
Wednesday, October 24th, 2007
CMX Weekly Newsletter News Fun and Freebies Recent CMX Content Tips, Tricks and Dirty Cheats Check the News! Honolulu Is Great This Time Of Year Last summer Sheri German did some workshops at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu. She took some photographs and thought they might work in a CMX JumpStart, but then decided on a JumpStart with a twist. Why not use one of the new CSS Starter Pages in Dreamweaver CS3 as the basis of the layout? The CSS Starter Pages are an invaluable addition to the CSS toolset in Dreamweaver CS3. With well over thirty different layout types from which to choose, you can rapidly develop page designs, free from the onerous task of having to build the underlying structure from scratch. However, a little knowledge is still necessary. There are some features that the starter pages must leave up to you to develop, such as navigation schemes, text styling, and background images to use in faux column technique. In this three-part tutorial you'll learn to take advantage of a starter page as you modify the two-column, fixed-width, right-sidebar, header and footer layout. You'll use a Fireworks graphical representation of the layout to develop the graphics for a design we'll call Honolulu. You'll add navigation buttons and background images to jazz up the generic design and make it a functioning page upon which you can base a site. Part I and Part II of Sheri's tutorial are available for reading now. Thermo User Personas One of the most common questions people ask when they hear about Thermo, which made its debut at Max 2007 this month, is: who will use it? The application is a rule-breaking, boundary-smashing application that will redefine the fundamental way in which some creatives will work. Or will it? Instead of getting your brain twisted in knots about whether or not you're now a "Thermo Developer" (Sounds like a new class of superhero, doesn't it?), read Grant Skinner's personality profile analysis of this up and coming tool. A Tried And True Method To Getting Your Dream Job There are easier ways to make your portfolio look good than actually having to do some work. A lot of people, uh... "pad" their resume by saying that they've worked for companies that they have never even been remotely connected to. You could do that too, although we don't recommend it. Another thing you could do is find a forum at a prominent website and say that you work for [insert name of prestigious company here] and then claim credit for their work. That's what "Jack Currie", also known as "Generate", did recently. The victims were the folks at Nectarine.com, but thankfully they've got a great sense of humor and posted an explanation of Generate's tomfoolery on their website, which struck us as the equivalent of flicking a flea off of their butt. A Tiger? Nah, Put A Leopard In Your Tank! OS X 10.5 is shipping out on October 26th. "10.5?" we hear you say? "But that's just a half release!" Not so. Leopard is a pretty big release, and as Apple says, this release is "packed with over 300 new features." Among those features is a re-vamped desktop, "Cover Flow", which allows you to see your files directly in the finder, full-size previews of your files and automatic backups. Bootcamp comes preinstalled in Leopard, which should make it more desirable for those wishing to keep their Windows OS. You can start pre-ordering now, according to this article at CNN.com. Of course, if you want some good all around coverage on Leopard, where else should you go but... PCWorld.com...?! The "Gee!" Phone Becomes a Reality. Pretty Soon. Google has officially announced the release of the gPhone, or whatever they're going to call it, coming out early next year. Seeing as how it's coming from the innovative fruit of Google's loins, there will be a good deal of buzz about the phone. But don't expect miracles, as Google is not looking to reinvent the wheel with this phone. What they are doing however, is using Linux as a base for their phone rather than Windows Mobile, helping drive home Google's anti-Microsoft stance. Google doesn't plan on charging a licensing fee to carriers for the software that drives their phone, unlike Microsoft and Palm. But is Google someone to rely on when it comes to cell phone reliability? Time will tell, and we're still a while away from a preview of the phone. Read more at Adotas.com.
Satisfied Customers Speak Out! "Great article, Jim . . . I'll have to look at your Adobe MAX presentation (actually I need to go to a MAX) . . . One thing I have learned from using these products since caveman days is that it depends on what you are used to as well. As a webdesigner, I had gotten completely away from using Photoshop unless I was in dire need . . .LOL. But there was a time (before Fireworks 1.0) where I did it all in Photoshop. I'm with you on doing it all in Fireworks unless you absolutely have to change. Thanks for helping me see the bigger pictures, too." - Theresa W., CMX Subscriber, commenting on Jim Babbage's article, "Fireworks or Photoshop?". Whether you're just starting out or need advanced support, Community MX will give you answers and ideas to work through your tough issues. Don't miss out. Learn more about CMX or sign up for a free trial today!
Great Quotes: "Procrastination is opportunity's natural assassin" — Victor Kiam They'd Save Millions On Packaging Alone Adobe Chief Executive Bruce Chizen is looking to take all of Adobe's applications and port them to the web. But don't worry about not being able to find your favorite software in the stores anytime soon. Chizen says he doesn't see this kind of shift taking place for at least ten years or so. Until broadband web access is more widespread, Adobe would be limiting its consumer base considerably by offering products like Photoshop or Illustrator in an "online-only" format. Adobe has been experimenting with non-desktop apps for a while now, since putting out Photoshop Express and Premiere Express, not only to entice users into buying the full-fledged applications, but no doubt testing the waters to see what kind of reception they'd get. Considering the huge strides the tech industry has made in the past ten years, it's possible that Chizen's goal will become a reality. More on this at Yahoo.com. Color Me Scared! Halloween is upon us, and if you're designing posters, pamphlets, advertising or anything else for this holiday, you might be looking for inspiration. Sure, we know that ghosts, goblins, witches and vampires are typical halloween fodder, but what about Halloween colors? We know that orange is a popular color... but... what else? Look no farther than ColourLovers.com, where they're providing a whole bunch of Halloween-inspired color pallets to help you out. Google Makes IMAP Available To Gmail Users Google has just made Gmail compatible with the IMAP protocol. After the announcement, we heard a bunch of folks yell "Hey! That's... uh.. so what?" It's quite a significant development actually, and an ususual one, given that this move allows Gmail users greater freedom with their email and could actually take users away from using Gmail as their main email client. InformationWeek.com has an article that explains why this is a good move for Google. Great, So Why Am I Still Living In My Parent's Basement? Good news: ITNews.com has just reported that folks in the tech industry are getting paid a nearly record-high hourly wage these days. The average hourly rate of tech industry workers levels off somewhere around $30 an hour. If you're wondering where the "real" money is at, look into becoming a SAP consultant, where you could earn an average of $88.07 an hour. Not SAP savvy? In that case, you could go to work as a Java developer and earn an average of $50.89 per hour. Not too shabby. As the article mentions, being in the IT field has benefits, one of the strongest of which is that there will always be a demand for technology engineers, and if companies want the latest and greatest technology, they're going to need to pay a competitive price for it. Don't Act Surprised... In a previous newsletter, we mentioned Andy Woerner and his quest to launch his homemade X-Wing model. This isn't just a hobbyist's Star Wars model that sits on a table. This is a full-blown, life-size model equipped with real rockets in the wings and required a team of people to create. Well, Andy and his crew took the X-Wing out this past week with the intention of seeing their baby take flight. We won't tell you what happened, but we're glad to link to the video.
CMX Google Map Extension Getting a Google Map on your site just got a whole lot easier! This extension for Dreamweaver v8 and CS3 with your Google Map API key and a few key strokes later you have a Google Map with your location all ready to go! No need to know JavaScript to use Google Maps! Take a look at this extension by Paul Davis
Fun and Freebies! Awww.... I've never felt sorry for a storm trooper before. Problems With Money Have You? When you need help with money woes, who do you turn to? A financier? Nah... Turn to the force. Yes, everything you need to know about handling money can be gleaned from Star Wars. Don't believe us? Check out AlanHaft.com. Stress. It's What You're Having With Your Latte. OK, I know that people get a little bit uptight about losing data. It's not a fun thing. But can you ever see yourself freaking out over it like this guy?
From Fireworks To Flash Animation In A Flash When it comes to putting a Fireworks CS3 layer in motion in Flash CS3, we sometimes tend to think it is really hard because, "This is Flash we are using here." In fact it is really easy to once you understand how Fireworks PNG images appear when they arrive in the Flash library. It is also a relatively simple process to get Fireworks content in motion if you simply know how to create a Flash movieclip. Read on... This free video tutorial by CMX author Tom Green can be found here.
Weekly Content Listing Fireworks or Photoshop? [FREE] Jim Babbage A common question that comes up from new users is, "How do I decide whether to use Fireworks or Photoshop for a project?" It's a good question. In fact, the answer may not be completely black and white (or RGB). By answering the 5 questions in this article, you will be better prepared to decide not only what software application is best suited to the job at hand, where Fireworks can reside in your creative or production workflow. Some of these questions you can answer yourself, while some may need to be posed to the client, or even other production partners. Are you ready? Sharpen your pencil and let's go! Exploring the Flash Brush Tool David Stiller Flash offers quite a few drawing tools, even if you don't count the time-tested Oval, Rectangle, and Polystar tools, or even Flash CS3's new Oval Primitive and Rectangle Primitive tools. Those provide a great starting point from which to manipulate given shapes, but if your goal is to create strokes and fills of your own design, completely from scratch, you'll want to pick up the Pencil, Pen, or Brush tools. Each has its unique characteristics, and the Brush tool is the most configurable. This article provides an overview of the Brush tool and its options. Let It Rain, Let It Rain Paul Davis Have a photo and want it to be raining in the picture? Working with a large landscape photo, but can't get nature to cooperate? Use this technique in Fireworks to bring on the rain! Approximate download size: 723k Using Video Maru - Part 5: Building a YouTube Player Joseph Balderson Finding ways to make it easy for Flash designers to create a simple FLV video player has been a much sought-after goal for many who work with the Adobe suite of technologies. Nowadays, designers and developers have an array of options available to them, from the new and improved v3 (or 'CS3') FLVPlayback component, to a flurry of third party video player components, all designed to make a Flash designer's job easier and more productive. One such third party player is the video.Maru component. In all my years developing with Flash, I have yet to encounter a component which makes it simpler and easier to create a custom FLV video player. We'll show that it's so easy to create a custom player with video.Maru, you'll be looking for the guide wires! In this tutorial, we're going to revisit the basics, for those who missed the first article in this series, and see how video.Maru can also be configured to play a video straight from YouTube. And without using a single line of code. The video.Maru component playing a YouTube video. The Using Video Maru Series: Using Video Maru - Part 1: The Basics Using Video Maru - Part 2: Adding Playback Controls Using Video Maru - Part 3: Timeline & Sound Controls Using Video Maru - Part 4: Effects Using Video Maru - Part 5: Building a YouTube Player Quick Shot - Adding Accessibility To A Form With Validation [FREE] Paul Davis So you've got a fancy JavaScript validated form, but it won't work when someone has JavaScript turned off. Want to get the form working? Read on... How to Apply the longdesc Attribute in Dreamweaver Zoe Gillenwater In Alternative Text for Complex Graphics, you learned about what the longdesc attribute is, why you would want to use it, and how to do so. If you're a Dreamweaver user and want to add longdesc attributes to your images, you may discover that there isn't a specific shortcut to do so. In fact, one of the methods for adding longdesc within Dreamweaver is downright confusing. However, there are Dreamweaver shortcuts for adding attributes to tags in general that we can take advantage of to speed up adding the longdesc attribute to img elements. This tutorial will go over four ways to add the longdesc attribute to images using Dreamweaver and explain the tricks for using each method. Speed up Your Site with SQL Server Profiler/Index Tuning Wizard Tom Muck SQL Server 2000 comes with several tools that can be used to fine-tune your database. In some cases, if your database has not been optimized with indexes, the improvements can be dramatic. This article will focus on one aspect of the SQL Server Profiler—using it to profile a typical web site session to allow the Index Tuning Wizard to make suggestions based on an actual use case scenario. This article will apply to any web site that uses SQL Server 2000—ASP, ColdFusion, or other. Don't depend on the tools provided by SQL Server—they are no substitute for knowing how data is accessed and knowing how to properly index your data. However, after you have created what you feel are optimal indexes, it can't hurt to test your application in a real world scenario to see if any further optimization is needed. For an introduction to indexes, see my article Indexing a Database Table. This article will attempt to expand your toolset to include two built-in SQL Server tools. The Object Oriented Designer Part 6: Creating Buttons out of the Reflective Thumbs Derrick Ypenburg Well we're almost done the Reflective Thumbnail Menu portion of the Object Oriented Designer series. In this second last tutorial, we will make the thumbnail images respond to mouse events and link to a URL when they are clicked. The URL info will be added to the XML document that feeds the menu its info and the rest will be animating with ActionScript and some tweaks and changes to the AS files. The Object Oriented Designer Series The Object Oriented Designer - Part 1: Animated Buttons The Object Oriented Designer - Part 2: Making the Button Class The Object Oriented Designer - Part 3: Creating Reflective Images with AS 3 The Object Oriented Designer - Part 4: Building a Reflective Image Menu with AS 3.0 The Object Oriented Designer - Part 5: Building a Reflective Image Menu with XML and AS 3.0 The Object Oriented Designer - Part 6: Creating Buttons out of the Reflective Thumbs CMX Google Map Extension Paul Davis Getting a Google Map on your site just got a whole lot easier! This extension for Dreamweaver v8 and CS3 with your Google Map API key and a few key strokes later you have a Google Map with your location all ready to go! No need to know JavaScript to use Google Maps! Controlling the Serial Port with PHP [FREE] Rob Williams When you think about the things a web server can do, they typically tend to be related strictly to the virtual world of web sites and electronic content. There are times however when a web server can do what most people would never expect: interact with the real world! In this article we're going to take a look at an how we can use PHP to control other, non-web related systems, using a serial port.
Creating Custom UIComponents in Flex 2: Lesson 2 - Basic Setup When working in the Flex 2 environment, there are many times where you might find yourself in need of a component that does not exist. The Flex SDK offers plenty of extensibility for building custom UI components that can plug seamlessly into the existing framework. In the second lesson of this series, we will set up the foundation for a custom component. Check out the Article by CMX Partner Joseph Balderson
Tips, Tricks and Dirty Cheats! This week's Tip, Trick or Dirty Cheat is courtesy of ZenHabits.net We're Nearly Done With This Project, We Just... Hey, What's That Shiny Thing Over There? ZenHabits.net has a good article on how to stay focused and maximizing your ability to concentrate. Would you like your tip published? Submit it to tips@communitymx.com. That's it for this week. Stay tuned for the next CMX newsletter!

CMX Weekly Newsletter

News
Fun and Freebies
Recent CMX Content
Tips, Tricks and Dirty Cheats

Check the News!

Honolulu Is Great This Time Of Year

Last summer Sheri German did some workshops at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu. She took some photographs and thought they might work in a CMX JumpStart, but then decided on a JumpStart with a twist. Why not use one of the new CSS Starter Pages in Dreamweaver CS3 as the basis of the layout?

The CSS Starter Pages are an invaluable addition to the CSS toolset in Dreamweaver CS3. With well over thirty different layout types from which to choose, you can rapidly develop page designs, free from the onerous task of having to build the underlying structure from scratch. However, a little knowledge is still necessary. There are some features that the starter pages must leave up to you to develop, such as navigation schemes, text styling, and background images to use in faux column technique.

In this three-part tutorial you'll learn to take advantage of a starter page as you modify the two-column, fixed-width, right-sidebar, header and footer layout. You'll use a Fireworks graphical representation of the layout to develop the graphics for a design we'll call Honolulu. You'll add navigation buttons and background images to jazz up the generic design and make it a functioning page upon which you can base a site.

Part I and Part II of Sheri's tutorial are available for reading now.

Thermo User Personas

One of the most common questions people ask when they hear about Thermo, which made its debut at Max 2007 this month, is: who will use it? The application is a rule-breaking, boundary-smashing application that will redefine the fundamental way in which some creatives will work. Or will it? Instead of getting your brain twisted in knots about whether or not you're now a "Thermo Developer" (Sounds like a new class of superhero, doesn't it?), read Grant Skinner's personality profile analysis of this up and coming tool.

A Tried And True Method To Getting Your Dream Job

There are easier ways to make your portfolio look good than actually having to do some work. A lot of people, uh... "pad" their resume by saying that they've worked for companies that they have never even been remotely connected to. You could do that too, although we don't recommend it. Another thing you could do is find a forum at a prominent website and say that you work for [insert name of prestigious company here] and then claim credit for their work. That's what "Jack Currie", also known as "Generate", did recently. The victims were the folks at Nectarine.com, but thankfully they've got a great sense of humor and posted an explanation of Generate's tomfoolery on their website, which struck us as the equivalent of flicking a flea off of their butt.

A Tiger? Nah, Put A Leopard In Your Tank!

OS X 10.5 is shipping out on October 26th. "10.5?" we hear you say? "But that's just a half release!" Not so. Leopard is a pretty big release, and as Apple says, this release is "packed with over 300 new features." Among those features is a re-vamped desktop, "Cover Flow", which allows you to see your files directly in the finder, full-size previews of your files and automatic backups. Bootcamp comes preinstalled in Leopard, which should make it more desirable for those wishing to keep their Windows OS. You can start pre-ordering now, according to this article at CNN.com. Of course, if you want some good all around coverage on Leopard, where else should you go but... PCWorld.com...?!

The "Gee!" Phone Becomes a Reality. Pretty Soon.

Google has officially announced the release of the gPhone, or whatever they're going to call it, coming out early next year. Seeing as how it's coming from the innovative fruit of Google's loins, there will be a good deal of buzz about the phone. But don't expect miracles, as Google is not looking to reinvent the wheel with this phone. What they are doing however, is using Linux as a base for their phone rather than Windows Mobile, helping drive home Google's anti-Microsoft stance. Google doesn't plan on charging a licensing fee to carriers for the software that drives their phone, unlike Microsoft and Palm. But is Google someone to rely on when it comes to cell phone reliability? Time will tell, and we're still a while away from a preview of the phone. Read more at Adotas.com.

Satisfied Customers Speak Out!

"Great article, Jim . . . I'll have to look at your Adobe MAX presentation (actually I need to go to a MAX) . . . One thing I have learned from using these products since caveman days is that it depends on what you are used to as well. As a webdesigner, I had gotten completely away from using Photoshop unless I was in dire need . . .LOL. But there was a time (before Fireworks 1.0) where I did it all in Photoshop. I'm with you on doing it all in Fireworks unless you absolutely have to change. Thanks for helping me see the bigger pictures, too."

- Theresa W., CMX Subscriber, commenting on Jim Babbage's article, "Fireworks or Photoshop?".

Whether you're just starting out or need advanced support, Community MX will give you answers and ideas to work through your tough issues. Don't miss out. Learn more about CMX or sign up for a free trial today!

Great Quotes:

"Procrastination is opportunity's natural assassin" — Victor Kiam

They'd Save Millions On Packaging Alone

Adobe Chief Executive Bruce Chizen is looking to take all of Adobe's applications and port them to the web. But don't worry about not being able to find your favorite software in the stores anytime soon. Chizen says he doesn't see this kind of shift taking place for at least ten years or so. Until broadband web access is more widespread, Adobe would be limiting its consumer base considerably by offering products like Photoshop or Illustrator in an "online-only" format. Adobe has been experimenting with non-desktop apps for a while now, since putting out Photoshop Express and Premiere Express, not only to entice users into buying the full-fledged applications, but no doubt testing the waters to see what kind of reception they'd get. Considering the huge strides the tech industry has made in the past ten years, it's possible that Chizen's goal will become a reality. More on this at Yahoo.com.

Color Me Scared!

Halloween is upon us, and if you're designing posters, pamphlets, advertising or anything else for this holiday, you might be looking for inspiration. Sure, we know that ghosts, goblins, witches and vampires are typical halloween fodder, but what about Halloween colors? We know that orange is a popular color... but... what else? Look no farther than ColourLovers.com, where they're providing a whole bunch of Halloween-inspired color pallets to help you out.

Google Makes IMAP Available To Gmail Users

Google has just made Gmail compatible with the IMAP protocol. After the announcement, we heard a bunch of folks yell "Hey! That's... uh.. so what?" It's quite a significant development actually, and an ususual one, given that this move allows Gmail users greater freedom with their email and could actually take users away from using Gmail as their main email client. InformationWeek.com has an article that explains why this is a good move for Google.

Great, So Why Am I Still Living In My Parent's Basement?

Good news: ITNews.com has just reported that folks in the tech industry are getting paid a nearly record-high hourly wage these days. The average hourly rate of tech industry workers levels off somewhere around $30 an hour. If you're wondering where the "real" money is at, look into becoming a SAP consultant, where you could earn an average of $88.07 an hour. Not SAP savvy? In that case, you could go to work as a Java developer and earn an average of $50.89 per hour. Not too shabby. As the article mentions, being in the IT field has benefits, one of the strongest of which is that there will always be a demand for technology engineers, and if companies want the latest and greatest technology, they're going to need to pay a competitive price for it.

Don't Act Surprised...

In a previous newsletter, we mentioned Andy Woerner and his quest to launch his homemade X-Wing model. This isn't just a hobbyist's Star Wars model that sits on a table. This is a full-blown, life-size model equipped with real rockets in the wings and required a team of people to create. Well, Andy and his crew took the X-Wing out this past week with the intention of seeing their baby take flight. We won't tell you what happened, but we're glad to link to the video.

CMX Google Map Extension

Getting a Google Map on your site just got a whole lot easier! This extension for Dreamweaver v8 and CS3 with your Google Map API key and a few key strokes later you have a Google Map with your location all ready to go! No need to know JavaScript to use Google Maps!

Take a look at this extension by Paul Davis

Fun and Freebies!

Awww....

I've never felt sorry for a storm trooper before.

Problems With Money Have You?

When you need help with money woes, who do you turn to? A financier? Nah... Turn to the force. Yes, everything you need to know about handling money can be gleaned from Star Wars. Don't believe us? Check out AlanHaft.com.

Stress. It's What You're Having With Your Latte.

OK, I know that people get a little bit uptight about losing data. It's not a fun thing. But can you ever see yourself freaking out over it like this guy?

From Fireworks To Flash Animation In A Flash

When it comes to putting a Fireworks CS3 layer in motion in Flash CS3, we sometimes tend to think it is really hard because, "This is Flash we are using here." In fact it is really easy to once you understand how Fireworks PNG images appear when they arrive in the Flash library. It is also a relatively simple process to get Fireworks content in motion if you simply know how to create a Flash movieclip. Read on...

This free video tutorial by CMX author Tom Green can be found here.

Weekly Content Listing

Fireworks or Photoshop? [FREE]

Jim Babbage

A common question that comes up from new users is, "How do I decide whether to use Fireworks or Photoshop for a project?"

It's a good question. In fact, the answer may not be completely black and white (or RGB).

By answering the 5 questions in this article, you will be better prepared to decide not only what software application is best suited to the job at hand, where Fireworks can reside in your creative or production workflow.

Some of these questions you can answer yourself, while some may need to be posed to the client, or even other production partners.

Are you ready? Sharpen your pencil and let's go!

Exploring the Flash Brush Tool

David Stiller

Flash offers quite a few drawing tools, even if you don't count the time-tested Oval, Rectangle, and Polystar tools, or even Flash CS3's new Oval Primitive and Rectangle Primitive tools. Those provide a great starting point from which to manipulate given shapes, but if your goal is to create strokes and fills of your own design, completely from scratch, you'll want to pick up the Pencil, Pen, or Brush tools. Each has its unique characteristics, and the Brush tool is the most configurable. This article provides an overview of the Brush tool and its options.

Let It Rain, Let It Rain

Paul Davis

Have a photo and want it to be raining in the picture? Working with a large landscape photo, but can't get nature to cooperate? Use this technique in Fireworks to bring on the rain!

Approximate download size: 723k

Using Video Maru - Part 5: Building a YouTube Player

Joseph Balderson

Finding ways to make it easy for Flash designers to create a simple FLV video player has been a much sought-after goal for many who work with the Adobe suite of technologies. Nowadays, designers and developers have an array of options available to them, from the new and improved v3 (or 'CS3') FLVPlayback component, to a flurry of third party video player components, all designed to make a Flash designer's job easier and more productive.

One such third party player is the video.Maru component. In all my years developing with Flash, I have yet to encounter a component which makes it simpler and easier to create a custom FLV video player. We'll show that it's so easy to create a custom player with video.Maru, you'll be looking for the guide wires!

In this tutorial, we're going to revisit the basics, for those who missed the first article in this series, and see how video.Maru can also be configured to play a video straight from YouTube. And without using a single line of code.

The video.Maru component playing a YouTube video.

The Using Video Maru Series:
Using Video Maru - Part 1: The Basics
Using Video Maru - Part 2: Adding Playback Controls
Using Video Maru - Part 3: Timeline & Sound Controls
Using Video Maru - Part 4: Effects
Using Video Maru - Part 5: Building a YouTube Player

Quick Shot - Adding Accessibility To A Form With Validation [FREE]

Paul Davis

So you've got a fancy JavaScript validated form, but it won't work when someone has JavaScript turned off. Want to get the form working? Read on...

How to Apply the longdesc Attribute in Dreamweaver

Zoe Gillenwater

In Alternative Text for Complex Graphics, you learned about what the longdesc attribute is, why you would want to use it, and how to do so. If you're a Dreamweaver user and want to add longdesc attributes to your images, you may discover that there isn't a specific shortcut to do so. In fact, one of the methods for adding longdesc within Dreamweaver is downright confusing. However, there are Dreamweaver shortcuts for adding attributes to tags in general that we can take advantage of to speed up adding the longdesc attribute to img elements.

This tutorial will go over four ways to add the longdesc attribute to images using Dreamweaver and explain the tricks for using each method.

Speed up Your Site with SQL Server Profiler/Index Tuning Wizard

Tom Muck

SQL Server 2000 comes with several tools that can be used to fine-tune your database. In some cases, if your database has not been optimized with indexes, the improvements can be dramatic. This article will focus on one aspect of the SQL Server Profiler—using it to profile a typical web site session to allow the Index Tuning Wizard to make suggestions based on an actual use case scenario. This article will apply to any web site that uses SQL Server 2000—ASP, ColdFusion, or other.

Don't depend on the tools provided by SQL Server—they are no substitute for knowing how data is accessed and knowing how to properly index your data. However, after you have created what you feel are optimal indexes, it can't hurt to test your application in a real world scenario to see if any further optimization is needed. For an introduction to indexes, see my article Indexing a Database Table. This article will attempt to expand your toolset to include two built-in SQL Server tools.

The Object Oriented Designer Part 6: Creating Buttons out of the Reflective Thumbs

Derrick Ypenburg

Well we're almost done the Reflective Thumbnail Menu portion of the Object Oriented Designer series. In this second last tutorial, we will make the thumbnail images respond to mouse events and link to a URL when they are clicked. The URL info will be added to the XML document that feeds the menu its info and the rest will be animating with ActionScript and some tweaks and changes to the AS files.

The Object Oriented Designer Series
The Object Oriented Designer - Part 1: Animated Buttons
The Object Oriented Designer - Part 2: Making the Button Class
The Object Oriented Designer - Part 3: Creating Reflective Images with AS 3
The Object Oriented Designer - Part 4: Building a Reflective Image Menu with AS 3.0
The Object Oriented Designer - Part 5: Building a Reflective Image Menu with XML and AS 3.0
The Object Oriented Designer - Part 6: Creating Buttons out of the Reflective Thumbs

CMX Google Map Extension

Paul Davis

Getting a Google Map on your site just got a whole lot easier! This extension for Dreamweaver v8 and CS3 with your Google Map API key and a few key strokes later you have a Google Map with your location all ready to go! No need to know JavaScript to use Google Maps!

Controlling the Serial Port with PHP [FREE]

Rob Williams

When you think about the things a web server can do, they typically tend to be related strictly to the virtual world of web sites and electronic content. There are times however when a web server can do what most people would never expect: interact with the real world!

In this article we're going to take a look at an how we can use PHP to control other, non-web related systems, using a serial port.

Creating Custom UIComponents in Flex 2: Lesson 2 - Basic Setup

When working in the Flex 2 environment, there are many times where you might find yourself in need of a component that does not exist. The Flex SDK offers plenty of extensibility for building custom UI components that can plug seamlessly into the existing framework. In the second lesson of this series, we will set up the foundation for a custom component.

Check out the Article by CMX Partner Joseph Balderson

Tips, Tricks and Dirty Cheats!

This week's Tip, Trick or Dirty Cheat is courtesy of ZenHabits.net

We're Nearly Done With This Project, We Just... Hey, What's That Shiny Thing Over There?

ZenHabits.net has a good article on how to stay focused and maximizing your ability to concentrate.

Would you like your tip published? Submit it to tips@communitymx.com.

That's it for this week. Stay tuned for the next CMX newsletter!