.0; that's why this book is more than just an expert writing about a piece of software, Joseph is passionate about Dreamweaver and the result is a real work of love. The book contains 10 chapters, covering different topics; each chapter stands on its own, allowing the reader to pick only one topic at time, there is no need to read from cover to cover here. The vast majority of the material available here is simply not available elsewhere; Mr Lowery covered things that may surprise even a seasoned Dreamweaver veteran like me. If you enjoy pushing Dreamweaver to its limits you can't miss this one
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Summary: Above and Beyond
Review: The Web is so varied now that one program can't do it all. However, Dreaweaver and its extensibility API tries very hard to allow you to do all that you need from within its programming envrionment. If it isnt' built in, Beyond Dreamweaver can give you direction on building it in for yourself. From incorporating Dreamweaver into your current workflow, be it a CMS, accessibility, or streaming media, to integrating Dreamweaver closely with Fireworks and Flash, then through creating your own JavaScript and C++ libraries and objects, Joseph Lowrey expands your knowledge of Dreamweaver well beyond what is detailed in the program's documentation. By using pointed examples and line-by-line code analysis, Beyond Dreamweaver took me on a learning journey that left me with ideas popping out of my brain on how I could use my new found insights to make my life easier when developing and creating content. This book isn't written for those that have just picked up HTML, but more focused on those developers that have experience with Dreamweaver and creating/developing content for the Web. If this is you, then you need to get this book. The more experience you have, the more this book will help you recognize how Dreamweaver can help you achieve your goals, easily and efficently.
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