In addition to drag and drop features that help you build web pages, 

Dreamweaver provides a full featured coding environment that includes 

code editing tools (such as code coloring, tag completion, a coding toolbar, 

and code collapse) and language reference material on Cascading Style 

Sheets (CSS), JavaScript, ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML), and 

other languages. Macromedia Roundtrip HTML technology imports your 

hand coded HTML documents without reformatting the code; you can 

then reformat code with your preferred formatting style.

Dreamweaver also lets you build dynamic, database driven web 

applications using server technologies such as CFML, ASP.NET, ASP, JSP, 

and PHP. If your preference is for working with XML data, Dreamweaver 

provides tools that let you easily create XSLT pages, attach XML files, and 

display XML data on your web pages.

Dreamweaver is fully customizable. You can create your own objects and 

commands, modify keyboard shortcuts, and even write JavaScript code to 

extend Dreamweaver capabilities with new behaviors, Property inspectors, 

and site reports.

For more information on the resources available for learning Dreamweaver, 

see 

Chapter 1,  Learning Dreamweaver,  on page 15

.

What s new in Dreamweaver 8

Dreamweaver 8 includes many new features that help you build websites 

and applications with a minimal amount of time and effort. Dreamweaver 

makes complex technologies simple and accessible, helping you accomplish 

more in less time.

Following are a few of the key new features in Dreamweaver 8:

I

Zoom tool and guides

I

Visual XML data binding

I

New CSS Styles panel

I

CSS layout visualization

I

Code collapse

I

Coding toolbar

I

Background file transfer

I

Insert Flash Video command

12

Introduction