Installing Dreamweaver Extensions

"Dreamweaver Extensions are new features that you can add easily to Dreamweaver. You can use many types of extensions; for example, there are extensions that let you reformat tables, connect to back-end databases, or help you write scripts for browsers." (Dreamweaver Help System) These extensions add features to Dreamweaver that were not available when the program was originally developed. In essence they extend the program's capabilities. These extensions frequently become part of the program on a future release. If you find yourself thinking "why can't I do this with Dreamweaver?" or "why doesn't Dreamweaver have this feature?" then you should probably try searching for an extension.

There are free extensions available on the Internet and extensions that you must pay for. You can also use Google to search for "free dreamweaver extensions." Macromedia's web site also has an "Exchange" where extension developers share their extensions with the public (some are free, but many cost $$). Here are the steps for downloading and installing extensions.

The easiest way to download and install an extension is to visit this link http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm?view=sn120
Click the Search Exchanges button .
Type the feature that you are looking for. Here I am searching for and extension that will create a calendar, it's called a calendar object. Type "calendar object" in the search box and select Dreamweaver Exchange from the drop down list .
Click Search
The search results will display. Click the download button next to the Calendar Object.
In order to download extensions from the Macromedia site you must have an account. Accounts are free. After you click the download button a screen will appear prompting you to sign in. Type your e-mail address and select No, I will create one now.
Click Continue
Complete the account details and click Continue.
The Macromedia Survey is optional, either complete it or leave it blank and click Continue.
On the subscriptions page, click Continue.
Click Accept on the License Agreement.
Click the download button again.
At the File Download box, click Save
Navigate to your PM folder and click Save.
At the Download Complete screen, click Open to start the Extension installation process.
Click Accept
You may be asked to replace the existing Extension, if so, click Yes, otherwise click OK.
The Extension manager will display and your new extension will be installed.
Close the Internet Explorer Window. You can also close the Extension Manager Screen.

The Macromedia Exchange also has two enhanced Web Photo Album extensions for versions MX and MX 2004. These are worth the time it takes to download them. To find these extensions visit the Exchange and search for photo album. Version 2.1 is for Dreamweaver MX and version 2.2 is for Dreamweaver MX 2004. I have already downloaded both of these extensions for classroom use because sometimes the Exchange is busy and it takes a long time to find what you're looking for. You can install the Dreamweaver MX 2004 Web Photo Album by performing the following steps:

Open Windows Explorer - Right click the Start button and select Explore

Navigate to drive J:\ $Image of J:\ drive$ and click the plus symbol to expand the drive.

Use the scrollbar in the middle of the Explorer window to scroll until you see the folder called webclass (it should be at the end of the drive listing after all of the PM folders. Click Contents of Web Class Folder the plus symbol next to the webclass folder to expand the contents. The web class folder contains four sub folders. Double click the Dreamweaver Extensions folder . The contents of the folder will appear on the right-hand side of the Explorer window. Double click the file WebPhotoAlbum226.mxp to begin the Web Photo Album Extension installation process and follow steps 16-18 above.

I am not going to write a full tutorial for this version of the Web Photo Album because it's pretty self explanatory, but I will write a brief synopsis so that you can try it out on your own photos. You can also find detailed information about using the Web Photo Gallery extension by clicking the Help button at the bottom of the gallery extension dialog box.

Click Commands > Create Web Photo Album 2.2. Fireworks is installed on all systems, so you can select the first option when the wizard opens and click Next. The theme page allows you to choose from a variety of templates, after choosing your template, click Next. The Source Page allows you to select specific images or an entire folder; on this page you can also adjust the rotation of individual images, click Next. The Navigation page options allows you to set the destination folder for the images and the navigation menu style, click Next. The thumbnail index page options is used to set the quality of the images and the table size, click Next. Finally a summary screen appears for your review. Click Finish to generate the album.

If you want to remove photos from the gallery or adjust the order of the photos I think it is easier to recreate the gallery. Otherwise, you have to adjust the links within the individual files and move all of the images on the index page.

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