[thelist] Resend: Comments on Dreamweaver Contribute - was gotta vent

[Anthony Baratta]

At 08:26 AM 5/12/2004, Chris George wrote:

>All of that to ask: Does this tool significantly mess with the HTML?

Since the tool uses the XML DOM that is part of IE 6, of course it has 
quirks - but they are manageable. The tool has an XML Config file that 
allows you to control many of its behaviours. There is a "tidy" option in 
the config file that does a good job of keeping the HTML clean.

The nicest part about the tool is that it reads the style sheet and makes 
the styles available via a drop down so you can apply a known style to your 
text. The editor is very WYSIWYG and the editing is done "in line" via the 
browser so you get instant feedback on what it will look like. You can 
build new tables and such, or not. Lists are probably the hardest to 
manage, but we just train the users to copy and paste a bullet when they 
want a new one.

The tool can even allow you to edit the source code for the target area you 
are editing.

The biggest challenge in designing a page for this tool is making sure you 
don't embed editable areas in editable areas. Each target area must be 
distinct. But since most of our clients using this tool have one big boxy 
area for content it's not been a big deal, even if we are breaking the edit 
areas into several squares.

---
Anthony Baratta
President
Keyboard Jockeys

"Conformity is the refuge of the unimaginative."