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Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 On Demand
vBulletin Book Store > vBulletin books beginning with A
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Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 On Demand |
Author: Andy Anderson
Published: 2007-08-31 |
List price: $39.99
Our price: $29.19
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Usually ships in 24 hours
As of: December 02nd, 2008 04:14:13 AM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 Great tutorials without the technical lecture
I'm in the process of learning the various applications within Adobe CS3, so I was happy to find Steve Johnson's book on Dreamweaver. This was my first experience with a book from the "On Demand" series, but I'll certainly look for others, since I found the format to be very useful and easy to follow.
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br /I've been using Dreamweaver since version 4. I've taken classes and read other books on the software, but found this book to be extremely helpful for everything from the basics to very advanced topics. It presents the material in a tutorial style and is designed to walk a new user through learning the software, step-by-step. However, since each topic is presented as a concise lesson on a particular feature or function, the book is also well suited to intermediate and advanced users needing a reference on how to perform specific tasks. Each mini-tutorial is 1 to 2 pages with full color illustrations and a brief, to-the-point example of how to complete the task. The instructions are easy to understand and don't force the reader to wade through extensive amounts of text to find out how to do something. A detailed Table of Contents lists each task, making it easy to locate information when needed for reference or as a refresher. Items that are new to this version of the program are highlighted in the Contents to make it easy for previous users to update their skills.
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br /Tutorials begin with the very basic tasks of defining and planning a website, even before opening Dreamweaver. Chapter 1 is only 11 pages, but it shows how to use creative and organizational skills to make sure the site you create in Dreamweaver is engaging, functional and useful to your visitors. Without these baby steps, creating a website would lack the necessary foundation to make learning Dreamweaver useful.
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br /The next chapters show users how to handle the mechanics of Dreamweaver, such as installing and launching the software, finding your way around the interface, creating and working with basic web pages and sites, setting program preferences, customizing the work environment, and how to get help when needed.
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br /After the reader is settled into the software, the rest of the book progresses through increasingly complex topics such as working with files and folders, defining properties of pages throughout a website, working with web page text and images, using links, creating tables, using CSS for styles and positioning, handling frames, incorporating multimedia elements such as Flash, video and sound, and working with forms. For those wanting more control of their content, the next chapters delve into working with HTML code, behaviors, Spry components, code snippets and libraries, and using templates for a cohesive site. Even though I've used Dreamweaver for some time as a hobbyist and student, I'd never ventured much beyond the basics. The clear and non-intimidating coverage of more advanced topics made it easy to understand how to transition into using these features.
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br /Once a site has been created, there is still work to be done. Starting with Chapter 19, the author shows how to test and manage a web site to insure it's functional, clean, compatible with various browsers, and easy to deal with as it grows. Users learn how to upload a site to the Internet for use by other visitors, although it seems this topic might have been better placed earlier in the book as a more basic function.
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br /The last two chapters are icing on the cake. Although you could get by without them, they complete the package and make the software easier to work with. Chapter 22 is all about automating Dreamweaver to simplify repetitive and common tasks. It seems that anyone who works frequently with the software would minimize their efforts by using features detailed here. If you're an advanced user and aren't already using the History Panel, recorded commands, or text/tag search and replace, be sure to read through this section! The last chapter covers interaction between Dreamweaver and other Adobe programs like Bridge, Adobe Stock Photos, Version Cue, and Device Central. It doesn't really go into using other CS3 apps like Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash and Fireworks, although there are new and improved ties between these programs in the latest Creative Suite. This is understandable since that could be an entire book in itself. Coverage of Adobe Bridge was especially appreciated, however, as I can see many uses for this media friendly file management system that ties directly into the various CS3 programs. Device Central will be invaluable if I ever start creating web material to be used on portable devices like PDAs or cell phones.
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br /In addition to the main content of the book, there are other nice features that will be appreciated by those wanting to use it for reference. There's a comprehensive list of keyboard shortcuts for people who would rather type than click. Each chapter has color-coded tabs to make them easy to locate. Anyone who wants to become an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) in Dreamweaver CS3 will find that necessary material is covered in the book, with ACE objective numbers cross referenced for convenience. An appendix at the back explains how to use the book to study for certification. A companion website provides free download of companion files for the book, including example files, a list of keyboard shortcuts, workshop files, page fixes and new content. At the time I wrote this review (February 2008... I'm a little late uploading it), however, there was nothing available for download under the workshop, page fixes or new content sections. Although I'd never heard of this before, the book is "Safari Enabled," which is a nifty feature that makes the entire book contents available online over the Internet.
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br /I was very impressed by this book and the format used for teaching and reference. Personally, I hate having to read through pages and pages of text about theory and the reason for doing something before being shown how to actually perform a function or use a feature. The well organized Table of Contents, concise task instructions and detailed illustrations in this book make it easy to find what you need and get it done in minimal time. The friendly format also makes sure that beginners will be able to hit the ground running without being put to sleep by boring lectures. Highly recommended!
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Excellent Tool!!
I purchased this book because I have Flash CS3 and Photoshop On Demand and love them. This whole series delivers the perfect instructional system for me. Unlike other books that wear you down with over-explanation and wordy text, their books are setup in a two-page format. Everything important you need to learn is setup quickly, easy and in a very user-friendly way. The page layout is a perfect learning tool and reference manual system. Their instructions are easy to understand, actually fun to read and written with both the novice and experienced in mind. And, by the way, if you think you know everything about PS, Flash or Dreamweaver, these books will humble you. I have found and learned things I never knew. Things that are valuable and time-saving steps. LOVE these books!!
Short and Sweet
This book is brief in form but comprehensive in scope. It has excellent screen shots from Dreamweaver and clearly labeled step by step instructions. I own several Dreamweaver books but this one is by far my favorite.
br /I don't enjoy reading long winded technical books that take ten or twenty pages to say what this book can say in two. If you like more visuals and less words then this book may be a good choice for you. It was for me.
 Get over your "not knowledge" of Dreamweaver CS3
First off, this is was a difficult review to write. After going through the book, I am not sure if I should be writing a review of Dreamweaver CS3 or a review of this book. Anyways, here is what I thought about Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 On Demand.
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br /My first impressions of the book, and one of the primary reasons that I selected it, was that it is really nice looking book. It is printed in full color and uses a simple method to deliver its content to the reader. Each chapter focuses on related tasks and each chapter starts out with a pretty good job of explaining the concept that is about to be covered. These primer sections go into more detail than just what you need to use the program and offer helpful background information and advice that should be helpful for any new or less experienced web developer.
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br /The actual task descriptions that make up the bulk of this book center around issues that will likely arise when building a web site and cover just about every feature Dreamweaver has. The writers of the book chose to present most all of the material as a sort of a case study for developing a fictional web site, which is where one of my major hang ups on this book comes from. It is like they couldn't decide if it should be a desktop reference, a training resource or a marketing tool(more on this later). That said, I do like the format of having a quick, step by step walk through for each task as well as having the details readily available to me if needed. There are also plenty of screen shots provided with the explanations, so you don't necessarily even have to be at your computer to use the book(which is a major bonus if you are using this as a training resource).
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br /The chapters build on each other in a logical fashion that progresses towards more advanced topics. This should lend itself very nicely to new users of Dreamweaver and help them to learn how to use the program efficiently. Each task is takes up only one or two pages. This means, for the most anyways, you don't even have to be turning pages as you follow along. The left column on each page that has a task contains a step by step break down of what exactly you need to do to make use of the functionality being explained. For me, this was one of the main selling point of this book. This kind of layout allows you to quickly browse the book for topics of interest and see exactly what you need to know to start making use of the feature being described. Each walk-through includes helpful hints and also gives you the keyboard shortcuts when applicable(for both MAC and Windows).
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br /The main problem I have with this book is it obviously missed the final editorial review before it was published. There are grammatical errors throughout the whole text, which is a pretty significant mistake for a book to be making. Strings of text like "with minimal or not knowledge of Javascript" make you wonder just who did the final proof reading on this.
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br /A secondary issue I had was that it really seemed like they were trying to target way too many audiences. The whole book is presented as a case study for building a website and makes up reasons to need to know how to do something. Which is fine if you are making a course or a intro to web design training resource, but then you read the cover and descriptions of the book and it seems like they are selling it as a comprehensive resource for getting the Adobe Certified Examination for Dreamweaver(which in my mind would suggest a more technically inclined audience than what the method of presenting it seems to suggest it was made for). To add to the mix, they really seem to be pushing way too much marketing terminology into the text. Phrases like "do what no one has done before" tied to why you should use Adobe don't really serve any purpose in a book(unless of course you are trying to sell a product to someone either who knows nothing about what they are getting or what they need, or you are trying to make them feel better about their purchase). These marketing lines were more of a distraction than anything and really should have been left out especially considering the fact that most people actually looking at this book will have already have made the decision to use Adobe Dreamweaver. But I guess by doubling as a marketing tool we get the nice layout out and get it printed in full color.
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br /Overall, this is a good reference to using pretty much any and all of the features available in Dreamweaver CS3. This version of Dreamweaver introduced some pretty cool new things that I likely would have continued to overlook had I not read this book, but if you are already familiar with Dreamweaver, there are more accessible(free) resources available for that purpose online. In my opinion, desktop references are becoming more and more obsolete seeing how fast the products change and the amount of useful information you can locate online through a simple search.
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br /This book is perfect for a new content manager that needs a good thorough introduction to Dreamweaver or someone who is looking to take the ACE for Dreamweaver(Adobe's own certification system for their products). It could work pretty well as a supplemental book for a web development course that focused on using Dreamweaver, but other than for those individuals, I'm not sure I would recommend this book.
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br /I'd give it 3.5 stars out of 5 - mostly for the unprofessional editing job and the mixed up agendas of what purpose this book should serve. Other than those 2 shortcomings, it really is a well written and nicely presented book. I really do think they should have made up their mind on what this book's intended intended purpose should have been before printing it. These really are just minor distractions, but I consider them relevant.
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