Dreamweaver replacement Product

[Park City Dreamweaver]

I have been using Dreamweaver forever.  Now with the advent of new image formats (.webp), DW does not render the images in design mode nor does it gather the size information.  There is no support for that nor is Adobe going to provide it.  There are some workarounds but they are very ineffective. I am starting to look for a replacement product and wonder if there is anything out there.

The features that I use the most are:

• Templates where I have 3 or four generic templates that I use for new pages.  My site has 2,500 unique pages for the templates
• Include from the library of standard code for things that are included on the pages like my order (text base box) and images of various sizes.
• I use CSS extensively to control font sizes, scalability, and Project VII menus and various features.
• I would like to have a Windows Desktop version that DOES NOT depend on a vendor staying in business or having a link to a website or cloud solution to make the product work. For example, we used Adobe Forms Central for one of our products. They dropped that like a lead balloon and we had to go thru a great deal of work to come up with an alternative.

 What I would like to do is import what I have from DW to a new platform (Windows based), and still be able to include HTML code from a library.  We use CSS to manage text link boxes in our application.

Any suggestion would be appreciated.  Sitting in Limbo waiting for Adobe to kill DW is not a real option. It is a shame that no one will take up the gauntlet and provide a path for migration from DW to the new age.

[BenPleysier]

• Templates where I have 3 or four generic templates that I use for new pages.  My site has 2,500 unique pages for the templates

By @Park City Dreamweaver

If you are referring to the Dreamweaver templating system, then you are out of luck. This is Adobe's proprietory software and can only be used in Dreamweaver.

• Include from the library of standard code for things that are included on the pages like my order (text base box) and images of various sizes.

By @Park City Dreamweaver

If you are referring to Dreamweaver's Library, then again you are out of luck. The alternative is to use Custom Elements.

• I use CSS extensively to control font sizes, scalability, and Project VII menus and various features.

By @Park City Dreamweaver

CSS should not be a problem; Project VII extensions can only be used in Dreamweaver.

• I would like to have a Windows Desktop version that DOES NOT depend on a vendor staying in business or having a link to a website or cloud solution to make the product work. For example, we used Adobe Forms Central for one of our products. They dropped that like a lead balloon and we had to go thru a great deal of work to come up with an alternative.

By @Park City Dreamweaver

What you are looking for in this regard is a pure Text editor that is not reliant on extensions/addons from third parties. The problem with this is that it increases development time. This is because everything needs to be hand coded. 

Then there is the option to go for a product like Visual Code Studio, an excellent IDE with plenty of addons that mimic the functions that you are used to when using Dreamweaver. Above all, this IDE is free of charge.

I will not mention web based programs because you have already rightly stated that these are out of the question.

Leaves me with the suggestion to go for a product like Wappler. This is the option that I have opted to go for. Wappler is in many regards the same as Dreamweaver when Dreamweaver has all of the DMXzone extensions installed. Wappler is a low code editor meaning that nearly all of the code is written by Wappler. The code that is being written is industry standard HTML, CSS and JS. The advantage is that development time is greatly reduced allowing the devloper to concentrate on the functionality of the application. If Wappler were to suddenly kick the bucket, then the code that has been produced can easily be further maintained with Visual Code Studio, albeit without the UI for which Wappler is famous.

I will not bore you any further save pointing you to a playlist that I am current developing: Boutique - YouTube

[rayek.elfin]

Pinegrow is probably the best alternative to replace DW with in your @Park City Dreamweaver case:

• one-time affordable payment perpetual license (with 1 year updates and even if you stop updating, you may continue to use that version forever -- their words)
• desktop application that continues to work without an internet connection
• easily imports your pages/website. Number of pages does not matter.
• supports master pages and reusable page components
• easy to convert existing code libraries to component libraries or code snippets in PineGrow
• fully supports all current image file formats: webp included. Also supports animated PNG and webp files!
• ful wysiwyg preview and design
• but also supports clean code and hooks into Visual Studio Code or Atom with a plugin for real-time sync code<->visual view editing.
• extensive CSS visual editor
• supports all modern html/css frameworks (Bootstrap 3,4,5 | Foundation 5, 6.6 | AngularJS | Tailwind (requires extra addon) | plain HTML5 | CSS variables | SASS | LESS
• excellent visual editor with multiple views: display your page as desktop, mobile, and tablet (and more) side by side.
• AI assistant
• use standard source control tools like Git
• full support for WordPress (separate edition)
• animation and interaction plugin (which is sadly not available as a perpetual license)
• updates are released every month.

PineGrow is what DreamWeaver would have become in an alternate universe where Macromedia would still exist in my opinion. 🙂

Download the free trial here:

https://pinegrow.com

[osgood_]

You're pretty much stuck with DW once you use a niche workflow which is only available to a specific program. Creating 2500 pages with dwt templates was a mistake.

The other 2 programs mentioned here are a much better current choice particularly if you require a visual solution and your coding skills are minimal or you don't really want to code much. Be careful what you choose though as most programs, which are beyond a basic html editor, rely to some extent on their own niche workflows.

At some point, to make the leap to another program, you are going to have to move away from dwt templates.

[Nancy OShea]

Switch to Live View (Ctrl + Shift + F11).

Dreamweaver's Live View supports both static & animated WebP images.   See screenshot.

Image size is controlled by native file size and if needed, CSS properties in percentages, not pixels.

Example:

img {

max-width: 100%; /**adjust value to suit your layout**/

}

Design View is a legacy feature from the old Macromedia days.  It's fine for quick edits but It doesn't understand modern code or file types.

Hope that helps.

[Park City Dreamweaver]

I have already done that.  My concern is that one day Adobe will say Dreamweaver is done and they leave us out in the cold with no new solution.  Adobe took a world-class product and are milking it for all they can.  Adobe is not known to look at customers long term needs.

[Nancy OShea]

My concern is that one day Adobe will say Dreamweaver is done... Adobe is not known to look at customers long term needs.

By @Park City Dreamweaver

=========

1. They will

2. Nor should they. 

It's our responsibility as web developers to stay on top of emerging technologies and solutions.  Adobe can't do that. No software maker can. Everyone has different needs and workflows.

Dreamweaver is not the only tool in my tool box.  I use half-a-dozen other tools alongside it. When the End of Life comes, I will be fine.  I don't rely on proprietary features like DW Templates or Library Items.  I use server-side technologies that will work with any code editing software I choose to use.

Templates & Library items were intended for 20-50 page websites (max).  You've outgrown that by leaps & bounds. 

Switching to a database driven solution with an online CMS s the only logical option for a site as large as yours.  The most popular and accessible CMS is WordPress.  But there are others you could look at, too.  It will be an adjustment initially but well worth the effort in the long run.

[oscarm72005930]

If you don't want problems in case the product that you have mentioned disappears, I would stay with pinegrow.

Wappler is a good program but understanding the code it generates is complex in my opinion.
I chose pinegrow + visual studio code (there is a plugin for them to work together) for that reason after trying both, plus a much more powerful css editor and web frontend for pinegrow.

[Nancy OShea]

Pinegrow isn't my tool of choice.  However Pinegrow has several paid options specifically for WordPress designers to help with creating custom WP themes, blocks and plugins.  If you're contemplating a move to WordPress, these tools might appeal to you.

https://pinegrow.com/docs/wordpress/

[Park City Dreamweaver]

Wordpress is NOT a solution that we are looking for. We tried that and found it did not deal with the breadth of our requirements.

Have a great day

Victor Janulaitis

[Nancy OShea]

How long ago did you try WordPress?  There've been many recent changes, particularly with the introduction of new Block Themes.  You can read more about it below.

 

WordPress: Classic PHP Themes vs Block Themes

https://community.adobe.com/t5/dreamweaver-discussions/wordpress-classic-php-themes-vs-block-themes/...