Color Coding

[NicCrockett]

I switched from Adobe GoLive CS2 to Adobe Dreamweaver CC 2017. Yes, I know that's a big jump. Dreamweaver CC 2017 is the dumbest program for understanding and displaying code colors in the interface. GoLive CS2 could understand code coloring without any preference changes and it is more than a decade older than Dreamweaver CC 2017. I am honestly thinking about switching back to GoLive CS2 just so I can read the code. I have tried everything I can find online about changing code coloring. Including Adobe's own, incomplete, how to on changing code colors (Learn how you can customize the colors of your code elements in Dreamweaver. ). I say incomplete because the description on how to change "Customize code colors for mixed code files" doesn't actually tell you how to change colors for all file types. On top of that, it doesn't actually change the colors for the coding languages mixed in the same file. It did change some coloring, but I have ASP, HTML, CSS, Javascript, and JQuery all mixed up in one file. If Dreamweaver has an actual way of showing appropriate code coloring I can't find it. If I can't get an answer to this I'm returning the product and going back to GoLive CS2 or some other editor like Notepad++, which by the way understands code coloring better than Dreamweaver.

Also, for the devs who design Dreamweaver. The functionality for creating a custom interface that supposedly allows you to change code coloring is terrible. The preference window that you create the custom interface in works fine. However, after you've created a custom interface, applied it, close Dreamweaver and then open it again, it takes a couple minutes for Dreamweaver to open. Where as before I created the custom interface it opened in a matter of seconds. At this point I haven't even made changes to the custom interface, all I did was create it and apply it. Technically at this point it is a replication of the Dark theme. I have a brand new Windows 10 PC with an SSD and 16 GB of RAM. There is zero reason why a program should take this long just to open. Also, now that I've created the custom theme, deleted it, and switched back to the dark theme, it still takes a couple minutes for Dreamweaver to open. Thanks for breaking my software that I spent $850+ dollars on. As an IT Admin, why should I ever purchase anything from you again?

Please provide some answers/fixes so I don't have to switch back to GoLive CS2. I want to use Dreamweaver, but if it's unusable then that will be impossible.

[Nancy OShea]

Code Colors:

• Solution: White on Mint Green Code Color.
• Dreamweaver CC 2017 - Language Aware Code Colouring - How To

< it takes a couple minutes for Dreamweaver to open.>

You can turn off Automatic Sync in your Preferences.  See screenshot. 

Nancy

[NicCrockett]

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately it was basically useless.

Opening Delay:

I only had Enable Automatic Sync turned on and when I turned it off it didn't help the situation.

Color Coding:

Using the article I posted and the article you posted I was able to turn all Javascript code white. Yay for a useless code coloring system. Neither article specifies what to use for all coding languages (i.e. ASP). They also don't tell you how to color code the different types of elements. Yes, I did see the example for PHP string and comment. However, as the article says I'd have to do a lot of research to figure out every element to color code. I'm not going to spend the next several months researching all of the elements for all the coding languages I use. To be perfectly honest, this system is ludicrous and the designers at Adobe that implemented it should be fired.

I do appreciate the help. If you have anymore suggestions I'm all ears.

Thanks,

Nick

[osgood_]

Nick Crockett wrote:

I switched from Adobe GoLive CS2 to Adobe Dreamweaver CC 2017. Yes, I know that's a big jump. Dreamweaver CC 2017 is the dumbest program for understanding and displaying code colors in the interface. GoLive CS2 could understand code coloring without any preference changes and it is more than a decade older than Dreamweaver CC 2017. I am honestly thinking about switching back to GoLive CS2 just so I can read the code. I have tried everything I can find online about changing code coloring. Including Adobe's own, incomplete, how to on changing code colors (Learn how you can customize the colors of your code elements in Dreamweaver. ). I say incomplete because the description on how to change "Customize code colors for mixed code files" doesn't actually tell you how to change colors for all file types. On top of that, it doesn't actually change the colors for the coding languages mixed in the same file. It did change some coloring, but I have ASP, HTML, CSS, Javascript, and JQuery all mixed up in one file. If Dreamweaver has an actual way of showing appropriate code coloring I can't find it. If I can't get an answer to this I'm returning the product and going back to GoLive CS2 or some other editor like Notepad++, which by the way understands code coloring better than Dreamweaver.

Also, for the devs who design Dreamweaver. The functionality for creating a custom interface that supposedly allows you to change code coloring is terrible. The preference window that you create the custom interface in works fine. However, after you've created a custom interface, applied it, close Dreamweaver and then open it again, it takes a couple minutes for Dreamweaver to open. Where as before I created the custom interface it opened in a matter of seconds. At this point I haven't even made changes to the custom interface, all I did was create it and apply it. Technically at this point it is a replication of the Dark theme. I have a brand new Windows 10 PC with an SSD and 16 GB of RAM. There is zero reason why a program should take this long just to open. Also, now that I've created the custom theme, deleted it, and switched back to the dark theme, it still takes a couple minutes for Dreamweaver to open. Thanks for breaking my software that I spent $850+ dollars on. As an IT Admin, why should I ever purchase anything from you again?

Please provide some answers/fixes so I don't have to switch back to GoLive CS2. I want to use Dreamweaver, but if it's unusable then that will be impossible.

Your best best is to try CC2015 or CS6, which are available if you have cloud membership. Those still have the original color coding options available.

CC 2017 is a huge, huge leap away from the previous versions of DW, some would correctly say in the wrong direction, regarding some aspects of the programme. Personally I think the color coding option is truly awful for a top-of-the-range product. A bit like a kids toy or do-it-yourself if you understand coding, unfortunately 99% of DW users dont.

There have been a lot of updates to the visual editor, to bring in more up to date options, which can compete with other text edtors out there unfortunately other areas, like the color coding, have been overlooked. Strange as it is by far one of the most important aspects of any coders toolbox. If the colors aint right the rest of the software is useless and less productive. Should have sorted the color options out first Adobe .

[NicCrockett]

If I can't get this worked out in DW 2017 then I'll try your suggestion of using an older version of DW. Thanks for the tip and I agree that this is a step back. I think it's just plain sad that a web editor like GoLive CS2 that was created in 2005 and a text editor like Notepad++ has outstandingly better code coloring. I hope Adobe sees this post because they need to fire someone and put out an update ASAP.

Thanks,

Nick

[pziecina]

Nick Crockett wrote:

I hope Adobe sees this post because they need to fire someone and put out an update ASAP.

This has been going on since Dw 2017 was released back at the beginning of November.

The solution Nancy supplied, is the update.

[NicCrockett]

No offense to Nancy, but the solution provided is useless and not an update. At best it is a poorly implemented work around that pushes customers to not purchase Adobe CC software. If I'm going to be required to implement that as a solution then the company I manage will find alternatives before updating other users to CC. It's sad that a graphics company, who's day to day operations include using numerous Adobe software packages, is going to go elsewhere if this is type of junk that Adobe is going to release.

Thanks,

Nick

[Nancy OShea]

I went to Github and grabbed a Brackets code color theme.  I used the LESS file as my starting point.  As an example, Ruby Blue

GitHub - Brackets-Themes/RubyBlue: Dark, high contrast theme for Adobe Brackets.

DW doesn't have much [any] support for ASP Classic.  Not since MS stopped developing it in 2008.

Nancy

[NicCrockett]

Thanks for the suggestion. If I get a week to figure out how all that works and how it will affect the software then I'll implement it. A solution that requires that much time will never happen. I don't have time to make sure that the solution will work and how it will affect my environment. I've already wasted more time then I can spare posting in the forums. I need software that just works and doesn't require major modifications to do something that today should be simple.

Thanks again for the suggestion!

Nick

[lorig_1x11]

I have to maintain a site that uses ASP / VBScript for a while longer. I'm not sure that I can install an older version of Dreamweaver where I am at because of the hoops to jump through to get this version. Is there any hope that they will support the code coloring for this or am I (and the rest of my team), out of luck? If there's hope, does anyone have an ETA for some more code coloring bug fixes?

[NicCrockett]

@lorig_1x11 as much as I'd like to say this will get fixed, I wouldn't get your hopes up. Adobe doesn't care about their customers, they only care about overcharging us for software that's less useful than software from more than a decade ago. The only chance we have of getting them to do anything is to vote up the bug report I reported. The more votes it has, the more likely they are to listen. However, I don't want to get your hopes up on something that is a long shot at best. Like I said, they only care about the subscription fee that we pay yearly. I have a feeling the only thing that's truly going to get their attention is for users to start using other software and Adobe see their bottom line drop. Then they will start considering their customers again.

[pziecina]

NicCrockett  wrote

Like I said, they only care about the subscription fee that we pay yearly. I have a feeling the only thing that's truly going to get their attention is for users to start using other software and Adobe see their bottom line drop. Then they will start considering their customers again.

I thought about not replying to the above, mainly because no one that has any influence will read what you have written, or what i reply.

I agree that Dw is not fit for purpose, but as far as i can see there is no point in posting in this forum about our complaints, except to simply vent our frustrations. As an ACP i am probably expected to support Dw, (many ACP/MVP's have said as much) but as many ACP's also do not use Dw, i find that being told to support a program, (Dw) that is so far out of touch laughable.

The only possibility that the Dw team may listen to your complaints, is if hundreds of users join the Dw beta program and post what is wrong with Dw in the beta discussions forum. If you do not nothing will ever change.

I left the beta program because i was significantly 'out numbered' by those who can see nothing wrong with Dw, or understand why i stopped using Dw, (they also do not want none Dw users).

To join the beta, follow the link on this page -

https://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/see-how-dreamweaver-is-transforming-for-the-future/

(you can also read the article, and enjoy the irony)

[Jon Fritz]

I doubt DW will ever add more support for ASP, that's just not the way the program is moving according to Adobe.

Even if they had plans to bring back full support for ASP, staff members wouldn't be able to give us any kind of ETA on the upgrade here in the forum. Their current corporate policy doesn't allow for that kind of heads-up to users (lame, I know).

[NicCrockett]

Jon Fritz II​ they aren't supporting any multiple languages in a single document. Old vs. modern is irrelevant. If I can't see the difference between the HTML, CSS, Javascript, JQuery, VBScript, and ASP in my document then what good is Dreamweaver. GoLive made before 2005, Notepad++, and Visual Studio all had/have this ability. How is it that Dreamweaver CC 2017 is dumber than GoLive CS2?

[Jon Fritz]

Sorry Nic, I wasn't replying to your post, I was replying specifically to lorig_1x11's post about ASP support in DW and whether we would ever get an ETA on any kind of update.

Hopefully, Adobe will add Bracket's support for multiple languages in a single document soon, in the mean time, you can add it manually...Dreamweaver CC 2017 - Language Aware Code Colouring - How To

[Jon Fritz]

Nick Crockett wrote:

...I hope Adobe sees this post because they need to fire someone and put out an update ASAP.

Believe it or not, it was actually quite a bit worse when CC 2017.0 first came out. It took a few months, but Adobe released a patch (to CC 2017.0.1) that took care of around 1/2 or so of the problems people were initially having with the code coloring.

The thing is, DWCC2017 is the first "new DW" where the code engine wasn't built on the bones of the old Macromedia versions. They completely removed the old MM code interface and replaced it, for better or worse, with Brackets.

You can find solutions for some issues by doing searches in Google for "the same issue, in Brackets". It's obviously not ideal, but it is what it is, until they fix it.

Make sure to report bugs/feature requests under the Help menu in DW. Without as many people as possible asking for features, especially commonly perceived as fundamental and necessary, we could be saddled with a product that just doesn't quite do what we need.

And, as Os said, as a subscriber there's access to the old versions if they better fit your needs, all the way back to CS6 Cloud.

[NicCrockett]

Thanks for comments. I will definitely submit a request! Again, if CC 2017.0.1 was the fix, then someone shouldn't have a job anymore. The solution is complete junk.

Thanks,

Nick

[NicCrockett · Accepted solution]

If anyone cares to vote this up on the bug community here's the link: Color Coding – Adobe Dreamweaver CC: Feature Ideas

[Kratika Agarwal]

Hello,

We have started working on “Code Coloring Customization” improvements by adding support for customization of generic and language specific colors and the changes are available in our latest Prerelease drop.

With this improvement you will be able to customize Code Colors in Dreamweaver Preferences --> Interface window.

Please join Dreamweaver beta program from below link and try out the feature.

https://www.adobeprerelease.com/beta/9EB451B5-D2E8-46E5-AFA2-78C85442FFA2/participate/CD0C95AA-6274-...

Thanks

Dreamweaver Team

[Kratika Agarwal]

Hi All,

We have started working on “Code Color Customization” improvements by adding support for customization of generic and language specific colors.

We have further stabilized the code coloring feature in our latest Prerelease build 15333.


You can refer to below thread for more details on code coloring customization improvements.
https://forums.adobeprerelease.com/dwalpha/discussion/467/dreamweaver-build-15333-is-now-available#l...

Please join Dreamweaver beta program from below link and try out the feature.

https://www.adobeprerelease.com/beta/9EB451B5-D2E8-46E5-AFA2-78C85442FFA2/participate/CD0C95AA-6274-...

Please go ahead and try out the build and let inflow your thoughts/suggestions. Looking forward to your valuable feedback.

Thanks


Dreamweaver Team