Dreamweaver 8's Best Additions

[SurfPark]

Dreamweaver 8 has added 3 new things I really like:

1. CSS panel and visuals. I hate CSS because its like I'm coding and designing at the same time. I used to hop back and forth on MX2004, but now they have a CSS panel on the right side. AMEN.

2. Guidelines! Those familiar with Quark or InDesign will love this. Sure, they won't help much with rendering a page, but at least you can code based around them.

3. Zoom. You can zoom in on your websites, just like in Photoshop's navigator window. This is one of my biggest wants, but it really isn't as important as other features.

Download a free trial at macromedia.com. If you have MX 2004, there isn't a dire need to upgrade unless you really want the things I've mentioned here.

[MD]

I can't wait - I have my copy of Dreamweaver 8 sitting right next to my computer. Too bad I can't install it ... I have to upgrade my operating system from jaguar first.

[kerrysmagicshirt]

i've never done anything with the CSS before but i'm guessing you need to - any hints on where to start - and good tutorials or anything out there - i don't even know what CSS is for just that it means cascading style sheet!

[EC]

^ I think that's probably worth of it's own thread. Lots of CSS talent on this board, they all have their favorite resources.

I probably started by looking at code, then graduated to modifying templates -- just playing around with my personal blog and such. Then I graduated to books; websites, etc. I can't recall if I've ever used a "tutorial" -- but a couple of foundation books will help. The CSS/XHTML visual quick start guide is a good resource, but by far the most fantastic book on CSS I've ever read was Web Standards Solutions http://simplebits.com/publications/solutions/ -- if you're the type of person that likes to know the WHY behind the HOW, dude, this book is worth it's weight in gold and I can't recommend it enough.

The new features in dreamweaver sound pretty sweet, but I am not sure I want to plop down the cash. I have MX2004 an I am not sure I've gotten my money's worth. I maybe use it 10% of the time and use about 5% of the features -- for me it's a cumbersome version of Notepad, so I always just wind up in notepad anyway. If I took the time to really dig in and learn 8 well, it might help streamline some things for me though. So something to think about.

[reuber1]

for me it's a cumbersome version of Notepad, so I always just wind up in notepad anyway.Agreed. This is one reason why I've become sort of disenfranchised with web design...90% of the time that I've started a project in Dreamweaver I get agitated with a botched layout and ultimately start coding by hand, and find myself saving time in the first place if I would have started w/ Notepad to begin with.