Dreamweaver® CS3 Bible

Chapter 35. Creating and Using Objects

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Using objects

• Modifying the Object menu and Insert bar

• Inserting downloaded and other new objects

• Creating a custom object

• Enhancing custom objects with JavaScript functions

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most powerful. The Dreamweaver development team had a simple idea: Why not code the insertable objects in HTML? After all, when you choose to insert anything into a Web page—from a horizontal rule to a Shockwave movie—you are merely putting HTML in the page. If the objects are just HTML files, what are the possible benefits? For one, the objects can be easily modified. Also, HTML requires no special program to code, and coding the language itself is not extraordinarily difficult. In addition, the core users of Dreamweaver are experts in HTML. Now, a simple idea has turned into a powerful tool.

All the objects included with Dreamweaver can be modified and customized to fit any Web designer's working preferences, and you can easily create custom objects. This capability not only enables you to include regular HTML tags that repeatedly occur in your designs, but it also opens the door to an impressive new level of expandability. Dreamweaver's capacity for any number of custom objects means that you can take advantage of new technologies immediately.

Building a site that needs the latest tags just released by the W3C? Go right ahead—make an object that inserts any or all the tags. You may not be able to see the result in Dreamweaver, ...