User:Kelvinzioki
Part I: Building Dynamic Sites
Chapter 1. What Is a Dynamic Site?
Dynamic Sites Defined
Dynamic Site Tools
The Skills
Team Management
Asset Management
Summary
Chapter 2. The Architecture of Dynamic Sites
The Pancake Principle of Dynamic Site Architecture
Let the Software Do the Work
Complexity vs. Simplicity
Summary
Chapter 3. Planning a Dynamic Site
Want vs. Need
The Creative Brief
The Technical Brief
The Communication Process
Creating a Chat Room in Flash MX 2004
Summary
Chapter 4. Planning the Data for a Dynamic Site
Planning the Data
Flowcharting the Logic
Planning the Community Center Site
Getting Ready to Work
Summary
Chapter 5. Planning the Look
Creating the Site Model
Wireframing
Comprehensive Designs
Prototyping
Summary
Part II: Building the Interactive Tour
Chapter 6. Creating the Tour Assets
The Plan
Imaging in Fireworks MX 2004
The Studio MX 2004 Workflow
Creating the Oakbridge Community Center Masthead
Batch Process is a Developer's Best Friend
Summary
Chapter 7. The Elements of the Dynamic Page
Dreamweaver MX 2004 and Dynamic Data
Building Templates in Dreamweaver MX 2004
Creating Cascading Style Sheets in Dreamweaver MX 2004
Summary
Chapter 8. Building the Data
Databases and Studio MX 2004
A ColdFusion MX Overview
Building a Simple Back-End
Summary
Chapter 9. Flash Remoting
What It Is
Flash/ColdFusion
Summary
Chapter 10. Assembling the Tour
Choosing Fonts
Designing the Look for the Applications
Assembling the Dreamweaver MX 2004 Pages
Summary
Part III: Building the Booking Facility
Chapter 11. Creating the Booking Facility Assets
Director vs. Flash
The Plan
Imaging in Fireworks MX 2004
The Fireworks MX 2004/Director MX Connection
The Flash MX 2004/Director MX Connection
Summary
Chapter 12. Flash Communication Server MX: Moving Dynamic Data Through Director MX and Flash MX 2004
The Movement of Dynamic Data Through and Out of Director MX and Flash MX 2004
Interface Issues
Summary
Chapter 13. Assembling the Booking Application in Flash MX 2004
Planning the Project
Creating the Booking Facility Database
Creating an ActionScript Document in Dreamweaver MX 2004
Building the Booking Facility in Flash MX 2004
Building the Calendar
Summary
Chapter 14. Assembling the Booking Application in Director MX
A 'Dispassionate' Look at the Differences
Wrapping the Booking Facility in Director MX
Summary
Part IV: Building the Online Meeting Facility
Chapter 15. Embedding and Streaming Video in Flash MX 2004
Digital Video Overview
Incorporating Video into Flash MX 2004
Streaming Video Through the Flash Communication Server MX
Summary
Chapter 16. Building the Chat Room
Chat Issues
Designing the Room
Building the Chat Room
Summary
Chapter 17. Flash MX 2004 and Real-Time, Two-Way Communication
Streaming and How We Got from 'There' to 'Here'
Design Issues
Building the Streaming Audio Communicator in Flash MX 2004
Summary
Chapter 18. Building the Meeting Application
The Competitive Advantage of Flash MX 2004
Jordan's Epiphany
The 'Story' Behind the Meeting Room
The Technologies That Make the Meeting Room Work
Constructing the Meeting Room
Summary
Part V: Pulling It All Together
Chapter 19. Debugging and Testing
Debugging Issues
Using ColdFusion MX's Debugging Options
Optimizing Dreamweaver MX 2004 Code
Director MX Debugging Tools
Debugging in Flash MX 2004
Usability/Functionality
Accessibility
The Testing Team and Its Responsibilities
Summary
Chapter 20. Deployment
Ensuring Dynamic Components Are Working
Uploading to the Remote Server
Summary
Chapter1. What Is a Dynamic Site?
To hear the experts tell it, building dynamic sites should be left to them. They will point you to Amazon.com, CNN.com, or sites that feature interactive chats and live video feeds, and they will point out just how complex it can be to deliver a site of this genre.
The average web developer, whose client list includes a large number of local businesses, will listen to the expert's explanation of the technologies involved and the skills required and will have the following, understandable reaction: "Not for me, dude."
We beg to differ. Our response is quite the opposite: "Cool. Bring it on."
Before you start accusing us of being some sort of collection of "techno dweebs" or "tekkie elites," understand that a couple of us were in your shoes a few years ago. We saw it coming and said, "Nope, not for me…too complex…too technical. We'll never go there!" The way we got to the point in our careers where this chapter came about is a fairly typical story. Our clients started asking about building dynamic sites, which left us in the position of either getting dynamic or getting dead.
Dynamic Site Tools Macromedia Studio MX 2004 features a full complement of tools that enable you to go right to work. Freehand MX is a powerful vector-drawing tool that integrates workflow with not only Flash MX 2004 but also Fireworks MX 2004. Flash MX 2004 is able to talk to the Flash Communication Server MX and have content fed into it through ColdFusion MX, and Flash files can be used in Director MX presentations and, of course, be embedded in a Dreamweaver MX 2004 page. Dreamweaver MX 2004 is the hub of the Studio. Content created elsewhere can be easily added to Dreamweaver MX 2004 pages, and, if the content is Flash MX 2004- or Fireworks MX 2004-produced, it can be edited in those applications with a single mouse click in Dreamweaver MX 2004. Dreamweaver is easily configured to communicate with ColdFusion MX, allowing you to preview your data in real time. It ships with an abundance of ready-made templates and can even be used as an ActionScript editor. Fireworks MX 2004 is the imaging application with the capability to accommodate slicing, gif animation creation, pull-down menus, buttons, and a host of other features. The following is a listing of many of the tools and a short list of their major features: • Dreamweaver MX 2004 o Rapid development and management of HTML and XHTML pages. o Code and design views accommodate all skill levels. o Capability to create template-driven sites for a uniform look and feel. o Capability to integrate content from Flash MX 2004, Freehand MX, Fireworks MX 2004, and Director MX. o Live data preview. o Full CSS support. • Flash MX 2004 o Streaming vector-based multimedia means rapid downloads to browsers. o Online Internet Application development tool (also known as Rich Internet Applications). o Hundreds of third-party components available. o Superb integration with Freehand MX. o Capability to add video and audio to Flash presentations. o Capability to easily create dynamic Flash presentations and sites. • Fireworks MX 2004 o One of the best web image optimization tools on the market. o GIF animations, buttons, rollovers, and pop-down menus are simple to create. o Slicing and hotspot features for large pages or image maps. o Full complement of special effects features ranging from Drop Shadows to code-driven special effects. o Works with vectors, bitmaps, and images composed of both vectors and bitmaps. o Seamless Flash MX 2004 integration. o One-click access to Fireworks MX 2004 from Dreamweaver MX 2004 and Freehand MX. • Freehand MX o Freehand MX symbols move seamlessly into Fireworks MX 2004 and Flash MX 2004. o Connector tool for rapid creation of site maps. o Action tool for creation of prototype clickthrus. o Multiple page feature allows for site comp creation in one, not several, documents. o Master pages can be applied to different pages of a multipage Freehand document. o One-click bitmap editing with Fireworks MX 2004. o The most robust collection of typographic tools in the Studio. o Libraries can be shared among members of the team. • Director MX o Industrial strength multimedia development tool. o Capability to integrate content from various sources. o Full-featured programming language. o Capability to call content on demand rather than waiting for the entire movie to stream. o Access to Flash Communication Server. • ColdFusion MX o Tag-based language. o Integrates databases with web pages or Flash movies. o Built-in search engine and scheduler. o Rapid application development. • Flash Communication Server o Streaming communications between Flash players. o Integrates with various middleware. o Capability to share objects between connected Flash players. Template:Creating a dynamic website