DreamWeaver MX For CF/Studio Users (One Day Seminar)

The thing is, many have bad recollections of its earlier incarnations as a tool focused more on web page/HTML design rather than CFML. Indeed, it had a tendency to botch your CFML if you tried to edit CF templates. Moreover, its WYSIWYG design may have made sense to those creating static pages, but it really didn't work well for CF page development. Worst of all, the tool seemed to have been designed for…well…designers. When you opened it up, it had a sea of floating toolbars that just left most of us numb, and distinctly NOT interested in giving up Studio.

And now Macromedia has pulled the rug out from under us and we have no choice but to get used to DWMX-or stick with Studio. But is that really true? Maybe not. First of all, DWMX is a very different animal from DW. For one thing, it brings in the features of the former DW UltraDev, which brought the opportunity to generate CF code (as well as ASP and JSP). Even then, most of us think we can do better than any tool to create our code. That may be so.

But DWMX represents a response to many of the concerns that developers raised in using DW and DWUD. More than that, because they knew it would replace Studio, the designers also pulled in features that we Studio users loved and cherished (like the SQL Builder, tag insight, and more). They also added a new "coder" style of workspace that's much more familiar to us. And for those who really prefer Studio, they've kept a variant of it called HomeSite Plus that you can install as well.

So now DWMX really is an attempt to bring us the best of all worlds. What many Studio fans may not realize is that there are many tools that DWMX has that truly are new and unique--and valuable--to us. And things we liked that are still available.

Partial List of Topics:

• Getting used to the DWMX interface, breadcrumbs for Studio developers
• Setting up "sites", using Database panel/SQL builder, RDS support
• Leveraging local versus remote development options
• Using tag editors, tag choosers, snippets, validation, live server debugging
• Code testing, debugging features
• Live data editing: far more powerful than Studio's "internal browsing"
• Support for XML editing , CFC and web service introspection
• Support for introspecting JSP custom tag libraries
• What doesn't work as we'd expect, missing features
• Leveraging CSS, XHTML support, and accessibility features

To find available dates for public seminars, see the schedule/registration page. You can also in express interest in or help arrange a seminar your area. We offer complimentary seats in classes to those who can help to bring a seminar to their company or area, in terms of promotion or finding inexpensive locations for presentation.

Course topics and prices subject to change due to continuous improvement and refinement.

• Brochure
• Schedule/Register
• Organizing One Locally
• Seminar Descriptions

  The CFMX Series :

  • 1 Day: What's New in CFMX--Opportunities and Challenges
  • 1 Day: Flash for CFers: Gettting Over the Hump
  • 1 Day: DreamWeaver MX For CF/Studio Users
  • 1 Day: Understanding Java/J2EE Integration in CFMX, For Those With No Java Experience
  • 1 Day: Implementing Application and Developer Security in CFMX
  • 1 Day: Getting Started with XML and Web Services in CFMX

  The Effective Developer Series

  The Discovery Series

• Possible Future Topics