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Build Sites With Rich Content
by Don Kiely
February 3, 2005
Macromedia Studio MX 2004 features four industrial-strength Web development tools: Dreamweaver MX, for designing and developing the pages that make up a site; Flash MX, for creating and deploying rich multimedia content; Fireworks MX, for creating and exporting interactive graphics; and FreeHand MX, for creating vector-based graphics. These tools comprise a Web designer's dream team for rich, interactive Web sites (see Figure 1).
The Windows package also includes ColdFusion MX, a "rapid scripting environment" for hosting and serving up dynamic Web pages. Studio MX also supports ASP, ASP.NET, JSP, and PHP, with integrated features to create Web pages using the appropriate scripting and server code as well as deployment to the various server types. For example, the ASP.NET designer has GUI tools to simplify tasks such as retrieving information from a database and using ASP.NET server controls. Once you know how to do something for one server, you'll see that the steps for another server are virtually identical. With both Windows and Macintosh versions of the tools included in the box, you can move between the platforms and use similar tools.
Studio MX is helpful when you must work with different sites hosted on various platforms. However, tasks that are straightforward in dedicated server tools, such as VS.NET for ASP.NET, are cumbersome in Dreamweaver.
The five tools are not as integrated as the marketing literature suggests. You can share features and documents between the tools, but each tool has its own IDE that is focused on its particular type of visual development. This means that there's a learning curve as you move between tools, but it also means that each IDE is uniquely suited for its task.
As a developer with severely restricted graphic design capabilities, I didn't find Studio MX to be as compelling as it would be to a designer. The VB.NET and C# code is color-coded, but there's little productivity support such as name completion or IntelliSense.
The documentation is simply mind-boggling in its thoroughness. The only printed manual in the box, "Exploring Studio MX," is nearly 200 pages and provides feature overviews and tutorials. The tools feature comprehensive help files, and the Macromedia Web site offers a wealth of material. With information this complete, anyone willing to put in the time will have no problem learning the tools.
Studio MX is a great set of tools for Web designers who write HTML, create stunning content, and generate fairly generic dynamic Web pages. Web developers writing code should probably stick to dedicated tools that help make you more productive.
Macromedia Studio MX 2004 version 7.0.1
Macromedia
Web: www.macromedia.com
Phone: 801-431-1380
Price: $899
Quick Facts: Comprehensive suite of Web development tools for ASP, ASP.NET, JSP, ColdFusion, and PHP.
Pros: Rich tools for stunning Web content; powerful IDEs dedicated to specific uses; great documentation.
Cons: Products not closely integrated, little support for writing server-side code.
About the Author
Don Kiely is a senior technology consultant. Reach him at .
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