Known Participant

Question

Have DW 8 in DW CC?

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
August 11, 2021
3 replies
680 views

Hi All,

Longtime DW user, new to DW CC.

Is it possible to have the DW8 interface applied to DW-CC?

In particular, I miss not having the Properties window at the bottom of the screen, which had 90% of the functions I needed.

Additionally, while I am fine with code-centric approach, simple things such as changing links are now in a separate window and not at all logical. For example, the link window displays the local files, but what I usually need are links to files on a remote server. I suppose I paste that URL in the "File Name" field, but this is not obviously indicated.

In short.... DW8 suited my needs perfectly, DW-CC is going out of its way to drive me nuts, spreading out my most commonly-used functions across different popup menus.

Can I get DW-CC in a DW8 workspace?

Thank you.

Don

This topic has been closed for replies.

Nancy OShea

Community Expert

Can I get DW-CC in a DW8 workspace?

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Let me put it this way, can you fit 10 pounds of sand into a 1 pound sack? I don't think so. There's not enough room. DW CC is NOT the same DW from 16 years ago. After Adobe acquired Macromedia DW8, they changed it. And in the subsequent years since, Adobe rebuilt DW from the ground up with all new panels, menus, features, code engine, interface, new everything... It's not the same software.

Customize your workspace. Start with Developer or Standard and save your custom Preset. The best you can hope for is something close but it will never look & function exactly like DW8.

Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert

Jon Fritz

Community Expert

Here's how to customize your workspace: https://helpx.adobe.com/hk_en/dreamweaver/using/customizing-dreamweaver-workspace.html

16 years and a couple dozen versions is going to be a painful jump with any software, especially if the medium that software intercts with is in constant flux. It's going to take some time to familiarize yourself with the new features, functions and methods DW now uses.

If you have specific questions, let us know and one of the contributors here will have the answer for you.

D

Don WallbaumAuthor

Known Participant

[Moderator branched & merged this from a 2015 discussion.]

I am new to the forum, but an old fan of DW8, now coping with DW-CC.

DW-CC is NOT an improvement.

Simple design changes are now a game of "find the function" that used to be on the Properties bar at the bottom of the screen. Nor to I see a way to revert a DW-CC workspace to a DW8 interface which WOULD be a long way toward "improving" DW-CC.

For code-centric users, DW-CC is fine. But for the more casual user with lesser demands, DW-CC is a mess.

And yes, like the OP, I ended up getting a Win7 laptop so I could keep DW8 working. DW-CC is my employer's app. This isn't one I would keep for myself. Along with the monthly subscription, it appears that DW is doing all it can to lose a chunk of its user base.

Don

Nancy OShea

Community Expert

I think this speaks more to how much the web has changed in 16 years. Dreamweaver CC is no worse than any other modern coding tool. Notice, I'm not comparing it to obsolete site builders like Front Page or DW8 because there's no comparison.

Post back if there is something we can help you find.

Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert

D

Don WallbaumAuthor

Known Participant

Thanks to all for the comments and background info on DW development!

Now, full disclosure: Adobe products and I have a long, tortured past, starting with a great tool, PageMaker, and seeing that morph that into the utterly incomprehensible InDesign. My experience has been that Adobe takes great and really usable ideas, that become central to the market, and "improves" them to the point where unless one dedicates the time to truly mastering the app, a more casual user is faced with endless frustration.

My understanding now is that the NEW Dreamweaver-CC is a fine _development_ tool. But, there is a whole segment of the web-producing world that doesn't need a full-blown development tool. Existing content needs to be updated, pages added, removed, links changed, images updated, but there is no requirement to deal with DIVs, containers, HR pixel widths or gradient shading.

And in the corporate world, design restraints are even stronger due to security concerns and marketing/branding requirements.

Ideally, software these days doesn't need documentation. It should be intuitive enough that operation should be fairly simple to tease out. Microsoft figured out decades ago that a change in interface is not taken lightly. The Word of today is amazingly similar to the Word of 20 years ago in terms of user controls.

But, Adobe loves to tinker. Soooo...... have a Dreamweaver Lite that is a subset of DW or an actual separate product, similar to Lightroom being a Photoshop for Dummies. Have the bias on graphical web development instead of the current bias toward codebase development. Have the option for massive integrated tool-tip type assistance. Have the help files integral to the app, not bouncing you to a totally irrelevant section of the Adobe website. Have the abiltiy to change the display size of all the menus and functions. The 3 pt type the menus are using does NOT help usability. Yeah, the menus DW - CC has DO pack a lot of options into one panel. But give the opportunity for larger options display and allow scroll.

And go back to a pay for purchase option. A monthly lease is a great cash cow but a continual reinforcement that the user "owns" nothing and Adobe can yank everything on a whim.

Update: after more puttering, I found how to dock the Properties bar in DW-CC, so THAT hurdle is overcome. Now to dump this grey-on-grey-on-black color scheme of the GUI.

AND---- if I am incorrect in any of these objections, PLEASE correct me and accept my apologies!

Thanks all for tolerating this DW-CC newbie's rant!

Don

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