When it comes to building professional websites, Dreamweaver CS4 is capable of doing more than any other web design program -- including previous versions of Dreamweaver. But the software's sophisticated features aren't simple. Dreamweaver CS4: The Missing Manual will help you master this program quickly, so you can bring stunning, interactive websites to life. Under the expert guidance of bestselling author and teacher David McFarland, you'll learn how to build professional-looking websites quickly and painlessly. McFarland has loaded the book with over 150 pages of hands-on tutorials to help you create database-enabled PHP pages, use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) for cutting-edge design, add XML-based news feeds, include dynamic effects with JavaScript and AJAX, and more. This witty and objective book offers jargon-free language and clear descriptions that will help you:

• Learn how to control the appearance of your web pages with CSS, from the basics to advanced techniques

• Design dynamic database-driven websites, from blogs to product catalogs, and from shopping carts to newsletter signup forms

• Add interactivity to your website with ready-to-use JavaScript programs from Adobe's Spry Framework

• Effortlessly control the many helper files that power your website and manage thousands of pages

• Examine web-page components and Dreamweaver's capabilities with the book's "live examples"

Perfect for beginners who need step-by-step guidance, and for longtime Dreamweaver designers who need a handy reference to the new version, this thoroughly updated edition of our bestselling Missing Manual is your complete guide to designing, organizing, building, and deploying websites. It's the ultimate atlas for Dreamweaver CS4.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 46 Ratings

Best Dreamweaver CS4 manual - 2009-12-20
Reviewer Rating:
I purchased three books to help me learn Dreamweaver:

Dreamsweaver CS4 for Dummies
Dreamweaver CS4: The Missing Manual (this book)
The Essential Guide to Dreamweaver CS4 with CSS, Ajax and PHP

I started with Dreamweaver CS4 for Dummies, which I found to be a pretty good book. I was able to read it cover to cover (though it's not necessary to do so to get started). In addition to a good basic overview, it had a couple of very helpful tips in a chapter called "10 Resources You Might Need."

As my design became more detailed, I felt the need for a book that went into more depth and bought the other two books listed above. I like both books, but find I rely on The Missing Manual the most. Its writing is clear and easy to follow. The numerous tutorials give step-by-step instructions for a beginner on how to accomplish various tasks, with more advanced details included in the text.

I like The Essential Guide as well, but since I'm not using PHP, I find that there are areas where the advice they give simply doesn't work for me. For example, when I wanted to learn more about using templates, The Essential Guide gave only a very basic explanation, then went into far more detail about using PHP "includes" instead. While I agree that the PHP "includes" are probably the better choice, it's not one that is available to me since I don't have a PHP testing server (and don't want to go through the complexity of setting one up on my home computer). If you are using PHP, then this is definitely the book to get.

All in all, if I had to recommend one book to get started, it would be For Dummies, particularly if your needs are very simple and/or you're completely new to web site design. For those who want to move beyond the basics, I like The Missing Manual the best. This book could also be used by beginners as long as you're not put off by its length -- with over 1,000 pages, it's not one you'll be able to read cover to cover. I think The Essential Guide is best suited for those who want to create very complex designs, especially those that use PHP. It, too, is very clearly written, but more intimidating to a beginner.

good book - 2010-02-06
Reviewer Rating:
I found the book very helpful. i had used a bit Dreamweaver CS3 and had the CS-bible. So i looked into the CS-4 bible as well but this book seemed much better organized.

I'm just a simple web designer, just for my private needs and our home owners association. No flash, html programming etc. this book also has some areas that go beyond my current needs, so it will be useful to a more experienced web designer.

Dreamweaver CS4: The Missing Manual - 2010-02-05
Reviewer Rating:
Packed full of great information which was useful. It wasn't full of jibber jabber, and funny puns. Just straight to the point.

Thorough and interesting guide on Dreamweaver - 2009-12-17
Reviewer Rating:
This book is an excellent guide on the use of Dreamweaver. It is easy to follow and written in a style that keeps your interest. It also has great tips for more advanced users to ensure their code is optimal for search engines and browser compatibility. It talks frankly of the options in Dreamweaver to avoid if possible, particularly those that are included only for the purpose of being able to work with superceded design techniques.

I am now looking at getting other books from the same series I liked this one so much.

Good reference book - 2009-12-07
Reviewer Rating:
This is a great book to have for reference and beats having to use the online help menus in the Adobe programs.
If you want to learn how to use these programs you would be better off on getting a how-to book.

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