Chapter 1: Introduction to Contribute 2
Posted: July 15th, 2010 | Author: admin | Filed under: Book VII Contribute 2 | Comments OffIn This Chapter
Deciding when to use Contribute
Checking out the Contribute interface
Setting your preferences
F or many big Internet and intranet sites these days, Web development
Experts are the ones who author the site (that is, they design it and
Build it from scratch, or at least set up its basic framework). After a site is
Established, it may then need to grow and change — which in the past meant
Calling in that handy Web development expert again to update a Web site.
Now, however, people more familiar with the content that needs to go on the
Site than with the vagaries of Web development are being asked to take on
The responsibility of updating the original pages or adding new pages based
On existing designs.
The original version of Dreamweaver was built to enable people to create
And modify Web pages without having to learn the boring ins and outs of
HTML. The funny thing is, the “new-and-improved” Dreamweaver MX 2004
Has become so powerful as an authoring tool that it’s too complex and
Intimidating (and expensive!) for non-experts who simply want to maintain
An existing site.
So what’s a non-expert to do? Read on to discover the answer.
Why Contribute?
When Dreamweaver is too much, Contribute is just right. Contribute is
Designed especially for people who must contribute to an existing site but
Don’t need or want to know how to develop a site from scratch.
Contribute is streamlined to make Web page production as simple as possible,
Which means there are many things the application can’t do, such as editing
The HTML making up the page. For those kinds of tasks, you definitely still
Need Dreamweaver. Table 1-1 offers a list of some common Web page tasks
That each application can be used for. Exploring the Contribute Interface 734
Table 1-1 Comparing the Capabilities of Dreamweaver and Contribute
Task Dreamweaver Contribute
Creating a new page from scratch x x
Creating a new page from a x x
Dreamweaver template
Creating a Dreamweaver template x
Viewing and editing the underlying HTML code x
Directly
Adding, deleting, and modifying text and tables x x
Adding and deleting images x x
Creating DHTML navigation bars x
Adding, modifying, and deleting behaviors x
(such as JavaScript button rollovers)
Creating and modifying framesets x
Modifying content (such as text and images) x x
Within frames
Creating forms x
Creating and editing Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) x
Applying CSS styles to text x x
Uploading and downloading Web Pages to/from a x x
Remote server
As you can see, there’s quite a bit of overlap in the capabilities of the two
Applications, but the more complicated tasks are best accomplished using
Dreamweaver.
Exploring the Contribute Interface
The Contribute interface is as streamlined as its functionality, as you can
See in Figure 1-1. Two panels are at the left, with a big work area — known as
The Browser — at the right.
Panel basics
While other applications in the Macromedia Studio MX 2004 suite have
Many customizable panels, Contribute has just two basic panels, the Pages
Panel and the How Do I panel, as shown in Figure 1-1. Unlike the panels in
Other Macromedia Studio applications, you can’t move, group, or delete the
Panels in Contribute. Book VII
Chapter 1
Introduction to
Contribute 2
Exploring the Contribute Interface 735
You can, however, collapse and expand the panels by clicking the arrow
At the top left of the panel or by clicking the panel name. If the panel was
Expanded before you clicked, it collapses. If it was collapsed originally, it
Expands.
You can hide (or show) both panels by using the keyboard shortcut F4.
The Pages panel
The Pages panel displays the name of the most recent page you browsed to,
Any unpublished drafts you have (that is, any pages you have downloaded
And edited but not uploaded back to the server), and the page on which
You’re currently working. Figure 1-2 shows that we’re currently working on
The page titled “AAT : Treets,” and that we have a draft of the “AAT : Artists”
Page that has been edited but not yet uploaded.
To navigate to any page listed in the Pages panel, click the title or the icon
To the left of the title of the page you want to display in the Browser.
If you click on the page at the top of the list, the Browser automatically
Switches to Browse mode. If you’re already in Browse mode and you click a
Draft, the Browser automatically switches to Edit mode and displays your
Page, ready to edit.
Figure 1-1:
Contribute’s
Streamlined
Interface
Includes
Two panels
(at left)
And the
Browser. Exploring the Contribute Interface 736
The Browser is always at the top of the list in the Pages panel. See “The
Browser/Editor” section, later in this chapter, for more information on the
Browser itself.
The How Do I panel
The How Do I panel has three sections when you open Contribute for the
First time (refer to Figure 1-1 to see the panel in its basic state):
✦ Get Started
✦ Add a New Page to My Website
✦ Administer a Website
By default, all sections are expanded. It’s easy to collapse or expand a sec -
Tion; just click the arrow at the left of the section name, or click on the sec -
Tion name itself. If the section is expanded when you clicked, it collapses.
If the section is collapsed when you click, it expands.
Each section has a list of actions you might want to perform. The list is in
The form of text links, just like on a Web page. The list of links changes, based
On what you’re currently working on. We collapsed the first two sections in
Figure 1-2 so that you can see some of the other sections that show up auto -
Matically in the How Do I panel when you’re editing a page.
Figure 1-2:
The title of
The page
Currently
Being
Edited is
Highlighted
In the Pages
Panel; the
Page itself
Is available
For editing
In the
Browser. Book VII
Chapter 1
Introduction to
Contribute 2
Exploring the Contribute Interface 737
When you click a link, the How Do I panel updates, as shown in Figure 1-3.
To return to the previous page of information in the panel, click on the Back
Button at the top left of the How Do I panel. To go back to the original list of
Links, click the Topics icon at the top right of the panel.
The Browser/Editor
The main work area is called the Browser/Editor (we call it the Browser to
Save space). The Browser has two modes, Browse and Edit, and you can
Only be in one mode at a time. The appearance and functionality of the
Browser depend on which mode you’re in.
When you’re in Browse mode in the Browser, you can navigate anywhere a
Regular Web browser, such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, could
Take you. When you’re in Edit mode, you can make changes to a Web page.
Browse mode
In order to browse to a page you want to update, you must use the Browser
In its Browse mode. You can tell when the Browser is in Browse mode by look -
Ing at the buttons at the top. The following buttons (as shown in Figure 1-4)
Allow you to navigate as you would using any browser, like IE or Navigator:
✦ Back: Click this button to view the previous page you were viewing in
The Browser. You can step back one at a time through each of the pages
You viewed since you opened the browser. The Back option in the View
Menu performs the same function.
✦ Forward: Click Forward to go one page at a time from pages you viewed
Earlier to pages you viewed most recently.
Figure 1-3:
The
How Do I
Panel fits
A lot of
Information
In a small
Space by
Using links. Exploring the Contribute Interface 738
✦ Stop: Pages with lots of big images or complex Flash movies sometimes
Take awhile to load in the Browser. Click this button to stop a page from
Loading further in the Browser.
✦ Refresh: As with your regular Web browser’s Refresh button, this
Button reloads the current Web page in the Contribute Browser.
The rest of the buttons are specific to the Contribute Browser:
✦ Edit Page: Click this button to edit the page you have browsed to. When
You click Edit, Contribute downloads the page and automatically sets
The Browser to Edit mode. This option is not available if you don’t have
What Contribute calls a connection — that is, permission to edit the page.
✦ New Page: Click this button to create a new page on the current Web
Site. You will be prompted to name the page and, if you desire, to choose
A page or template to use as a basis for the new page. See Book VII,
Chapter 2 for more details.
✦ Home pages: Use this button to navigate quickly to the home pages of
The sites to which you have Contribute connections. Click and hold to
See a drop-down list of eligible home pages.
✦ Go: This button works in conjunction with the Address text input field.
See the following instructions for browsing to a page on the Internet.
✦ Choose: Click this button to open a dialog box in which you can navi -
Gate quickly to any page on the Web site you’re currently updating.
To browse to a page on the Internet, just follow these simple steps:
1. Type or paste a URL (such as www. earlsbowlateria. com) into the
Address field at the top of the Browser.
2. Click the Go button at the right of the address input field or press
Enter.
The requested Web page opens in the Browser.
When you browse to a site you have been set up to edit with Contribute, the
Top left of the Browser toolbar has two buttons: Edit Page and New Page.
Figure 1-4:
The
Browser
Toolbar in
Browse
Mode. Book VII
Chapter 1
Introduction to
Contribute 2
Exploring the Contribute Interface 739
(Refer to Figure 1-4). When you browse to a page you are not set up to edit
With Contribute, the Edit Page and New Page buttons are replaced by the
Create Connection button (see the section on connecting to a site in Book VII,
Chapter 2 for more information on creating connections).
Edit mode
The Edit mode is what Contribute is all about: It’s the mode that you use to
Make changes to Web pages. To get into Edit mode after you’ve browsed to
An editable page, do one of the following:
✦ Click the Edit Page button at the top left of the Browser
Or
✦ Choose File➪Edit Page or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E
To get into Edit mode if you haven’t yet browsed to a page you have permis -
Sion to edit, click the name of an existing Draft in the Pages panel (or click
The icon next to the name). The Draft opens in the Browser, and the Browser
Automatically switches to Edit mode.
Most of Book VII, Chapter 2 is about the things you can do in Edit mode, so
If you’re anxious to get to work on a site, skip ahead to the next chapter.
Menus
The Contribute menu bar sports eight menus, each of which includes sev -
Eral choices. (Many of the choices are also available from buttons at the top
Of the Browser.) We give you some details about the first three menus, as
Well as brief descriptions of what the other five offer:
✦ File: Every computer program has a File menu, with options like Open,
Save, and the like. The Contribute File menu offers the following:
• New Page: Select this option to create a new Web page. You can
Create a new page from scratch, from an existing page, or from a
Dreamweaver MX 2004 template. See Book VII, Chapter 2 for details.
• Edit Page: This option is only available when the Browser is in
Browse mode and is currently displaying a page you have permis -
Sion to edit. When you select File➪Edit Page, Contribute downloads
The page to your computer and makes it available for modification.
Clicking the Edit Page button in the Browser does the same thing.
• Publish: Select this option to upload an edited page to the server.
• Publish as New Page: Select this option to upload a page to the
Server with a new filename (such as aboutus. htm). You’re
Prompted to type or paste in the new filename. See Book VII,
Chapter 2 for details. Exploring the Contribute Interface 740
• Save: Select this option to save the work you have done on a draft
Without publishing the edited page. After you have saved, you may
Continue work on the draft.
• Save for Later: Select this option to save the work you have done on
A draft without publishing the edited page; the Browser will automat -
Ically change from Edit mode to Browse mode and load the last page
You were looking at in Browse mode.
• Cancel Draft: Select this to delete the draft you’re currently working
On from your computer. Note: Selecting Cancel Draft will not delete
The page from your Web site.
• Preview in Browser: Select this to see what your draft looks like in
Your regular browser (IE, Navigator, Opera, Safari, and so on).
• E-mail Review: Select this to upload a temporary version of your
Page to the server and send an e-mail to a coworker with a link to
The temporary page. If you need someone’s approval before you pub -
Lish a page (make it live on the site so users can see it), E-mail Review
Is a handy automated way to show your work to the person who can
Approve it.
• Export: Select Export to save a copy of the page you’re working on
To your local hard drive (or to a removable disk or remote hard
Drive).
• Page Setup: Select this option to open a dialog box that allows you
To customize how your printer deals with your page (paper size, ori -
Entation, and so on).
• Print: As you might expect, you can print your Web page by select -
Ing Print from the File menu.
• Print Preview: Select Print Preview to see on your computer screen
A representation of how your Web page will appear on paper when
You print it.
• Roll Back to Previous Version: If you find you’ve published a page
That has a mistake on it, select Roll Back to Previous Version to
Restore the previously published version of the page. See Book VII,
Chapter 3 for more information on this feature, which must be set
Up by an administrator.
• Delete Page: Select Delete Page to remove a page from your Web
Site. This option is available only when the Browser is in Browse
Mode.
• Work Offline: Select this option if you don’t need to upload or
Download any unpublished drafts you’re editing, or if you’re tem -
Porarily unable to connect with your network or the Internet.
• Drafts: Use this option to open an unpublished draft of a page. Book VII
Chapter 1
Introduction to
Contribute 2
Exploring the Contribute Interface 741
• Recently Published Pages: Use this option to view in the Browser a
Page you recently published.
• Exit: Select this option to close Contribute. You can also close
Contribute by pressing Ctrl+Q or Alt+F4 on your keyboard.
✦ Edit: The options under the Edit menu include such perennial favorites
As Cut and Paste, as well as a few Contribute-specific options. Which
Options are “live” (not grayed out) at any given time depends on your
Most recent action. (Figure 1-5 shows the Edit menu after some text has
Been cut from the current draft.)
• Undo: Select this option to undo your most recent actions in a draft,
One at a time. You can’t use Undo to alter a published page; for that,
You need to choose File➪Roll Back. The keyboard shortcut for Undo
Is Ctrl+Z.
• Redo: Redo is sort of an undo of an undo. Select this option to redo
The last actions you undid in your draft, one at a time, or use the key -
Board shortcut Ctrl+Y.
• Cut: Select this option to remove highlighted text or objects from
Your draft. You can then paste the text or objects into the same
Page, a different page, or even a different kind of document (for
Example, a Word document). The keyboard shortcut to cut high -
Lighted objects is Ctrl+X.
• Paste: After you’ve selected some text and/or objects (like images,
For example), select this option to paste the text and/or objects into
Your draft, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+V.
• Paste Text Only: After selecting a block of text that also includes
Images or other objects, you can use this option to paste only the
Text from your selection. You can also use the keyboard shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+V.
• Clear: Use this option to remove selected text or objects from your
Web page. Unlike Cut, this option does not allow you to paste the
Removed text or objects elsewhere.
Figure 1-5:
The Edit
Menu as it
Appears
After some
Text has
Been cut. Exploring the Contribute Interface 742
• Select All: Use this option to select everything in a draft. You can
Then cut, paste, or clear everything at once. The keyboard shortcut
For select all is Ctrl+A.
• Preferences: Select this option to open a dialog box that allows you
To customize the way Contribute works. See the “Setting Preferences”
Section, later in this chapter, for details.
• My Connections: Use this option to view, edit, and delete the con -
Nections you have to the sites you maintain.
• Administer Websites: If you have Administrator privileges on any
Sites to which you have connections, use this option to open the
Administration dialog box and change any settings for the selected
Site. See Book VII, Chapter 3 for information on sitewide settings,
Permission groups, and setting up users.
✦ View: The View menu offers options related to what you see on-screen
In Contribute.
• Sidebar: Select this option to show or hide the sidebar, which con -
Tains the Pages and How Do I panels.
• Browser: Select this option to switch to the Browse mode of the
Browser. The last page you looked at in that mode appears in
The Browser. You can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+B or
Click the top line in the Pages panel to do the same thing.
• Go to Web Address: If you select this option, a dialog box opens in
Which you can type or paste a URL to open a particular Web page in
The Browser. When you click OK, the Browser switches to Browse
Mode — if it wasn’t already in Browse mode — and loads the page
You requested. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+O to
Open the Go to Web Address dialog box.
• Choose File on Website: This option allows you to navigate directly
To an editable page from a window that displays all the sites to
Which you have a Contribute connection.
The Back, Forward, Stop, Refresh, and Home Pages options function
Just like their corresponding buttons in the Browser. See the “Browse
Mode” section, earlier in this chapter, for the skinny on them.
✦ Bookmarks: A bookmark is a link to a Web page. Options here allow you
To add and delete bookmarks to Web pages you visit often. If your main
Web browser is IE, you see all your IE bookmarks listed under the Other
Bookmarks option.
✦ Insert: Select an option in this menu to insert an item into a draft. The
Insert menu allows you to insert the following items into a draft:Book VII
Chapter 1
Introduction to
Contribute 2
Setting Preferences 743
• Image • Line Break
• Table • Special Characters
• Link • Microsoft Office Document
• Date • Other Document
• Section Anchor • Flash Movie
• Horizontal Rule
✦ Format: You can use the options in this menu to format selected text
In a draft. You can apply CSS styles, as well as more traditional HTML
Text treatments like bold and italic. See Book VII, Chapter 2 for details
On text formatting in Contribute. The Format menu also gives you access
To the Contribute Spell Check (keyboard shortcut: F7) and to edit Page
Properties, such as title and background color (keyboard shortcut:
Ctrl+J).
✦ Table: This menu offers commands that allow you to insert and edit
Tables in your draft.
✦ Help: The Help menu gives you a choice of several kinds of help:
• Macromedia Contribute Help: Select this option to view standard
Help files, with step-by-step instructions.
• Quick Start Guide: Select this option to see instructions on the
Basics of Contribute to help get you up and running quickly.
• Contribute Support Center: When you select this option, your
Regular Web browser opens to the Contribute Support home page
On Macromedia’s Web site.
• Contribute Tutorial: Select this option to access a set of guided les -
Sons on basic tasks you can perform with Contribute.
The Help menu also allows you to open the Contribute Welcome page
In the Browser, print your Contribute registration form or submit your
Registration online, and see the About Contribute window, which
Shows information about the version of Contribute you’re running.
The Insert, Format, and Table menus give you ways to perform tasks we dis -
Cuss in more detail in Book VII, Chapter 2.
Setting Preferences
For most users, the default Preferences should suffice, but you may wish to
(or need to) make a few changes in order to use Contribute most efficiently.
To open the Preferences dialog box, choose Edit➪Preferences. Setting Preferences 744
The Preferences dialog box includes five “screens”; you access the different
Screens by selecting one of the items in the list on the left side of the dialog
Box (see Figure 1-6). A brief overview of each page follows.
Setting general preferences
The General screen of the Preferences dialog box has two sections:
✦ Editing Options
• Faster Table Editing (Deferred Update): This check box is selected
By default. Deselect this check box if you want Contribute to update
The way tables appear on-screen as you edit them, which may slow
Down other Contribute operations.
• Enable ScreenReader Support: Select this check box if you have a
Visual impairment that hinders your ability to work with Contribute.
• Spelling Dictionary: Choose a dictionary language from the drop -
Down list. Contribute uses the dictionary to spell-check Web page
Drafts.
✦ Microsoft Office Documents: You can choose one of the following
Options for the way Contribute treats a Word document or Excel
Spreadsheet when you insert it into a draft.
• Insert the Contents of the Document into the Current Web Page:
Choose this option if you want Contribute to convert the contents
Of the document into HTML.
• Insert a FlashPaper Viewer for the Document into the Page: Use
This option if you want to use Contribute’s new FlashPaper technol -
Ogy to convert the document. See Book VII, Chapter 4 for details.
• Create a Link to the Document (Recommended for Large Docu -
Ments): Use this option if you want Contribute to upload the Office
Figure 1-6:
The
Preferences
Dialog box. Book VII
Chapter 1
Introduction to
Contribute 2
Setting Preferences 745
Document to your Web site and put a link to the document in the
Draft you’re currently editing.
• Ask Whenever I Insert a Microsoft Office File into Contribute: Use
This option if you need to handle inserting Office documents into your
Web pages on a case-by-case basis. This option is selected by default.
Setting file editor preferences
You can tell Contribute what application you want it to use to open various
Types of files when you double-click the files in the Browser in Edit mode. To
Set Contribute to open a particular type of file with a particular application,
Just follow these steps:
1. Select File Editors from the list on the left side of the Preferences
Dialog box.
The File Editors options appear, as shown in Figure 1-7.
2. If the extension is not already listed in the Extensions list box, click
The + button above the Extensions box (if the extension is already
Listed in the Extensions box, skip to Step 4).
A cursor blinks at the bottom of the list.
3. Type the name of the extension, including the dot (for example, type
.wav for a WAV audio file) and press Enter.
The extension you typed in remains highlighted.
4. If the application is not already listed, click the + button above the
Editors box (if the application is listed, click its name to select it and
Skip to Step 6).
The Select External Editor dialog box pops up.
Figure 1-7:
Setting the
File Editor
Preference
For GIFs. Setting Preferences 746
5. Navigate to the application and double-click its icon, or type the path -
Name (including the application name) into the File Name text field.
The application name appears in the Editors box.
6. Set any other file editor preferences and click OK when you’ve
Finished.
Contribute comes with quite a few defaults (naturally, Macromedia Studio
MX 2004 applications feature prominently), so you may never need to touch
The File Editors preferences. You can assign more than one application to edit
A particular file type. If you do that, you need to designate one of the pro -
Grams as the primary application by selecting it in the File Editors screen
Of the Preferences dialog box and clicking the Make Primary button.
Setting firewall preferences
If your computer is separated by a firewall from the server that houses your
Site (or sites), use the Firewall screen of the Preferences dialog box to input
The host name and port number that allow you to tunnel through the firewall.
If you’re not sure what all that means, ask someone in your IT department.
Setting invisible element preferences
When you link some text or an image to a particular line on a Web page,
You need to place an invisible target (an anchor) at that line. Select Invisible
Elements in the list box on the left of the Preferences dialog box to see the
Invisible Elements options. Leave the Show Section Anchors When Editing a
Page check box selected if you want to be able to see icons that identify
Where invisible anchor links are in your draft.
Setting security preferences
If you share a computer with other people and don’t want them to have
Access to Contribute (and therefore to the sites you maintain), open up the
Security options on the Preferences dialog box and select the Require
Contribute Startup Password check box. Then follow these steps:
1. Click in the Password text field, type a password, and press the
Tab key.
The cursor moves to the Confirm Password text field.
2. Retype your password in the Confirm Password text field exactly as
You typed it in the Password text field above. Press Enter or click OK.
Contribute will ask for a password when you launch the application.
You can change your preferences at any time by choosing Edit➪Preferences.