To all web designers out there, this article is for you! I
guess you already heard about Studio MX (I think so!) – the ideal
bundle for professional web designers, bringing together Dreamweaver MX
for page design, Flash MX for animation and interactivity, and
Fireworks MX for editing and optimizing graphics. With all these
components, it certainly provides professional functionality for every
aspect of web development.
I must say that the integration
between the individual products is generally very good. It begins with
the interface which uses common elements such as dockable, collapsible
panels and a dynamic property inspector, so that you can switch
comfortably between products. On a technical level, the key feature is
roundtrip support. You can embed Fireworks graphics and Flash movies in
Dreamweaver pages without losing any information, letting you later
reopen an element in its original application with all its features
intact. Also, in effect, the combination of Dreamweaver and ColdFusion
provides an easy path into dynamic, Java-based web development.
Moreover,
Flash MX also has potential as a rich client, with an interface driven
by embedded JavaScript. Through a technology called Flash Remoting,
Flash MX offers support for web services. The Studio MX bundle makes it
relatively easy to set up ColdFusion to supply these services and for
Flash to consume them. While it may seem strange to think of Flash as a
rich client moving beyond the web page, it does make some sense when
you consider that it is cross-platform and very widely deployed. In
addition, ColdFusion itself can consume web services hosted on other
platforms.
In addition, you can now take advantage of
drag-and-drop visual tools and components, code libraries, and
extensive code editing support for developing applications using HTML,
XHTML, XML, ColdFusion, ASP, ASP.NET, JSP or PHP. Its integration with
ColdFusion MX gives you a fast way to develop Internet applications
that incorporate Macromedia Flash. Also, creating each element of the
web production process such as developing graphics, laying out HTML
pages, coding application logic, building rich user interfaces, and
assembling complete solutions is really made easy in this all in one
suite.
Indeed, Studio MX makes it easier to design and develop
rich, interactive sites and Internet applications delivered across
major platforms and devices with improvements to common tasks, a more
consistent user interface, and deeper integration across the products.
With it, you’re going to work in a familiar, customizable environment
with consistent user interface elements, including color management,
drawing tools, code editing, a common Property Inspector, and panel
management, all making it easy to move between the applications.
Taking everything together, Studio MX is an essential development tool for every web designer.
