Foundation Dreamweaver MX 2004 (Paperback)

Dreamweaver MX 2004 is the latest version of Macromedia's world-class visual web-authoring tool, which includes powerful yet easy-to-use database integration. Unlike many other books, Foundation Dreamweaver MX 2004 focuses on both sides of coin -- no matter what your background, this book will give you a solid foundation in graphic design and layout issues as well as full training in the powerful server-side and database integration features that Dreamweaver offers. The truth is that in today's climate database integration is no more of an extra than faultless visual design, and this book is here to guide you through this new world, covering dynamic scripting with PHP and the popular MySQL database. This book covers:     Site design and layout principles      Using templates and Cascading Style Sheets to create advanced site designs      Adding interactivity to pages with PHP script Setting up PHP and MySQL to create powerful dynamic database-driven applications Even if you are already using Dreamweaver and want to extend your skills towards dynamic content, interactive and engaging to your visitors. Or maybe you're a developer who wants to make the most of this sophisticated productivity tool and take full advantage of the renowned Dreamweaver interface to improve your workflow. Foundation Dreamweaver MX 2004 gives you the essential grounding that you'll need in the all-important design context. Whether a complete novice or a past user, after reading this book, you'll be fluent in the full breadth of the powerful functionality that Dreamweaver MX 2004 has to offer. This book presents a unique learning curve backed up by solid real-world case studies and tutorials. Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 makes this all possible, and Foundation Dreamweaver MX 2004 makes it easier than you could have imagined! This book will benefit you if you're:     Someone who wants to learn Dreamweaver MX 2004, but only wants a static site.      The same, but who might take a look at dynamic sites later.      Someone who already has a static site, but wants to make it dynamic.      Someone who wants to create a dynamic site from scratch.      Those who want to improve their sites and learn best practices and web standards. Summary of Contents:     Chapter 01: Introducing Dreamweaver MX 2004      Chapter 02: Introducing our Case study      Chapter 03: Working with Dreamweaver      Chapter 04: Creating a Layout      Chapter 05: Beginning Page Layout in Dreamweaver      Chapter 06: Internal Page Layout in Dreamweaver      Chapter 07: Creating a Template      Chapter 08: Adding Content      Chapter 09: Working with Code      Chapter 10. Introducing dynamic content with PHP      Chapter 11. Getting interactive with forms      Chapter 12. Pages that think for themselves      Chapter 13. PHP/MySQL: the real dynamic duo      Chapter 14: Secure Login and Registration      Chapter 15: Case Study: Content Management System      Appendix A: Dreamweaver Extensions

David Powers writes:
Working on this book with Craig Grannell and George McLachlan has been great fun, and that's what we want readers to have while learning a lot of useful things at the same time. The book takes a hands-on approach right from the start, showing you how to achieve the effects you want, with plenty of illustrations to make everything easy to understand. There's no talking down, though (at least not intentionally). There are plenty of explanations of what's happening and why, plus guidance as to what to do when things go wrong. By the time you reach the final page, you'll be handling advanced concepts with confidence.

As one of the authors responsible for the PHP section, I encourage readers to "get their hands dirty" by digging into the underlying code and tweaking it. MX 2004 can do a lot of the hard work of building a database-driven website. With the knowledge in this book, you'll not only make full use of its built-in server behaviors, but also be able to adapt them to create even more responsive dynamic websites.