Controlling Fireworks from Dreamweaver


Dreamweaver and Fireworks enjoy a robust integration. In the standard shipping configuration, it's easy to go back and forth between the two products. To bring in graphics created in Fireworks, you can export to Dreamweaver in a variety of flavors:

  • Images only

  • Sliced or hotspot images and the corresponding HTML/XHTML code

  • Sliced or hotspot images with Dreamweaver-style behaviors, modifiable within Dreamweaver

  • Images and code formatted as Dreamweaver Library items

After the code is exported, you can also make modifications on the Fireworks side and update the HTML; those HTML changes are automatically incorporated into Dreamweaver. Moreover, you can export the code to a file and use Dreamweaver's dedicated Insert Fireworks object, or you can copy it directly to the Clipboard in Fireworks for a straightforward paste operation in Dreamweaver.

Controlling Fireworks from within Dreamweaver provides just as many options. Dreamweaver recognizes Fireworks-generated code and designates it with its own Property inspector. Such recognition is important because with it, Dreamweaver has the option to edit the web-optimized graphic inserted into its document or modify the Fireworks source PNG format file. In addition, Dreamweaver and Fireworks maintain the capability to edit the table structure for sliced images; this means you can make modifications on the Dreamweaver side ”such as converting an image slice to a HTML slice ”and the change will be respected when edited in Fireworks.

Finally, Dreamweaver also includes an Optimize in Fireworks command for resizing, rescaling , cropping, or otherwise optimizing an embedded graphic. This command, however, does not use the full Fireworks program; instead, only Fireworks' Export Preview dialog box is launched, as shown in Figure 7.1. This functionality is contained within a DLL found within Dreamweaver's JSExtension folder called FWLaunch.dll. This same DLL also holds the key to controlling Fireworks from within Dreamweaver.

Figure 7.1. Dreamweaver's Optimize in Fireworks command opens a subset of the Fireworks engine in Dreamweaver.

graphics/07fig01.gif



Joseph Lowery's Beyond Dreamweaver
Joseph Lowerys Beyond Dreamweaver
ISBN: B000H2MWYS
EAN: N/A
Year: 2001
Pages: 87
Authors: Joseph Lowery

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