Adobe® Dreamweaver® CS5 Bible

Chapter 33. Customizing Dreamweaver

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Automating Web development with commands

• Including custom XML tags

• Examining new Property inspectors

• Modifying keyboard shortcuts

• Expanding Dreamweaver's core functionality

• Translating server-side content

The Web is a dynamic environment, with new technologies continually emerging. Until recently, HTML standards were changing every year or so; even now, products are routinely introduced that use the Web as a jumping-off place for new methods and tools. Keeping pace with the constantly shifting work environment of the Web has been beyond the capabilities of any suite of Web authoring tools, much less a single one — until Dreamweaver debuted, of course.

The initial version of Dreamweaver had a high degree of extensibility built right in, with its customizable HTML objects and JavaScript behaviors. Adobe continues to enhance this flexibility with each release. With the implementation of the W3C Document Object Model and a tremendous number of new API functions, objects, and behaviors, Dreamweaver features have been beefed up so that they are much more powerful than ever. In addition, Dreamweaver presents a host of ways to extend its power. Here are just some of the options:

• Menus: The entire Dreamweaver menu system is completely customizable. You can add context menu items, rearrange the main menu, and even add completely new menus, all by modifying a single XML file.

• Keyboard shortcuts: Adobe makes it easy to use the same keyboard shortcuts ...