The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Flash and Dreamweaver Major Keary |
Flash ActionScript for Dummies
In the inimitable Dummies style, this title is presented in tutorial format for web-design novices. It takes the newbie on a remarkable ride through the concept of a scripting language; how to work with objects, variables, and arrays; creating buttons and menus; and getting an interactive movie clip onto a web site.
If you have no experience with Flash, but are considering Flash ActionScript with an eye to using it at a professional level, I recommend this book as a practical introduction that addresses practical issues.
For those who want to experiment with ActionScript for hobbyist home pages, this book is probably all they will need (as well as the software, of course). I was impressed by the way in which readers are drawn into some pretty sophisticated programming concepts in this well organised and well presented book.
A companion CD contains all the examples and exercises used in the book and Demo versions of Dreamweaver 4, Fireworks, Bainsville, and Freehand 10. There is a trial version of Swift 3D, and what appear to be fully functional versions of SWF Studio and WildFrom SWfx.
The book is in parts. Part I, Demystifying ActionScript, explains in simple terms what ActionScript is and what it isn't; how it is used; and the basics of script programming. Part II, Using Elementary ActionScript, is an elementary tutorial that introduces the user to variables, properties, and functions. Part III, Using Not-so-Elelementary ActionScript, raises the bar, so to speak; it introduces interactivity, keeping scores, and debugging. Part IV, Integrating ActionScript Elements in Flash Movies, shows how to create useful objects, interactive elements, and what the author calls "bells and whistles". Part V, is the traditional Dummies' Part of Tens, which contains useful tips, URLs, and links to sites that are good examples of ActionScript at work. Appendices contain useful information in tabulated form.
This is a great introduction both to ActionScript and scripting languages in general. No special knowledge is assumed. Providing you know your way around your operating system - Mac or Windows - to the extent of launching programs and managing files this is a great ski lift that will give you an easy ride up the learning curve. Good value.
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Doug Shalin: Flash ActionScript for Dummies ISBN 0-7645-0831-8 Published by Hungry Minds, 357 pp. + CD, RRP $49.95 incl. GST |
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Dreamweaver
Dreamweaver 4: The Missing Manual is a title in the popular Missing Manual series, which
addresses the problem that many current computer applications lack comprehensive printed documentation.
Users of complex, expensive software are left to rely on online help that is terse, and without examples.
The alternative is to turn to third party publications.
In this title the high standard of the Missing Manual series is maintained: content that is
comprehensive, well organised, and lucid. Information is easy to find with the excellent index, table
of contents, and thumb index; side notes provide tips, information for power users, workarounds, and
FAQs; and screen shots give good support to the text. Each topic is introduced with a discussion that
is followed by a tutorial presentation that takes the reader step-by-step through the particular
procedure.
This is not an introduction to basic features and commands; it is a full-blown manual that covers all
aspects of
Dreamweaver for users from novice through to those who want to use the package for building
professional web sites. If only all software manuals were like this.
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David McFarland: Dreamweaver 4: The Missing Manual ISBN 0-596-00097-9 Published by Pogue Press/O'Reilly, 516 pp., RRP $75.00 incl. GST |
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Dreamweaver Self-Training Course
Dreamweaver is a Macromedia product, and Macromedia has its own publishing imprint, Macromedia Press,
which is a joint venture with Peachpit Press. This title is one in a series,
Training From the Source, which uses the special knowledge and experience of "insiders
at Macromedia" and is "modelled after Macromedia's own training courses".
There are fifteen lessons that represent some twenty-one hours of study time. Obviously, different
students will take different times for completion of each lesson, but there is no assumption of prior
acquaintance with Dreamweaver.
The lessons are not simply do-this-do-that instructions; the tutorial material is accompanied by
discussion, tips, useful side notes, and illustrations that support the text. A companion CD contains
all the necessary files, including each completed project to show students what they should have
achieved.
The first lesson covers Dreamweaver basics; it is practical and thorough with good explanations.
Other lessons cover: working with graphics; creating links; elements of page design; adding user
interactivity; managing your site; using libraries; using templates; creating frames; creating layers;
using style sheets; using find and replace; creating forms; animating with timelines; and extending
Dreamweaver.
The 'elements of page design' lesson is not about aesthetic design issues, but the elements that are
used in design. The focus is on using tables to control the placement of content. An interesting item
is Dreamweaver's tracing facility that enables the user to import a document as an image file
and use it as a guide to create an HTML page.
The final lesson on extensions shows how to check for browser compatibility, check links, and generate
site reports. It tells readers a bit about extensions and how to get them. Dreamweaver's
architecture is such that anyone (provided they have the skills) can write extensions (for example, to
check links); a large user community has submitted many extensions to an exchange site from where they can be downloaded. The
Dreamweaver Missing Manual has more information about that. Appendices contains
Dreamweaver's regular expressions, and tables of keyboard shortcuts for each of Windows and Mac.
This is a sound, comprehensive self-teaching course that - properly used - will provide the user with
the skills required for putting Dreamweaver to work. Like any other DIY course material, the
user has to dedicate time and concentration to the task in order to derive any benefit. A feature of
this material is that users don't have to puzzle over what the 'instructor' is saying; the language and
instructions are very clear.
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Page and Schulze: Macromedia Dreamweaver: Training From the Source ISBN 0-201-73135-5 Published by Macromedia Press/Peachpit, 369 pp. + CD, RRP $99.95 incl. GST. |
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Reprinted from the September 2002 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
