Can someone dumb down a question about DW and connecting to SQL Server?

[strategyp]

So I have used DW to build asp and .net stuff for years always working with SQL Server. I got the newest version of DW and it does not even have the server behaviors feature installed. Question 1... Is DW no longer interested in allowing us to build sites that connect to a DB or am I overlooking a new and different way to connect to my SQL server without using the server behavior functions?

I installed the server behavior plug-in and it does give me the option to connect to my DB... I set it up and click test and it accesses my SQL server just fine. Now when I try to create a new recordset the minute I click OK dreamweaver completely crashes and I have to restart.

I spoke with DW support and they simply say they don't support server behavior and that I will need to contact the developer of that plug-in for support.

I do not mean this rhetorical but is there no longer a standard way within the stock version of DW to work with my DB? I mean why would they remove that feature unless there is something I am way overlooking.

Any input is greatly appreciated. 

[Jon Fritz]

Adobe removed the server connection options when CC came out. The scripts were outdated and no longer considered secure and rather than rewriting them, they chose to drop them.They promised to update and reintroduce them years later, but have since shelved the idea, in favor of fixing bugs and making the program run better in modern operating systems.

The old server behaviors are no longer compatible with the last few versions of PHP and should be avoided completely. They simply will not work on a server running anything newer than PHP 5.6.

If you have a budget, there are a couple third party extensions that use more modern coding methods (mySQLi and PDO) from DMXZone and WebAssist. Otherwise the only option would be to learn how to write those connection scripts yourself.

[Nancy OShea]

DW has not supported ASP or server behaviors for many years. Most ASP developers use Microsoft products like Visual Studio Code.

You can use DW if you know how to code manually.  Or you can buy 3rd party commercial extensions to help you.

https://www.dmxzone.com/go/33136/dmxzone-database-connector-2

[strategyp]

Nancy - have you used this app? The connections and queries look really cool but do you know if it allows you to drag and drop fields from the DB onto your page like the server behavior thing does (or did when it actually worked) ? 

Thanks again.

[strategyp]

Thank you Jon and Nancy. Ha any idea where I can purchase an old version of DW and just kick it old school? It used to work like a charm for me. 

[Nancy OShea]

... any idea where I can purchase an old version of DW...

==========

No, not possible.  Creative Suite has NOT been sold since 2017.  It's discontinued, unsupported and unavailable for purchase in any country.

Get modern software that understands modern scripting and web technologies.  If not, then don't do web development.  The old school ways are not viable anymore. Too much has changed.

And don't even think about auction sites like eBay.   CS1, CS2, CS3 and CS4 are dead & gone. The aging activation servers failed and were taken offline. So even if you find an installer with a legitimate serial number, it's impossible to activate the software to use it.

[BenPleysier]

This is one of the reasons why I jumped ship, I now use Wappler

[strategyp]

Ben I am not familiar with this but looking at the site... It can do semi-visual data driven stuff? All I really want is data in and data out. I'll focus on pretty when I can achieve that. I miss the DW features of creating recordsets, update record, add new record, delete record... I'm not looking to build the next TD ameritrade, just a fairly straight forward data driven site. Please advise and thank you for the suggestion. 

[BenPleysier]

Have a look at this

[osgood_]

I miss the DW features of creating recordsets, update record, add new record, delete record... I'm not looking to build the next TD ameritrade, just a fairly straight forward data driven site. Please advise and thank you for the suggestion. 

By @strategyp

If thats all you want to do then take a day out and go through a couple of tutorials on youtube. Its really quite simple to do what you want with a few lines of code. The problem is most who use a visual approach to coding think its difficult, when its not.

Youll save yourself the extra expense of purchasing additional extentions or repeat software subscriptions.

[BenPleysier]

Been there done that.  Haven't looked back since.