Getting Started with the Web Designer Suite The Web Designer Suite prvides yu with a slew f Dreamweaver extensins that will assist yu in the design phase f creating a website. The tls prvided in this suite are essential, whether yu are a nvice web designer wh wants t create the perfect CSS-based site, r a freelance designer wh wants t speed up the develpment prcess. This Getting Started Guide discusses ne f the many appraches t taking advantage f what this suite has t ffer. Nte: The same steps are included in the Super Suite Getting Started Guide and Super Suite wners are advised t reference that dcument instead. Yu may find it helpful t read thrugh this entire guide t get a feel fr what yu will be able t achieve. What D Yu Need t Start? Dreamweaver 8, CS3, r CS4 Web Designer Suite CSS Sculptr CSS Menu Writer SiteAssist Prfessinal Pr Maps fr Ggle Ckies Tlkit Surveyr Web Standards Advisr Site Imprt SiteScribe
Installing yur extensins The first step t getting started with yur purchase is t install yur extensins. The Web Designer Suite includes a number f Dreamweaver extensins (r add-ns) that are installed thrugh the Adbe Extensin Manager. Yu d nt need t install all Web Designer Suite extensins at nce. Installing extensins can take a lng time, and it is recmmended that yu nly install the extensins needed t accmplish a certain task. At the beginning f each sectin f this guide, yu will be infrmed f which extensins need t be installed befre yu prceed. Yu shuld nt need t uninstall any extensins befre prceeding t anther sectin. Fllw the instructins fund in the fllwing tw TechNtes fr dwnlading and installing each f yur Dreamweaver extensins. Dwnlading extensins and files Installing WebAssist extensins Page 2 f 13
Designing yur site with Eric Meyer s CSS Sculptr The first step in website creatin is t design yur layut and create yur pages. Make sure yu have the fllwing 3 WebAssist extensins installed. Eric Meyer s CSS Sculptr CSS Menu Writer SiteAssist Prfessinal CSS Sculptr allws yu cnstruct a standards cmpliant, CSS-based website easily. When wrking with CSS Sculptr, yu can save yurself a lt f time by starting with ne f the preset layuts. Using the CSS Sculptr Getting Started Guide, create tw layuts. One layut will be fr the hme page and anther fr the cntent pages f yur site. Make sure t include a div element that yu will insert yu navigatin menu t. In mst cases, this will be the Tp Navigatin div. Hwever, if yu wish t use a side navigatin div, yu may want t use a 2 r 3 clumn preset layut. Fllw these steps after designing each layut t save it as a preset. On the Output tab, specify a name fr yur preset. Yu will use these names t create yur SiteAssist Prfessinal layut. On the Output tab, select Dn t generate page r styles, but save preset. Page 3 f 13
Design yur navigatin menu with CSS Menu Writer CSS Menu Writer uses an interface similar t CSS Sculptr, allwing yu t create a standards cmpliant CSS-based navigatin system. Create a new CSS menu by fllwing the instructins in the CSS Menu Writer Getting Started Guide. As yu design yur menu, yu will want t make sure that it lks appealing when inserted int yur CSS Sculptr layut. In the first tab, be sure t chse Create new preset, and enter a name fr yur new menu. D nt specify any menu items as this will be determined by SiteAssist Prfessinal when yur pages are created. Select Dn t generate menu, but save preset. Page 4 f 13
Creating yur new layut in SiteAssist Prfessinal Nw that yu have a layut and navigatin design fr yur site, yu are ready t wrk with SiteAssist Prfessinal t create yur pages. Referring t the Creating a custm layut sectin f the SiteAssist Prfessinal Getting Started Guide, create yur new layut based ff yur new Sculptr layuts and Menu Writer menus. As yu create yur layut, make sure t fllw these steps: Select yur CSS Sculptr Hme page design in the first step. Select yur CSS Menu Writer menu in the secnd step. Select yur CSS Sculptr Cntent page design in the third step. Select yur CSS Menu Writer menu in the last step. With yur layut created, yu can begin creating yur pages. Building yur pages with SiteAssist Prfessinal Referring t the Building yur SiteAssist Prfessinal site sectin f the SiteAssist Prfessinal Getting Started Guide, build yur new web site. When building yur site, make sure t fllw these steps: Chse yur new Layut in the secnd step. Yu d nt need t chse a design when using a custm layut. Fr the pages and navigatin step, create all the pages yu wish t be included in yur site. Additinally, pages may be created by ther WebAssist extensins at a later pint. Yu will be able t reenter the SiteAssist Prfessinal wizard at any time t add r remve pages. On the last tab, chse t Create a new site type, and enter a name in the Name field. This will allw yu t create new sites based ff the site structure and page types yu have selected. Page 5 f 13
Once Dreamweaver has cmpleted creating yur pages, yu will have cmplete website with navigatin. The next step is t add t each f yur pages using the ther extensins including in the Web Designer Suite. Reentering the SiteAssist Prfessinal Wizard The SiteAssist Prfessinal wizard can be reentered at any time allwing yu t easily add, remve r rename pages. Yu can als rerganize yur navigatin r even chsing a cmpletely different layut r design fr yur site. T reenter any SiteAssist Prfessinal site, make sure the site is defined in Dreamweaver and navigate t Site > Mdify SiteAssist Prfessinal Site. After making yur changes, click Finish in the SiteAssist Prfessinal wizard, and all yur pages will be updated. This culd take sme time depending n hw many pages r items yu mdified. Changing the design using a new CSS Sculptr r Menu Writer design Yu can easily update the design f yur site with a new CSS Sculptr layut and CSS Menu Writer design. Fllw this Hw T fr instructins n updating yur existing SiteAssist Prfessinal website. Updating yur SiteAssist Design with CSS Sculptr and Menu Writer Page 6 f 13
Share yur lcatin with Pr Maps fr Ggle Pr Maps fr Ggle enables yu t quickly and easily add an interactive Ggle map t yur website, displaying yur lcatin either statically r dynamically. Befre prceeding, make sure yu have the Pr Maps fr Ggle Dreamweaver extensin installed. Yu will mst likely want t insert yur Ggle map t a directins r lcatin page. If yu d nt have such a page in yur current site, yu may want t reenter SiteAssist Prfessinal and create this page. Fllw the instructins in the Pr Maps fr Ggle Getting Started Guide t insert a Ggle map t yur lcatin r directins page. Unless yu have a specific lcatin yu wish t display driving directins frm, leave Step 5 blank, and click Finish. Wrking with Dynamic Addresses Depending n yur needs, yu may want t display dynamic addresses n yur map. This requires that yu have a database table cntaining yur addresses, and a recrdset that displays this data. Mre infrmatin n setting up such a database can be fund by reviewing the Database Starter Kit fr ASP r PHP. Adding Driving Directins functinality Nw that yu have a map n yur page, yu might want t add the ability fr site visitrs t enter their address and retrieve directins t yur lcatin. View the Displaying Driving Directins Slutin Recipe fr instructins n creating the driving frm fields, and mdifying yur map. Page 7 f 13
Remember yur visitrs with Ckies Tlkit With Ckies Tlkit, yu can specify that a brwser recrds what is entered int frm fields n yur website. This ppular functinality is used n many websites t remember usernames r passwrds. Fr this Getting Started Guide, we are ging t remember the address entered by a site visitr when retrieving directins. This way, when a site visitr accesses yur directins page again, the frm fields will already cntain their address. Make sure yu have installed Ckies Tlkit befre prceeding. Fllw the steps presented in the Ckies Tlkit Getting Started Guide fr remembering the data entered int yur address fields. Nte: If yu did nt fllw the Driving Directins Slutin Recipe fr Pr Maps fr Ggle, yu will nt have these frm fields applied. Fr mre details n remembering frm data refer t the Ckies Tlkit Slutin Recipes. Ckies Tlkit with SecurityAssist Ckies Tlkit wrks in cnjunctin with SecurityAssist, anther WebAssist prduct that is nt included with the Web Designer Suite. If using SecurityAssist t create Lgin functinality n yur site, and Ckies Tlkit is installed, yu will als have the ptin t include a Remember me checkbx and a Save passwrd checkbx. Page 8 f 13
Using Web Standards Advisr t ensure standards cmpliance Once yu have finished inserting the data n yur pages, and designing the varius areas f yur site, yu shuld run Web Standards Advisr t ensure yur cde is up-t-par. Web Standards Advisr helps yu accmplish tw different tasks: Validate HTML, CSS and Micrfrmats. Analyzes yur cde t ensure prper cding practices, and prvides recmmended fixes. Refer t the Web Standards Advisr Getting Started Guide Validatr tl. t run the Once the Validatr tl has scanned yur site, fix any recmmended issues and run the Advisr tl. Once the Advisr tl is cmplete, review the reprt and fix any issues based n the recmmendatins prvided. Web Standards Advisr may detect a wide array f issues when running the Validatr r Advisr tls. Depending n yur site s design, it is nt uncmmn t find errrs that yu cannt easily fix. Yur gal shuld be t reduce the number f issues fund t as few as pssible. Yu may find that yu need t mdify yur CSS Sculptr preset r CSS Menu Writer design in rder t fix a certain issue. In this case, nce yur fix has been made, yu ll need t create a new custm layut, and mdify yur SiteAssist Prfessinal site t apply the new design t yur pages. Page 9 f 13
Let Ggle and ther search engines knw yu exist with Surveyr Surveyr will create HTML and XML site maps fr yur website. The HTML versin is created t prvide site visitr s with a methd fr lcating a specific page within yur site. The XML site map will cntain paths t all the pages within yur site. This site map is then sent t a number f search engines, and used as a reference fr crawling yu site and determining when yur site will appear in search results. Make sure t install Surveyr befre prceeding. Yu will want t have a site map page already created fr yur HTML site map. If yu have nt yet created ne, yu may want t mdify yur SiteAssist Prfessinal site t have ne created. Referring t the Surveyr Getting Started Guide site maps., create HTML and XML Once yur XML site map is cmplete, submit it t the search engines f yur chsing. It is easiest t create yur XML site map with Surveyr after yu have upladed yur entire site t a live server. This way, the paths that are included in the site map will be direct URLs t yur live site. Page 10 f 13
Use Site Imprt t backup yur site, r learn frm thers Site Imprt will scan any specified website and retrieve the pages fr yu. This can be useful if yu need t dwnlad a site fr backup purpses. Alternatively, yu can use this t see hw ther web designers have achieved varius functinality r effects. Site Imprt can als be used t reprt n any site, letting yu knw useful infrmatin such as, if any links are nt wrking, r alt text needs t be added t images. Install the Site Imprt extensin t retrieve pages frm a website. Using the Site Imprt Getting Started Guide, retrieve the pages r files frm any website that yu desire r perfrm a reprt n a site yu are wrking n. Yu may find that Site Imprt is nt discvering any pages n a site that yu knw cntains many pages. If this ccurs, make sure that the address yu entered in the Main web site field is a cmplete path t a page such as http://webassist.cm/index.php. Page 11 f 13
Create a PDF f a website with SiteScribe SiteScribe will scan yur site frm within Dreamweaver and create a PDF file based ff what it finds. This can be very useful if, fr instance, yu are creating a site fr a client and want t send it t be easily reviewed withut internet access. Make sure t install the SiteScribe extensin t prceed. Refer t the SiteScribe Getting Started Guide fr assistance with creating a PDF frm a website. Page 12 f 13
Clsing Yu have nw used all the tls prvided with the Web Designer Suite t design and create yur website. In additin, yu ve created a valuable Ggle map with driving directins, applied ckies and submitted a site map t varius search engines. With yur site nw up n the web, yu may want t take a lk at ther WebAssist extensins t further enhance yur site s functinality. Page 13 f 13