What Dreamweaver Can and Can’t Do

The most common web authoring tool for putting together websites is Dreamweaver. A normal site will have various differing types of media on it. It is important to understand what Dreamweaver can and can’t do in terms of manipulating your website. You should note that it’s primary purpose is to generate and edit code.Dreamweaver has many tools for managing images on your webpage. It is possible to resize and reposition your graphics on your webpage. However if you are trying to edit the image further than resizing then you’ll need to get a hold of a copy of Photoshop or GIMP. It is possible to give images borders or make them hyperlinks using Dreamweaver. Animated GIFs can also be adjusted in this way but Dreamweaver cannot edit the animation frames. Rollover images on the other hand are a different kettle of fish. Dreamweaver provides a handy wizard for making images change when you move the mouse over them. This involves adding Javascript to your code, which Dreamweaver can generate for you. There will be a Dreamweaver tutorial online for all these different techniques if you wish to incorporate them into your site.Dreamweaver also allows you to position and resize Flash animations. You should be cautious when resizing them though as expanding them can effect how the animation plays out. You cannot use Dreamweaver to manipulate the animation content itself. For that purpose you would need a copy of Adobe Flash. It is also not possible to manipulate video or audio clips in Dreamweaver but you can use it to embed relevant players for your clips. When it comes to audio editing you can download a copy of Audacity for free online. With video editing you may struggle to find a worthwhile free editor and it might be worth thinking about purchasing a copy of Final Cut. Once again, a Dreamweaver tutorial can be located online for any of these techniques.For simple PHP code Dreamweaver can also be used. For example, you can add buttons and text fields to your page to create forms. Dreamweaver can then provide the code to connect the form to your database. Dreamweaver has only been developed to generate basic PHP code. If you’re seeking to do something more complicated such as creating a subscription plan or ecommerce for your site you will need more than just a wizard and good knowledge on the subject. If you’re planning to set up anything with money involved extra care needs to be taken. If you mislead a customer in any way you could end up breaking the law.Dreamweaver’s main advantage is that it supplies you with an interface where you can create various parts of your site without looking at the code. You can format text, create shapes and adjust graphics without coding using Dreamweaver’s helpful tools. External assets including images, animations and embedded players can be repositioned and such but for sophisticated editing you will need different applications. If you’re ever stuck trying to do something a bit more complicated and the tool to use isn’t obvious then it is highly recommended to look up a Dreamweaver tutorial.