Tips & Tricks
Every time I teach this class, there are some pretty common things that students confront. This page will have solutions to instructional issues.
Listed in the order we confront these issues (some have links to the solutions)
Starting out: (weeks 1-5)
- The font size in Dreamweaver's code view (Mac: command U / select size 14 or PC:control U Youtube Video)
- Navigating the Dreamweaver interface
- Cursor Location (where is it?)
- Differentiating code and design view
- Staying away from CSS
- File management (root folder /project folder/images, text etc {large file originals - don't keep on thumb drive})
- Working on several computers (YOU MUST USE A PORTABLE DRIVE - THUMB, FLASH ETC until you can reliable use the put and get Dreamweaver functions)
- use a flash drive for all your local files. (original uncompressed for the web images and videos may need to be stored elsewhere - NOT on your flash drive)
- Folder Structure
- Linking
- General Layout using tables and Divs and or classes on DIVs
- Getting comfortable with basic concepts that govern, web design, the interfaces in Dreamweaver & Photoshop and UX (User Experience)
Midpoint (weeks 3-8)
- File management
- root folder / images, css, templates, etc)
- Creating naviagtion bars
- Moving away from tables to Divs exclusively
- CSS
- distinguishing between internal and external CSS
- changing properties
- Working on several computers and not using a flash drive
- Setting up Free web hosting and implimenting Dreamweaver's get & put functionality
- Switching from flash drive to external storage (web servers on the internet)
- Uploading and downloading whole site using an external server when switching computers.
- Starting templates (editiable regions, keeping one single template)
- Inserting various media (sound, images, video)
- Entry level animation in CSS
Finishing Up at Introductory Level
- File management (root folder / images, css, templates, assets, code, etc)
- Uploading and downloading whole site using an external server
- CSS and no tables
- Moving too far & too fast with CSS
- Minimizing redundancy
- Clean CSS pages (the leaner the better)
- Templates (makeing changes in the template that changes the html files and not uploading them all.
- Javascript & jQuerry, getting it to work
- Visual Polish using Divs and CSS
- Branding
- UX - learning what it is
Advanced
- Create a navigation bar (PhotoShop & Dreamweaver) on youtube
- Javascript & jQuerry, getting to understand it.
- Visual Polish using CSS and media (artwork in photoshop and video if applicable)
- UX: understanding, applying, testing, research
- Planning & Building sites quickly
- Building sites accuratly
- Getting comfortable uploading (put) & downloading (get) files in Dreamweaver