What is Dreamweaver MX 2004?

Dreamweaver is a powerful but easy-to-use web site development program that bridges the gap between designer and developer. Although it includes advanced features for developing complex web-based data-driven applications, Dreamweaver's intuitive interface and extensive libraries let even the novice web designer develop a professional web site quickly and easily.

The latest version, Dreamweaver MX 2004, touts a more streamlined interface, with tighter categories by which commands are grouped (promising less clutter without sacrificing ease of use), and enhanced Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) support.

Exploring Dreamweaver

Dreamweaver's interface makes it easy to design and manage both simple and complex web sites by providing a point-and-click interface that simplifies most tasks. Designers can drag and drop page elements in Design view, while developers can work directly with the page's code, making use of the various tools Dreamweaver provides for ensuring correct syntax.

Common commands are accessible from the toolbars, which are grouped by category, and in the Property Inspector, which lets you specify attributes for the text and objects you insert. Many of these commands are also available in the Dreamweaver menus. Additional commands are available in the panel groups found on the right side of the Dreamweaver window; you can expand and collapse these groups as necessary.

Document Window and Toolbars

The main workspace in Dreamweaver is the Document window. This is where you add elements to your web page, either using Dreamweaver's WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) interface, or by typing the HTML code directly into the window.