Using Docked and Grouped Panels

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You access most of Dreamweaver MX's functionality through panels that are grouped and docked along the right or left edge of the application window. You can enable all panels from the Window menu, but many are on and visible by default. To view the panels in a group, expand the group with the expander arrow (little white triangle on the top left side). Close to minimize the group and hide the panels.

You can hide or show groups at will. To hide all groups temporarily, choose View ® Hide Panels or press F4. Disable the Hide Panels option to bring the panels back.

Tip 

PC users can click the button incorporated into the border between the document window and the panel groups. This "slides" the dock to the right or left (depending upon the workspace) to allow expansion of documents. To slide it back into place, click the button again. Dragging this border widens or narrows the dock's width.

Grouping the panels makes sense because there are so many of them, but don't feel locked in by the default arrangement; you can group individual panels and reposition, close, or create new groups to contain your panels. Additionally, you can float one or more panels. To regroup any panel, use its Panel Options menu located at the top, to the right of the panels title bar, as shown in Figure 31-8. Choose GroupSite With [panel name] and select one of the 12 listed panels. The repositioned panel joins the group of the selected panel.

click to expand
Figure 31-8: Use the Panel Options menu to regroup a panel within a group or to rename, close, or maximize the current group.

Tip 

To arrange the panels within a group, select and group a panel with the same group until the panels are repositioned as needed.

To close a group of panels, use the Panel Options menu to choose Close Panel Group. To close a specific panel, you have to first create a new group with the panel using the panel options. Choose Group Site With [panel name] New Panel Group; then click Close Panel Group.

You can also use the Gripper (the textured area at the left side of each group's title bar) to pull the panel away from the dock. You see a blue highlighted area as you move the group around. To create a separate, floating panel, wait until you don't see the highlight, then release. This forms a floating panel.

Other options for modifying the default grouped panels include the following:

  • Renaming groups — Using the Panel Options menu to choose Rename Panel Group.

  • Repositioning Groups within the Dock — Use the Gripper to drag, move the group until the highlight appears in the desired location; then release.

  • Help — Click this option to trigger the Using Dreamweaver Help files, opened to the proper directions for the panel in question.

Answers and reference panels

Depending upon the site you plan to build, you will use some panels and not others. All the panels are covered in the following chapters, but the Answers and Reference panels stand alone in function.

Answers

New to Dreamweaver MX, the Answers panel provides single-click access to tutorials, TechNotes, extensions, and more. Click the Update button to link to the Macromedia Web site and download the latest content.

Reference

The Reference panel is a great way to expand your Web development knowledge. If you want to know more about a specific tag, select it in a document, and then click the Reference button in the Document bar to open the Reference panel. The panel contains concise guides to different technologies, including Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), ColdFusion (CFML), HTML, JavaScript, Active Server Pages (ASP), Java Server Pages (JSP), Sitespring, and Accessibility. Other ways to access the Reference guide for a specific tag include choosing Help ® Reference or pressing Shift+F1 with a tag selected in Code view or in the Tag selector.

The Files panel

The Files panel contains two of the most important panels, Assets and Site. These panels are covered in depth in the next chapter, but it's important to note here that this group should not be closed. You'll be using both panels extensively.

Cross-Reference 

The Site panel for the PC is the same as the Site window on the Macintosh. This panel is covered extensively in Chapters 32 and 45.



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Macromedia Studio MX Bible
Macromedia Studio MX Bible
ISBN: 0764525239
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 491

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