Adobe Dreamweaver is a general purpose web development tool aimed at inexperienced and experienced users alike. It uses standard web technologies such as HTML CSS and JavaScript. Web content can be introduced into the Dreamweaver at any time without the danger of the program modifying your code. In the same way, pages created in Dreamweaver can be taken out of the Dreamweaver environment and used elsewhere.
The program does not rely on custom solutions which will only work in the Dreamweaver environment. Although Dreamweaver is not necessarily the best solution for creating all types of website, it is not an environment which one easily outgrows. It is suitable for creating both basic static content consisting of client side pages as well as more sophisticated dynamic content which includes server side pages. In other words, it is suitable for developing the content found on the majority of websites. So, let's examine this content in more detail.
Most of our web sites are hosted on web servers run by specialist hosting companies. A large website will need to be hosted on a dedicated server or even servers, whereas most typical websites will be sharing space on a server with other sites. People visiting a website are sometimes called clients.
Clients access the content on web servers using a variety of operating systems and a variety of browsers. They usually find this content either by clicking on search engine and other links or by simply typing a URL into the address bar of their browser.
The content that clients access on websites can be divided into two main categories: client-side and server-side. The term client-side refers to web content which is compatible with the user's browser, material which the browser software can actually open, display or execute (in the case of scripts).
The main component of client-side content is HTML, or as it's known in its current incarnation, XHTML; a stricter and more consistent version of the original HTML specification. HTML is a simple markup language which is used to describe the content of web pages for the benefit of the client's browser. Then we also have CSS and JavaScript.
CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets and is used for describing the layout and presentation of web content. JavaScript is an easy-to-learn scripting language which can be used to add interactivity to web pages. For example, when someone is filling out a form on a website and information entered into a field is inappropriate, JavaScript can be used to notify them that the content must be changed.
All modern web browsers are fully capable of understanding XHTML, CSS and JavaScript content. With the addition of extra software known as plug-ins, other technologies can be added to web pages. Two of the most popular are Flash and Adobe Acrobat PDF files. All of this content then is fully compatible with the client's browser; hence the term client-side content. - 15634
The program does not rely on custom solutions which will only work in the Dreamweaver environment. Although Dreamweaver is not necessarily the best solution for creating all types of website, it is not an environment which one easily outgrows. It is suitable for creating both basic static content consisting of client side pages as well as more sophisticated dynamic content which includes server side pages. In other words, it is suitable for developing the content found on the majority of websites. So, let's examine this content in more detail.
Most of our web sites are hosted on web servers run by specialist hosting companies. A large website will need to be hosted on a dedicated server or even servers, whereas most typical websites will be sharing space on a server with other sites. People visiting a website are sometimes called clients.
Clients access the content on web servers using a variety of operating systems and a variety of browsers. They usually find this content either by clicking on search engine and other links or by simply typing a URL into the address bar of their browser.
The content that clients access on websites can be divided into two main categories: client-side and server-side. The term client-side refers to web content which is compatible with the user's browser, material which the browser software can actually open, display or execute (in the case of scripts).
The main component of client-side content is HTML, or as it's known in its current incarnation, XHTML; a stricter and more consistent version of the original HTML specification. HTML is a simple markup language which is used to describe the content of web pages for the benefit of the client's browser. Then we also have CSS and JavaScript.
CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets and is used for describing the layout and presentation of web content. JavaScript is an easy-to-learn scripting language which can be used to add interactivity to web pages. For example, when someone is filling out a form on a website and information entered into a field is inappropriate, JavaScript can be used to notify them that the content must be changed.
All modern web browsers are fully capable of understanding XHTML, CSS and JavaScript content. With the addition of extra software known as plug-ins, other technologies can be added to web pages. Two of the most popular are Flash and Adobe Acrobat PDF files. All of this content then is fully compatible with the client's browser; hence the term client-side content. - 15634
About the Author:
Author is a developer and trainer with Macresource Computer Solutions, a UK IT training company offering Adobe Dreamweaver training courses at their central London training centre.
