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Development Tools

Adobe Dreamweaver

Hey Team Treehouse, any plans to do a Deep Dive on using Dreamweaver and how it can help save time and hassle? I feel like I'm getting a grasp on HTML and CSS but still have no idea how to use the program as a tool. Thanks.

2 Answers

Kevin Korte
Kevin Korte
28,148 Points

This has been brought up before, and the general consensus was no. I use Dreamweaver. But Dreamweaver is not a tool that should be used for much of anything but a code editor. There is a ton of fluff in that program. One thing I do like about Dreamweaver is the file management, but it's not unlike some other code editors file management structures too.

TH teaches you how to code from scratch. You'll be vastly more employable, be able to actual do more things on a website, and have cleaner and faster code by doing it from hand than the plug and play crap that Dreamweaver ships with.

So just ignore most of everything Dreamweaver has in it's menus....you don't need them, nor do you want to use them. Spend your time learning how to code, not learning how to use Dreamweaver. All you really need to do with it is learn how to open, edit, and save coded files.

You'll start to understand too, that in the professional web development world, you won't be taken seriously if you use Dreamweaver. It's a crutch more than it is a tool.

Keep plugging away, and be glad you do not understand all the "features" Dreamweaver has. :)

Here are some fairy recent threads on the same.

https://www.teamtreehouse.com/forum/dreamweaver-foundations https://www.teamtreehouse.com/forum/why-code-when-software-like-dreamweaver-dose-it-all

Thanks Kevin. You make a great point. Then I'll just keep using Dreamweaver as I have up to now- as a split screen code editor that saves my files to the server.

Kevin Korte
Kevin Korte
28,148 Points

No problem bud. I was asking the exact same questions last year when I was fairly new to it all (based off what you said in your OP). I just wanted to stop you from spending time learning dreamweaver more than just editing files in it. Your new found knowledge will be vastly more powerful than DW, so invest your time on yourself, and not the program.

I also just didn't want to say DW sucks! That's both insulting to you, and non-constructive to the conversation. DW doesn't suck, it's just a dangerous trap.

DW is like a point-and-shoot camera, with auto focus, auto flash, auto balance, auto basically everything. Treehosue is teaching you how to set ISO, aperture, f-stop, how to manual adjust focus, framing the shot, lighting techniques, among more tips and techniques. It's the difference between hey I took a picture, or I built a site, and WOW, this is amazing!

Happy coding!

Scott Paterson
Scott Paterson
26,869 Points

Love that reference to Dreamweaver Kevin so true!