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Creating_Data driven_pages_in_Macromedia_Dreamweaver_MX
| Creating Data-driven pages in Macromedia Dreamweaver MX
With the Macromedia’s release of the new version of Dreamweaver,
the Dreamweaver MX 2004, creating data – driven pages have
several requirements before you can begin making them. Unlike
Dreamweaver 4, a previous version of Dreamweaver, wherein you
can just dive in and everything you need are there in the
application already, Dreamweaver MX requires some bits and bobs
that should be in order and set up your environment.
There are three things you need. Here are they:
1. A Web Server – now, don’t panic with this! You can run some
free web server software in your computer, for development
purposes. Yes, when we say it’s free, you won’t have to spend a
dime on any more equipment and you won’t even have to learn much
about it.
You need the a web server because Dreamweaver MX creates sites
using five main technologies – these are the ASP, ASP.NET, JSP,
PHP and ColdFusion. All these systems require processing of the
pages which have to be done using a server. This is the main
feature that makes Dreamweaver MX different from previous
versions. For you to see your pages working, a server is needed
to do the processing for you.
If you are a beginner, you might find it best to start working
with ASP, since it's the most common choice. There are also lots
of people around who'll know how to help you out once you get
stuck. For ASP, the web server you need comes free with Windows
but it's not installed by default. If you have NT (with latest
Service Packs), Windows 2000 Pro or Windows XP Pro, then you'll
have IIS (Internet Information Server) on your Windows CD. To
add it, go to Add and Remove Programs.
Apache web server is on your machine if you’re running OS X. And
if you’re on Mac, things can be more complicated but reachable
still. You can use PHP as an advisable option in order to keep
your costs low. But if you have plenty of budget to spare then,
ColdFusion is best. Chili!Soft makes ASP servers for many
different platforms, including Linux, in addition to the
Microsoft servers. Its good news if you already have a web
server on your network. Still, if you want to run using JSP or
ColdFusion, then you’ll need to set up the appropriate servers
for those. Once you have a web server running, we have a method
of viewing dynamic pages. Now we need to pay attention to the
source of our data.
Number 2: A Database – it’s very basic for you to need a
database with information to put into your pages. A database can
be a very simple CSV file, or a complex SQL Server database. But
to generate a small database, it’s alright to use Microsoft
Access. Remember that whatever system you use, you’ll need to
know at least something about it. Lots of good books can help
you with this.
Number 3: A System Connection to Your Database – you need to set
up a kind of ‘connection’ to your system so that the web server
on your machine can relate with the database. This is just a
definition of where the database is and a few simple rules on
how it should be treated.
There are different ways of making connection but the easiest
might be through defining a system DSN (Data Source Name). Make
sure, though that you have a latest version of MDAC from
Microsoft’s site. To get Dreamweaver MX working correctly with
your system, you might need this.
That’s it folks! Prepare these things and make lots of
Data-driven pages on Dreamweaver MX! -30-
About the author:
Kay Zetkin discovered the pleasure of writing through her daily
journals as a teen-ager. Writing in it helped sort out her
thoughts, relieve her feelings and record what she observes of
the world.
For her, writing is an effective tool to express your
viewpoints... To write is already to choose, thus, writing
should be done along with a critical mind and a caring soul. She
hopes to become more professional, skilled and mature in her
craft.
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