MACROMEDIA DREAMWEAVER MX 2004-EXTENDING DREAMWEAVER Specifikace stáhnout pdf (Strana 111)

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CHAPTER 4

User Interfaces for

Extensions

Most extensions are built to receive information from the user through a user interface (UI).

For example, if you create a Property inspector extension for the

marquee tag, you need to

create a way for the user to specify attributes like direction and height. If you plan to submit

your extension for Macromedia certification, you need to follow the guidelines that are

available within the Extension Manager files on the Macromedia Exchange website

(www.macromedia.com/exchange). These guidelines are not intended to limit your creativity.

Their purpose is to ensure that certified extensions work effectively within the Macromedia

Dreamweaver 8 UI and that the extension UI design does not detract from its functionality.

Designing an extension user interface

Typically, you create an extension to perform a task that users encounter frequently. Certain

parts of the task are repetitive; by creating an extension, you can automate the repetitive

actions. Some steps in the task can change, or specific attributes of the code that the extension

processes can change. To receive user inputs for these variable values, you build a UI.

For example, you might create an extension to update a web catalog. Users periodically need

to change values for image sources, item descriptions, and prices. Although the values change,

the procedures for getting these values and formatting the information for display on the

website remain the same. A simple extension can automate the formatting while letting users

manually input the new, updated values for image sources, item descriptions, and prices. A

more robust extension can retrieve these values periodically from a database.

The purpose of your extension UI is to receive information that the user inputs. This

information handles the variable aspects of a repetitive task that the extension performs.

Dreamweaver supports HTML and JavaScript form elements as the basic building blocks for

creating extension UI controls and displays the UI using its own HTML renderer. Therefore,

an extension UI can be as simple as an HTML file that contains a two-column table with text

descriptions and form input fields.

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MACROMEDIA DREAMWEAVER MX 2004-EXTENDING DREAMWEAVER Specifikace Strana 111