There are many advantages with using Dreamweaver for designing and maintaining web sites.
1. Building and editing web sites is fast.
A user may start with one of many supplied css templates and quickly modify it for their purposes.
The GUI interface allows for simultaneous designing and coding. The user can see what their
html looks like immediately after writing the code.
2. The split view interface allows the user to quickly build a page in the design view and then refine
the html in the coding view. Also, code that needs to be modified may be located quickly by
selecting the corresponding element in the design pane. The code pane automatically scrolls to
the html for the selected element and highlights the code. The ability to work form one interface
also speeds up web development.
3. Dynamic features may be added to a site through the use of page behaviors, Dreamweaver's
JavaScript interface, and server behaviors, Dreamweaver's database connection interface.
4. Also, basic image optimization may be accomplished within Dreamweaver and more advanced
image processing may be accomplished through the close integration between Dreamweaver and
Fireworks. Finally, Flash buttons and other basic Flash elements may be added within the
Dreamweaver interface.
5. Hundreds of third party extensions that add functionality may be downloaded for free or
purchased. Extensions are usually written in html, JavaScript, or C. Most extensions do one or
more of the following: automate changes to a document, interact with Dreamweaver to open or
close windows or documents, connect to a data source, insert or manage a block of server code.
6. Dreamweaver offers both a JavaScript API and a Utility API.
7. Dreamweaver is customizable. The user may set preferences controlling how and to what extent
accessibility is coded. The user may adjust code coloring, what fonts are used for coding, and
how code is highlighted. The user may also set which browsers to use for previewing a page.
8. Besides setting preferences, the user may also directly edit the configuration files. In this way,
menus may be rearranged to suite individual taste. Tabs may be added or removed. The names
of commands may be changed, added, or removed. Anything about the look and feel of
Dreamweaver may be customized within the configuration files.