Need help with Dreamweaver 4

[jwoolf09]

I need some help with Dreamweaver version 4. I have several webpages that I originally wrote in a different editor, then switched to Dreamweaver because I'm trying to learn how to use it. My problem is that with these webpages, when I try typing anything into the Layout window in Dreamweaver, instantly all my HTML code formatting vanishes, and the source code collapses into an unreadable mess. For example, this:

<tbody>
<!-- Individual dates --> <!-- First week - includes days from previous month -->
<tr>
<td align="left" valign="top" style="background-image: url(back.jpg)"><b>26</B></td>
<td align="left" valign="top" style="background-image: url(back.jpg)"><b>27</B></td>
<td align="left" valign="top" style="background-image: url(back.jpg)"><b>28</B></td>
<td align="left" valign="top" style="background-image: url(back.jpg)"><b>29</B></td>
<td align="left" valign="top" style="background-image: url(back.jpg)"><b>30</B></td>
<td align="left" valign="top" style="background-image: url(back.jpg)"><b>31</B></td>
<td align="left" valign="top"><b>1</b><br>
Taiwan Acrobats<br>
8 p.m.<br>
$16/$24/$36 </td>
</tr>
---------------------------------------

becomes this:

-----------------------------------------
</thead> <tbody> <!-- Individual dates --> <!-- First week - includes days from previous month -->
<tr> <td align="left" valign="top" style="background-image: url(back.jpg)"><b>26</B></td><td align="left" valign="top" style="background-image: url(back.jpg)"><b>27</B></td><td align="left" valign="top" style="background-image: url(back.jpg)"><b>28</B></td><td align="left" valign="top" style="background-image: url(back.jpg)"><b>29</B></td><td align="left" valign="top" style="background-image: url(back.jpg)"><b>30</B></td><td align="left" valign="top" style="background-image: url(back.jpg)"><b>31</B></td><td align="left" valign="top"><b>1</b><br>
Taiwan Acrobats<br> 8 p.m.<br> $16/$24/$36 </td></tr>
-----------------------------------------------

I've been all over the settings menus, and can't find anything that could be causing this. Other people I know who use DW have never seen anything like this. Several searches on the Web and DejaNews found exactly one other case of somebody complaining about this problem, and they never got a solution. So I know it isn't just me, but I don't know how to fix it.

Anyone here have any answers or insight to offer?

-- JSW

[Steve Rindsberg]

Wild guess: might the unmatched casing in the bold tags be confusing it?

Try a search and replace to change all the uppercase closing B tags to lowercase.

[Kelvyn]

DW4 is seriously old - and had a buggy layout window system, so bad that Macromedia used to issue instructions on how to disable/hide it and finally removed it (ISTR) in MX2004. You should just use the design and code windows.

DreamWeaver 8, the current version, is really very different than DW4 so I am trying to remember the problems!

[jwoolf09]

Kelvyn,

Just a quick terminology check: DW4's standard appearance has the code view above and a view of what the page will look like below. The "what it will look like" window is what I meant by "the layout view," although now that I check I see it's properly called the Design window. Which window were you talking about being buggy: the code view, layout view, or design view?

I have no money to spare right now, so I'm limited to using what software I already have, or free downloads. Is there any chance of finding a more recent version of DW, or should I just toss DW4 and use other editors (like Arachnophilia, which I rather like) until I can afford a current copy?

-- JSW

[ktinkel]

Originally Posted by jwoolf09

Is there any chance of finding a more recent version of DW, or should I just toss DW4 and use other editors (like Arachnophilia, which I rather like) until I can afford a current copy?

Macromedia lets you download a 30-day trial version of the current version of Dreamweaver, which is 8.

The trouble with that, though, is that if you like it and grow to depend on it, then you will need to come up with the cash to pay for the upgrade from version 4!

[Kelvyn]

Originally Posted by jwoolf09

Which window were you talking about being buggy: the code view, layout view, or design view?

Tha layout view was known to cause corruption and loss of formatting of the HTML code. You may find that your version has a menu item to "hide" the layout window. I seem to remember that it used some Microsoft IE code for the layout display.....

DW 4 is a powerful editor, especially in the UltraDev form, which was the version I used to use. It was, however, usually used in conjunction with HomeSite, as the code editor lacks the assistive features that HomeSite posesses - the code editor of DW has steadily improved with each new version. There was a free version of Homesite on the DW4/Ultradev cds.

[Ian Petersen]

I'd certainly recommend dumping Dreamweaver, especially such an old version. There are quite a few free or cheap HTML editors around if you search including Arachnophilia which, as far as I remember is a fine editor. HTML Kit is quite popular as well. But, as Kelvyn suggests, why not just use Homesite which is bundled with DW?

I'm a big fan of TopStyle, written by the same chap who wrote Homesite. But that is not a freeware app, although certainly not expensive.

[George]

Originally Posted by Ian Petersen

I'd certainly recommend dumping Dreamweaver, especially such an old version. There are quite a few free or cheap HTML editors around if you search including Arachnophilia which, as far as I remember is a fine editor. HTML Kit is quite popular as well. But, as Kelvyn suggests, why not just use Homesite which is bundled with DW?

I'm a big fan of TopStyle, written by the same chap who wrote Homesite. But that is not a freeware app, although certainly not expensive.

Isn't TopStyle the CSS part of HomeSite?? Perhaps, you mean something else. If the same guy has a new version, I sure would like to check it out, but I just don't see how HomeSite can be improved.

Regards,

George

[Kelvyn]

George

Nick Bradbury has produced TopStyle Pro which is a CSS and XHTML editor. It is TopStyle Lite, a basic CSS editor only which has been bundled with Homesite.

[George]

Originally Posted by Kelvyn

George

Nick Bradbury has produced TopStyle Pro which is a CSS and XHTML editor. It is TopStyle Lite, a basic CSS editor only which has been bundled with Homesite.

OK, now I see, thank you. What do you think of TopStyle Pro?? If it's better than HomeSite and TopStyle Light, it's got to be really neat. But, for someone like me, who only wants to do basic web pages, is it something I would buy and not use any of the features that HomeSite and TopStyle Light doesn't have??? I mean I don't think I should pass up something better than HomeSite, but if I wouldn't use the other features, why spend the money??

Thanks for your opinion in advance.

Regards,

George