The Web Wizard's Guide to Dreamweaver
by James G. Lengel
Answers to Even-Numbered Questions
Chapter One
2. Explain the difference between creating a Web page with HTML and creating
one with Dreamweaver.
With HTML, you enter from the keyboard a special code to describe what is on the Web page. The page of code in most cases looks very little like the page it describes. With Dreamweaver, you enter text and images onto a page that looks very much as it will in the browser. With HTML, you must understand and enter certain tags and attributes to describe items on the page. With Dreamweaver, no tags or other codes are necessary.
4. Describe the two main windows of the Dreamweaver development environment, including the functions they perform.
The document window displays the Web page as it will look in the browser. You type of insert text, images, and multimedia directly into this window. The Properties window describes the attributes of a selected item in the Document window, and provides tools for adjusting them.
6. Describe the process of inserting sound, video, or animation files into a Web
page with Dreamweaver.
The process is the same for all three: You first place the cursor at the place where you want the item to appear. Then choose from the menubar Insert à Media à Plugin for sound or video, or Insert à Media à Flash for animations created with Flash. Once the item appears on the page, you can adjust its attributes in the Properties window.
8. List the items necessary for creating a rollover image.
To create a rollover image button, you need at least two images of the same size. You also need a URL to link the button to.
Chapter Two
2. List at least three differences between Dreamweaver and Microsoft Word in
their methods of text editing.
Word works with a long list of fonts and font sizes in points, while Dreamweaver groups fonts into families and uses HTML sizes. Word provides tools for margins and columns that Dreamweaver does not. Dreamweaver cannot correct spelling as you type, and will not accept tabs and repeated spaces from the keyboard.
4. Explain the difference between HTML text and image text.
HTML text is very efficient, with one letter saved as a single byte of code, while image text needs in most cases many more bytes to represent all the pixels that make up each letter in the image. HTML text can be entered directly from the keyboard, or pasted from other sources, while image text must be created in an image-editing program such as Photoshop. HTML text is restricted to certain fonts that exist on your or your viewers system, while image text can use any font styled in many different ways.
6. Describe the steps involved in displaying text in a multi-celled table in Dreamweaver.
You first create the table on the page using Insert à Table from the menubar, setting the appropriate number of rows and columns as you do so. To enter text, you place the text cursor in the desired cell, and then enter text or paste it.
8. Describe the process of making a link from text to another Web page.
First select the word or phrase that you want to link from. Then choose Modify à Make Link from the menubar. In the dialog box, navigate to the item you want to link to, or enter the URL of the link into the box.
Chapter Three
2. What steps should be followed when preparing images for use with Dreamweaver?
The image should be composed in such a way as to display its subject clearly and closely. It should be set the to the size, in pixels, called for in the page plan. Its resolution should be at 72-85 pixels per inch. It should be compressed and saved in a Web friendly file format such as JPEG (for photos) or PNG or GIF (for drawings.) And its filename should be also acceptable for the Web.
4. Explain the process of inserting an image onto a Web page with Dreamweaver.
First, place the cursor in the Document window where you want the image to appear. Then choose Insert à Image from the menubar. In the dialog box, navigate to the image that you wish to display.
6. How might thumbnail images be used on a Web page, and how are they built with Dreamweaver?
Thumbnails may be used as icons representing links, or as a gallery of miniatures that when clicked link to full-size images. First, the images must each be prepared with an image-editing program such as Photoshop, and set to the proper size. Then they must be inserted into Dreamweaver as any other type of image, but often into a table that serves to align them on the page. Then each image is linked as necessary to another page or to the full-size image file.
8. Describe the process of constructing an image map with Dreamweaver.
First, you prepare an image suitable for an image map, with clearly discernable areas that match the links you want to create. Then insert this image into a Web page in the normal manner, using Insert à Image from the menubar. Next, you create hotspots on the image, by selecting the image in the Document window, and then choosing one of the hotspot tools in the Properties window. Click and drag over the image to create a hotspot. Then link the hotspot to its appropriate URL in the dialog box. Follow this procedure to create as many hotspots as you need, being careful not to overlap them.
Chapter Four
2. Explain the role of bandwidth, and of plug-ins, in the reception of multimedia material on a Web page.
Without adequate bandwidth, or lacking the necessary plug-ins, your audience will not be able to receive the sound, video, and animation on your Web site. Video calls for the most bandwidth, sound next, and animation third. Each format of sound, video, and animation requires its own plug-in.
4. List the factors you must consider as you prepare sound files for use with Dreamweaver.
The sound must be captured and edited so that it is clear and of the proper length. Then it must be compressed as it is saved, in a format appropriate to the nature of the content and the capabilities of your audience. Depending on its length and quality, the sound may be downloaded, progressively downloaded, or streamed. Each of these calls for its own codec, and the last requires a streaming server.
6. Trace the process of preparing a video file for use in Dreamweaver, and of embedding the file in a Web page.
First the video must be produced and edited to the proper length, style, and content, paying attention to the special concerns for Web video. Then it must be saved in a format suitable to the needs and capabilities of the audience, with special attention paid to the compression codec and to the data rate of the video. As it is saved, you must decide to provide the video by download, progressive download, or streaming.
The video is embedded onto a Web page by choosing Insert à Media à Plugin from the menubar, and then navigating to the video you have saved. Parameters for the display of the video can be set in the Properties window.
Chapter Five
2. List the steps in the development of a Web form in Dreamweaver.
First, plan the form by considering carefully the information you need, the nature of your audience, and the best layout for the items. Second, set up a Form area on the page. Third, enter the Form action in the Properties window. Fourth, enter the labels and the form objects for each item on the form. Fourth, set up a button to Submit the form. And finally, test the form in the browser.
4. Describe the process of setting up a series of radio buttons in Dreamweaver.
The vocabulary for the button labels, and the names and values of the button variables should be planned carefully. Then each button and its label should be created inside the Form Area, entering the variable name and the value in the Properties window. The variable names of all the buttons in a series should be the same, but all of the values should be different. The buttons may be tested in the browser when the entire form has been completed.
6. What preferences need to be set in the browser for an email form to work properly?
The browser's email preferences must be set to include a valid email address and valid SMTP server. In most cases, the domain name of the email address and the SMTP server should be the same.
Chapter 6
2. Explain the kinds of pages that are best built with each of the four methods of formatting.
Tables may be used to layout just about any type of page that is arranged in a rectilinear grid. Templates are best used for sites with many pages that share common elements. Frames are best for sites with common navigation devices that remain constant even when one part of the page changes. And layers are best used for pages that are not arranged in a rectilinear grid.
4. List an advantage and a disadvantage of each of the four methods of formatting pages.
Tables are easiest to create, but restricted to rectilinear designs. Templates allow efficient updating of entire sites, but require careful planning. Frames allow fast development and minimal refreshing, but can cause problems with navigation and bookmarking buy users. Layers permit freedom of design but may not appear consistently across browsers and platforms.
6. What are the three types of regions in a Dreamweaver template page, and what is each used for?
A repeating region appears the same on all pages built with the template. An editable region may appear with different content on each page. An optional region may appear on some pages but not on others.
8. What type of formatting is best done with layers in Dreamweaver?
Layers are best used for non-linear page designs with disparate graphic and text objects that do not organize themselves into a grid pattern.
Chapter Seven
2. Describe the kinds of information that should be included for each Web page in a site flow chart.
A flow chart should show the name or title of the page, the elements of content it will display, its filename, and links to other pages.
4. Trace the process of defining a site with Dreamweaver. Include both local and remote sites.
A site is defined by selecting the site folder as the Local Root Folder for a new site, and assigning a name to the site. A default images folder may also be identified at this time. A remote site is also set up, by selecting the access method, entering the URL of the host server, as well as username and password information. Once defined, the remote site can easily be managed and updated using the Site Window tools.
6. Explain three different ways to post files from the local site to the remote site with Dreamweaver.
Files can be posted through FTP, through the local area network, or by delivering them to the Webmaster through email or CD-ROM.
Chapter Eight
2. How many different images would you need to prepare for a navigation bar with five menu items? Why? What must be considered when creating these images?
At a minimum, you'd need to prepare five images, one for each menu item, and all should be the same size and style. For a navigation bar with images that change as you roll over them, you'd need ten images, two for each item. These two should be identical except for one attribute, such as color, that will change on rollover.
4. How do anchors and an index assist the user in navigating long text documents on the Web?
By linking each item in an index at the top of the page to an anchor further down the page, the user can quickly navigate to the section of text that he is looking for, without scrolling and skimming the entire document.
6. Describe the process of placing background colors and background images on a Web page.
A background color may be set in the Page Properties window (Modify à Page Properties from the menubar), by clicking the Background box and selecting one of the colors. A background image is first developed in an image-editing program such as Photoshop, and then saved in a style and format suitable for the page it will appear behind. Using the Page Properties window, the image may be inserted with the Browse button next to the Background Image box.