Summary

This has been a rather complex chapter with a lot of important information.

We started off by discussing the architecture of dynamic sites. Rather than get into a technical discussion of the merits of a dynamic site, we used the example of a complex dessert to compare and contrast the ways static and dynamic sites are constructed .

Recognizing that dynamic sites are code-driven, we presented a number of practical examples where the software should be doing the work. The examples included the use of symbols in Fireworks, Freehand, and Flash. We demonstrated how to create a "codeless" scroll bar for a text box located in Flash. We explained how "Snippets" are used in Dreamweaver and also showed how Dreamweaver can actually write the ColdFusion code for SQL queries to a database.

We then explored the intimate relationship between a database and ColdFusion. As we explained, ColdFusion is composed of two elementsan application server and a programming languageboth of which are designed to simply move information from a database and bring it to life on an HTML page.

We finished the chapter by discussing the concepts of complexity and simplicity when it comes to building dynamic and static sites. We looked at both the static and the dynamic sites from the perspective of information levels, interactivity, and navigation.

In the next chapter, we start the process of building the site used in this book. Where do you start? You start with a solid plan and the ability to communicate within the team. In fact, we are going to show you how to quickly create a Flash chat room where you and the other members of the team can bounce ideas off each other.