Who Should Use This Book?

This book assumes that you have some experience with Dreamweaver and with the basic concepts of HTML and the Web, such as adding images and working with tables. However, I made all of the step-by-step instructions as comprehensive as possible because I didn't want to presume you already know all of the basic information there is to know about Dreamweaver. I wrote this book for people who would like to learn more about using Dreamweaver to create dynamic database-driven Web sites.

This book introduces the basic concepts of Web servers, application servers, and databases to those who have never used them before and to those with a little experience who want to take full advantage of Dreamweaver's time-saving data-management tools. If you're a seasoned pro, Dreamweaver can help you automate simple or repetitive tasks, or help you and your colleagues integrate Dreamweaver into your collaborative workspace.

You should use this book if you're any of the following:

• A database beginner who wants to manage a database-driven site without learning how to write server-side code by hand

• A Web developer who wants to streamline your workflow and site-management process

• The owner of a dynamic database-driven site created with someone else's help and you want to learn how to change and manage the site on your own

• A graphic designer familiar with creating Web media and static Web sites who wants to design dynamic sites

• A Web programmer who likes to hand-code but wants to use an editor for repetitive programming tasks

• A Web designer who knows that clean code that's compliant with Web standards is important but who doesn't want to hand-code everything

• Anyone who needs to learn Dreamweaver 8 quickly

What About the Other Book?

This book occasionally refers to Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual Quickstart Guide, by Tom Negrino and Dori Smith (Peachpit Press, 2006). Note the word start therethat book is intended as a book for beginning to intermediate users. You can use it as a quick reference or as an introduction to making Web pages and creating Web sites using Dreamweaver 8.

If you need more help with the basics of Dreamweaver or HTML, here's some of what you'll find in the Visual QuickStart book:

• Creating an HTML page

• Working with links

• Adding images

• Using CSS for layout

• Using CSS for styles

• Creating tables

• Creating a template page