Asp php web application builder

Dreamweaver MX 6.0 ($399 list) has new features for every level of Web developer, taking this Macromedia product decidedly upscale without leaving beginners behind. The new version folds UltraDev, the company's Web application builder (which no longer exists as a standalone product), and adds more database code support and server code libraries. That makes Dreamweaver the only program developers will need to create high-performance, database-driven sites.

New support for ASP.NET, PHP, and ColdFusion MX helps Dreamweaver stay well ahead of Microsoft FrontPage and Adobe GoLive, which have never had database support as complete as UltraDev's. We also appreciated seeing the improved support for ASP and JSP development, as well as for XML editing and validating. Developers of content for cell phones and other mobile devices may prefer GoLive, though, with its wider support for mobile device languages and its cell-phone emulators.

Those who code HTML by hand will also find new features. Macromedia has integrated useful tools from its HomeSite code editor, that lets hand-coders use code hints and tag editors to write faster. And we liked the library of prebuilt snippets, reusable pieces of code that speed the process of adding common elements—different header styles and tables with different formats, for example. You can create snippets with your own frequently used code, too, of course. Another new feature we liked lets you create nested templates, making page design more flexible.

Beginners looking to get sites up quickly usually choose Microsoft FrontPage because of its abundance of business-page templates. Although Macromedia has added sample content, page layouts, and a site-creation wizard, Dreamweaver takes more time to learn. It's still easier to hit the ground running with FrontPage.

Like Adobe GoLive, Dreamweaver tries to solve the palette overload problem—a workspace increasingly beset by tiny windows because too much must be on-screen simultaneously. We like GoLive's palette stashing, which hides unused palette's on the side of the screen, but Dreamweaver's solution of grouping windows into one compact, tabbed window (sections of which can be expanded when clicked), is a big improvement, and is easier to use. Those with large screens or dual monitors can easily return to the floating palette style of version 4.0, if they prefer.

Other improvements include enhanced support for Cascading Style Sheets 2 and the addition of features that ease the process of designing pages accessible to those with visual, motor, or other disabilities.

Although this version doesn't have everything we could have wished for, Dreamweaver continues to be the industry leader for professional designers and is still far and away the best in its field.

Copyright ?? 2002 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in PC Magazine.