Whether you prefer developing in ASP, PHP or Colfusion, Adobe Dreamweaver and the WebAssist Super Suite extensions can turn an ordinary website into a dynamic database-driven workhorse that rivals those from professional developers costing tens of thousands of dollars.

Super Suite extensions for Dreamweaver

Just like a professional carpenter, the right set of tools can make all the difference in the finished product. In Dreamweaver, having the right set of extensions can not only allow you to build more extensive, usable websites, but they can also save you an immense amount of development time and frustration.

WebAssist Super Suite gives you The Power to Build Anything

The Super Suite extension package covers everything from website security, user administration, user login, site cookies, sessions, database administration, email processing, dynamic dropdowns, a full ecommerce shopping cart, a website import tool, Eric Meyer's CSS Sculptor, a full-featured text editor, dynamic Flash charts, dynamic Google map integration and a whole lot more!

Database-driven websites, e-commerce and more

The Super Suite set of extensions gives Dreamweaver users the tools to create every facet of a functional content management system, full featured forums with access-level rights, complete website database administration tools including search, add, edit, update and delete fuctions, full digital file upload and download features, and a complete ecommerce shopping cart system with fully customizable storefronts. All this is achieved through an extremely easy-to-use wizard interface which walks you through each step in simple, intuitive fashion.

Easy-to-use Dreamweaver wizard interface

Super Suite can be easily integrated into your current site Dreamweaver template. The wizards take you through the steps needed to configure your options, you choose your template, and Super Suite creates all necessary pages, navigation, recordsets, CSS and javascript. You simply upload the new pages and files to your server, and the new functionality is live, with the look and feel of your existing website.

Create advanced Dreamweaver websites without knowing any code

WebAssist Super Suite extensions are perfect for Dreamweaver users who are hesitant to dig into the code. The extensions create all the code for you, and you can easily return to the wizard at any time to make changes. Super Suite has some similar functions to Adobe Dreamweaver Developer Toolbox, but it includes one-of-a-kind extensions like the iRite WYSIWYG editor for integrating FCKeditor into your Dreamweaver websites, CSS Sculptor which allows you to create complete standards compliant websites in one easy operation, and Site Import which allows you to import complete websites including all HTML, CSS, script, Flash and image files onto your local drive.

Advice from a Super Suite user

As a Super Suite user, I have used all their extensions extensively in my client websites. The ease-of-use and the Dreamweaver integration make them a must-have extension bundle if you want to develop websites faster, create more intuitive and complex websites, and make more money as a website designer or developer.

Adobe Dreamweaver Compatibility

The WebAssist Super Suite package is an all-inclusive Dreamweaver toolkit which provides developers with all the necessary tools to make dynamic database-driven websites in Adobe Dreamweaver. The extensions are compatible with Dreamweaver 8 and Dreamweaver CS3 on both PC and Mac. PHP, ASP and ColdFusion are supported by all the extensions.

Let's begin with a little history. Many years ago, when the web was up and coming and you needed to be on it, I paid someone to build a site for me. Afterwards, I could say, "Yeah, I have a site, go to -" and then I would name my site a feel a hit of pride. I'd also get satisfaction when my webmaster (if you could call him that; I don't know that I would in retrospect, but that's another story) occasionally forwarded me an email of an interested visitor. My satisfaction was short-lived, as you might imagine. I soon began to understand the power of the web and found the sad reality that my "webmaster" was getting all my emails from my website visitors to be annoying. I had him change this so that the emails came to me. He charged me a one-time fee for getting him to do this.

Okay, so these days it is not quite that bad, is it? Your webmaster or whoever is doing the "web thing" for you isn't charging you for every little service? Excuse me. I'll reserve my rant for another article, or possibly a blog entry.

So anyway, I fired my webmaster. I built my own webpage. I did this - of all things - with Microsoft Publisher. Yeah, well, it worked - in that I was able to build a site and, with some effort, get it on the web. I won't go into why you shouldn't try this, kids, at home. I was at home when I tried it, sure. But I don't suggest building a site with Publisher. It can be done, but don't do it.

One thing that happens - talk about annoying: The site crams all against the left side of the page. There's nothing you can do to change that. You might as well type out onto the web page "Look, Ma, I can create a website using Publisher." Don't do it.

Well, I knew at the time I shouldn't be messing around with Publisher. It's great for putting together a book or something for print. It's not good for websites. I had just been so excited because I had created a downloadable book for lulu.com. Publisher was great for laying out a book. I had so much momentum...

I put the Publisher site up, and thought I had done a pretty good job, considering that everything was crammed up to the left of the screen. I had yet to become a blogger, and I had yet to realize the importance of tagging and so on. All that important "extra" stuff. I'm joking. Writing tags is not extra. It's essential. So is the blog - on the website.

Then I bought FrontPage and a book and... That's all she wrote. I learned FrontPage and I haven't tried anything else out since. Why not? So far I don't need to use the fantastic Dreamweaver that everyone talks about. Oh, I can't do Flash on FrontPage? Uh - yes you can. Easily.

I continue to believe that content is all-important. Not bells. Not whistles. Content. I don't care what kind of a site you are putting up. Well, okay, I wouldn't necessarily use FrontPage for every circumstance. But for you and me, the individual or small company that wants to be up and shining on the web, FrontPage is the clear answer. At least it was for me. As I say, I haven't looked back since.

One needn't learn the bells and whistles. One certainly needn't incorporate dhtml or whatever that code is that will make letters pop and fly about. Old browsers can't see it, and new browsers - mine, at least - don't want to see it.

I have affiliated with companies. That is, I've tried to turn a dollar by putting them up on my site, a link or banner or what have you. Let me say that what I don't like are the banners that flicker and blink and all that junk. If I want the Las Vegas experience, I'll go there.

Just give me content. FrontPage can handle that and handle it well. You want to be able to upload Flash, for sure. FrontPage can do it. You want to be able to get as much information on your website with as few bytes as possible. FrontPage can do this as well as any program. So, I'm happy. Are you happy - yet?

A part of web development is copywriting. Excellent copy means it has to be appealing to both readers and to search engines. This combination will help websites to rank highly. A problem occurs when there are space constraints to a site, page layout requirements or other issues.

Because appealing to both readers and search engines is so important, you don't want to sacrifice one for the other. Adding a big block of copy to the middle of a page may not be the best answer, however, if a page needs content, adding a couple of sentences to the bottom of each section is a good option. Your copy will still be readable and the additional content will appeal to the search engines.

There are some things to remember when writing content for a website.

• Web users are active. One click and they have left your site. If they don't see a reason to stay, they won't. There is a 10 - 15 second window available to capture a visitor's attention.
• The longer the text is, the less likely they are to read it. With long text, they will skim it, if they bother to read it at all.
• Web users don't believe in hype. If you want a web user to believe you and to believe in you, you must back up your claims.

Four questions must be answered on each page:

• What am I doing here?
• How do I do it?
• What's in it for me?
• Where can I go, next?

If your design and navigation isn't obvious, then you need to explain it in the copy. Most visitors will not take the time to figure this information out. If a first time visitor cannot find their way around your site, they will likely never come back.

Unless your visitors are expecting to read something on your page, don't expect that they will read more than one or two lines of copy.

Understanding your copy is as important as length. Don't make the copy so complicated that it is difficult to comprehend or make it so the customer will have to think about it because they won't.

What this means is you want to convey one key idea in just one or two lines. Don't try to add a third line because if you say too much, then even the first idea won't penetrate. If your site needs more content, break it down into sections that are one or two paragraphs each. Say what you want to say in the first sentence and then expand the thought into the paragraph. Use meaningful headers. Most people will only scan the headers to the paragraphs and not even bother with the copy on the page, unless it is something that appeal to them. It is better to write only one or two lines with links to another page with the longer copy.

Even when users are expecting to find text heavy content, don't expect they will take the time to read all of it. Longer copy doesn't have to be as abrupt as shorter text, but it needs to be as easy to read.

Make your copy clear, but not boring. Lively writing with an unassuming voice is best. Boring writing will turn your reader off and nothing you say at that point will make it through.