Dreamweaver Hacks, Tips, Tricks?

[ReadYourBible]

So I inherited our website for the research group, and I've been familiarizing myself with ways to edit the existing page.

 

To my knowledge, I have to have a dreamweaver package downloaded to my laptop (I'm attempting to use a demo version from Adobe, but it would appear the O/S I'm using is 'outdated'.)  I need to somehow figure out how to get it to give me the demo version without updating my operating system.  I'm currently using Windows 7.  

 

Hmmn, I wonder if I go back a couple of versions if they'd allow me the trials from them?  Will try that.

 

Then I have to have access to the server where the file is housed that holds the information for our site, in order to edit the pages/member info etc.  

 

I have FileZilla that I'm using for FTP updates, but the university is pretty stringent about who can access their main server....you have to set up a new user account which literally will take them months.  

 

Anyone know any other ways to be able to edit a page, without having to get the file from the server?  The university is notorious for taking forever and a day to grant access, and I'd like to start editing some of the code...we have some NSERC grant funding paperwork going in this Friday, and I'd like to have the site updated to reflect the necessary changes sooner than January 2015.  (I'm serious, it took them 3 months to grant ME access to use a computer there!)

 

Is it as simple as going to the site, hitting 'source code' and then editing from there? Save that file and then FTP the information onto the server when I'm on site?  

 

p.s. I know next to nothing about this, so speak in the same terms you'd use for a 10 year old you were trying to explain this to.  

 

Thanks in advance..... 

 

 

 

 

[ReadYourBible]

Oh, I also have Dreamweaver MX...something I'd bought a few years back....

 

What I did was I went to our site, went to the respective 'link's members as this is where I'm starting from, and I was able to copy the source code (from Dreamweaver CC version 6) and then copy it to a flash drive and open it with MX version of Dreamweaver.

 

I am wondering though, because I have an older version than what the current site was made with, whether or not there will be an issue when I go to load it to the site...... I'm expecting yes, but don't know for certain.  

[Dan A.]

It's been a while but I have in the past (early 2000) worked with Dreamweaver (along with many other Adobe products) - if you are trying to verify that you can use whatever version of the software you have I would do the following 

1. Create a back up file and a folder on your hard drive
2. Create another copy and folder (name the folder "Test Environment")

Use the file from the "Test Environment" to make your changes and save back on to the same folder - you'll need access to the FTP to upload the modified source file to make sure that the version you are using will not cause issues - if it does...well there's your answer and you can upload the back up file to replace the modified version of the source file.....it's a "trial by fire"..

 

Again, I'm been out of the website development scene for 14 years but it's always been the case that "updated" software is always more of an "aesthetic" and "functionality" change. 

 

Do you know what type of extension (code) is on the end? Is it (dot) PHP, (dot) CF, (dot) HTML? If it's HTML you might have to worry .... anything else u MIGHT have an issue with the code that is generated by the older version of DW....

 

Hopes this helps ....

[Brother Arellano]

Dreamweaver is WYSIWYG web development platform which outputs standard HTML, CSS, and other common programming languages. This is the state that it exists on the server. For the most part basic HTML and CSS are easy to learn and would allow you to manage your webpage with nothing more than a program like Notepad and there are several free HTML editors you can use. 

 

Of course it all depends on how complex your site is and what features it has. 

[Shawnster]

I'll move this to General Interest since it's not Alt News.