Hiya!

 

I'm trying to redesign/rebrand the DTA-Motorsport (UK) website (... trying being the operative word here and not being very successful at that ...) Have a couple of questions to ask of any webdesigners out there:

 

(1) My MS FrontPage has now frustrated me to such an extend that it has now been uninstalled from my PC never to be given another chance. I'm now looking into using MacroMedia DreamWeaver MX as an authoring tool. I know nothing about this package but am willing to put money on the fact that it's got to be infinitely better than the MS crap. Does anyone have a source where this package can be bought for significantly less silly money than the current going rate? (Cheeky ... I know ... but you don't get unless you ask ;))

 

(2) I need the new website to look the same across different browsers (IE, Netscape, Linux, etc). What is involved in getting this done with the minimum effort? Is there something that checks which browser is being used and then loads the appropriate version? Or do I need to develop different websites, load a splash screen where the client clicks a button saying "IE", "Netscape", etc and then the appropriate site is loaded? Please tell me it is easier than that ...

 

(3) I would also like to incorporate something that automatically resizes the website to suite the resolution of the client's monitor. I.e, I need to be able to display the same information at 640x480, 1024x ..., etc. Again, can this be done (easily), will I need an application which can check the client's resolution and load accordingly, or am I talking out of my hairy ar*e ...?

 

(4) How do I dictate what size a new window should be? I.e., client clicks on a pic, link opens a new window showing a larger version of the pic and some details. I want that window to be a specific size and not "maximised".

 

I think that's it for now ... I'm sure I'll think of something else as soon as I click "submit". Thanks in advance for any/all feedback.

 

Cheers!

 

Danny "B*gger I hate FrontPage" Zaat

1, DreamWeaver is miles better but also completely different and has a lot more advanced features. Be prepared!

 

2 & 3, DreamWeaver will do all that automatically.

 

4, That's just a case of telling DreamWeaver what size box you want to appear when you design it.

 

I've not used MX but I bought the previous version as a package with Fireworks and Flash (Think it's now Studio MX)

Saved quite a bit of money and they all work really well together.

Danny

 

Unfortunately I'm no expert either, but do run two websites and use Dreamweaver and it really is the beez knees. You can have split screen- source code and the page view. Try a search on amazon.co.uk you might be able to pick it up for around £50 licensed. You could also download a copy of the web (for evaluation purposes) ;)

 

Not sure if a website has a line of code which checks what browser. Just had a look at the source code on my site and dont see it. Best answer is to keep the site as simple as possible and easy to navigate- avoid too much fancy fancy java stuf and flash movies. Also design it to be search engine friendly. Google can send you a lot of business if you get it right!

 

Not quite sure how to do the re-size window thing, but do a search as theres loads of info out there. This site http://www.stickysauce.com has a few tips and help.

 

Ideally you want to save the picture to the size you want to display and then when you list the picture in the code, you define the width and height in pixels: somthing like this

 

Another way is have a look at a few sites and if you see something you like or does the job, from Internet Explorer, click Edit from the top menu and then View Source. You will then be able to see all the code used to create that page and you can borrow bits of the code for your site (but watch for copyright, you may want to change it slightly).

 

Might be worth a quick trip to pc world to see if they got any handy reference books :)

Im no expert but if you want dreamweaver drop me an e-mail;)

Hiya!

 

I'm trying to redesign/rebrand the DTA-Motorsport (UK) website (... trying being the operative word here and not being very successful at that ...) Have a couple of questions to ask of any webdesigners out there:

 

(1) My MS FrontPage has now frustrated me to such an extend that it has now been uninstalled from my PC never to be given another chance. I'm now looking into using MacroMedia DreamWeaver MX as an authoring tool. I know nothing about this package but am willing to put money on the fact that it's got to be infinitely better than the MS crap. Does anyone have a source where this package can be bought for significantly less silly money than the current going rate? (Cheeky ... I know ... but you don't get unless you ask ;))

 

(2) I need the new website to look the same across different browsers (IE, Netscape, Linux, etc). What is involved in getting this done with the minimum effort? Is there something that checks which browser is being used and then loads the appropriate version? Or do I need to develop different websites, load a splash screen where the client clicks a button saying "IE", "Netscape", etc and then the appropriate site is loaded? Please tell me it is easier than that ...

 

(3) I would also like to incorporate something that automatically resizes the website to suite the resolution of the client's monitor. I.e, I need to be able to display the same information at 640x480, 1024x ..., etc. Again, can this be done (easily), will I need an application which can check the client's resolution and load accordingly, or am I talking out of my hairy ar*e ...?

 

(4) How do I dictate what size a new window should be? I.e., client clicks on a pic, link opens a new window showing a larger version of the pic and some details. I want that window to be a specific size and not "maximised".

 

I think that's it for now ... I'm sure I'll think of something else as soon as I click "submit". Thanks in advance for any/all feedback.

 

Cheers!

 

Danny "B*gger I hate FrontPage" Zaat

 

 

Hi Danny

 

1) Should be able to help you with this PM me

 

2) You could make different versions of the website however this is not necessary. I hand code all the websites that I design and only use dreamweaver etc if I really feel it is needed. You should really start designing the site with all the top browsers in mind IE6+ IE5, Netscape 7, Mozilla, Opera. Just get versions of all these browsers.

 

Try not to use tables in the layout of your website, use valid CSS instead. Accessibility is becoming a massive issue and you really should make sure the website meets AA Accessibility standards. It is law now in the UK and you could get taken to court regarding accessibility especially for a e-commerce website.

 

3) You are not talking out of you arse, this is easily possible ATBH you should make a fluid design rather than a fixed pixel design, but again don't use tables unless they are linearized and understandable from a speech browser (Jaws). Go for a minimum of 800*600 resolution .. that would mean a width of 760 pixels (max)

 

4) fixed window size is not a problem PM and I will give you some code.

 

If you need any help just shout mate ....

 

Chris

Hi Danny

 

1) Should be able to help you with this PM me

 

2) You could make different versions of the website however this is not necessary. I hand code all the websites that I design and only use dreamweaver

If you need any help just shout mate ....

 

Chris

 

Chris

 

Sounds like you know your stuff. Do you do any freelance stuff? My misses runs a lingerie web site ;) and is looking to get parts of it updated. She'd like to integrate a stock control system and display prices in euro and US$ that could be changed depending on the ex rate. Theres already a backend in place for updating items and prices etc and the whole site was hand written.

Let me know if thats something you would be interested in. The site is http://www.delicates.co.uk

 

(Danny, sorry to hi-jack your thread)

:)

Sorry to hijack but I'm in a very similar position to Danny and he's asked a question that I've been considering for some time. I'm a programmer by trade but don't really have the time to hard code my own site. I've had a look at Macromedia's web site and they are doing the Studio MX package for about £339 plus VAT. Do I need all these modules (Flash, Fireworks, Freehand and Coldfusion) or am I better off with the basic package?

 

Any pointers gratefully received...

 

Steve :)

Mate if you know a student, you could get them to purchase it for you, for the measly sum of £54. Buy the licence, get some1 to send you a copy of the disk (totally legit) - found this

 

http://www.pugh.co.uk/Products/macromedia/DreamweaverMX_2004.htm

Dreamweaver MX etc .. is available all over the web guys ... If you want to pay for it then that is cool with me, personally though I don't pay for my own personal software.

 

Work is a different matter of course.

Danny

 

Here is a quick bit of code to open up a new browser window to a specific size.

 

picture 1

 

You can get rid of the toolbar, scrollbars etc as well ....

 

Cheers

 

Chris

Thanks very much for all the feedback guys - I will be in touch with the various individuals probably tonight or tomorrow. It's good to see that I'm not completely silly and asking the impossible (for once ...)

 

Many thanks!

 

Danny