Collecting content for a Dreamweaver site
The most basic elements of website content are text and images. But the Web is rapidly becoming more accessible and friendly to other types of content; media files, Adobe® PDF files, FlashPaper files, and other types of content are increasingly moving to the “accessible” list. Content beyond text and images, however, requires plug-in software—programs like Adobe Flash® Player®, Apple QuickTime Player, Microsoft Windows Media Player, Adobe Reader®, and other programs that add capacity to browsers.
Web browsers can interpret and display text and images without plug-ins. For this reason, and because a large percentage of website content remains text and images, this tutorial will focus on preparing text and images for your site.
The most accessible web content is HTML text. HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language—the “hyper” referring not to drinking too many caffeinated beverages, but to the fact that web text includes links, clickable text (or images).
Not all formatting features work the same way on a web page as they do on a printed page. This poses a challenge when you copy or import text into Adobe Dreamweaver®.
Note: Technically speaking, bringing text intended for a printed page into a web page involves translating the formatting from PostScript® (the coding language used for most printing) into HTML (the markup language used for formatting web text).
Requirements
To follow along with this article, you will need the following software:
Dreamweaver CS3
Prerequisite knowledge:
Basic knowledge of Dreamweaver CS3
About the authors
David Karlins is a veteran Web designer and digital graphics consultant. He is the author of more than 20 books on digital graphic and interactive design, including “Build Your Own Web Site”, “The Complete Idiot's Guides to Dreamweaver and Flash”, “Dreamweaver CS3 How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques”, and “Illustrator CS3 How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques”. David's clients have ranged from Hewlett Packard to the Himalayan Fair. His articles and reviews appear in online and print publications, including CreativePro and Macworld magazine. David has taught at the University of California Extension School of Graphic and Interactive Design and for the San Francisco State University Digital Video Intensive program. He currently teaches Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Dreamweaver for the San Francisco State University Multimedia Studies Program. Visit David at www.davidkarlins.com.
Excerpted from “Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques” by David Karlins. Copyright © 2007 David Karlins. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and Peachpit Press. All rights reserved. To buy this book, visit www.peachpit.com.
