Adobe Extending Dreamweaver CS4 - Manual (Page 8)

2 EXTENDING DREAMWEAVER CS4
Introduction
Some extensions need Dreamweaver to restart before you can use them. If you are running Dreamweaver when you
install the extension, you might be prompted to quit and restart the application.
To view basic information on the extension after its installation, go to the Extension Manager (Commands > Manage
Extensions) in Dreamweaver.
Creating an extension
Before you create a Dreamweaver extension, go to the Adobe Exchange website at
http://www.adobe.com/go/exchange to see if the extension you plan to create already exists. If you do not find an
extension that meets your needs, you then perform the following steps to create the extension:
• Determine the type of extension you want to create. For more information about the extension types, see “ Types of
Dreamweaver extensions ” on page 75.
• Review the documentation for the type of extension you plan to create. To become familiar with creating that type
of extension, it’s a good idea to create the simple extension example in the appropriate topic.
• Determine which files you need to modify or create.
• Plan the user interface (UI), if any, for the extension.
• Create the necessary files and save them in the appropriate folders.
• Restart Dreamweaver so that it recognizes the new extension.
• Test the extension.
• Package the extension so that you can share it with others. For more information, see “ Working with the Extension
Manager ” on page 81.
Additional resources for extension writers
To communicate with other developers who are involved in writing extensions, join the Dreamweaver extensibility
newsgroup. You can access the Adobe website for this newsgroup at
http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/webforums/forum/categories.cfm?forumid=12&catid=190&entercat=y .
New features in Dreamweaver CS4
Dreamweaver CS4 includes the following new features and interfaces that are extensible.
• Viewing and editing web pages using related files
• Viewing web pages as rendered in a web browser using Live view feature
• Viewing code and design of the HTML pages side-by-side using Vertical Split view feature
• Viewing error messages without disrupting workflow
• Updating the source images without opening Adobe Photoshop, using Photoshop Smart Objects
Each of these features has new related functions that have been added to the Utility API and the JavaScript API. For
information on the new functions, see the Dreamweaver API Reference.