Together Vs.Net & Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004

[Ian]

Hi there,

Has anybody got any tips or recommendations for using Vs.Net and Dreamweaver
2004 together?

I like to use dreamweaver as the layout tool as for me it just seems a
little more powerful but Vs.Net is the best for coding..

Any advice for anybody with tips or pitfalls to watchout for would be
gratefully appreciated

Thanks

Ian

 

[Cowboy \(Gregory A. Beamer\)]

1. Make sure you are only moving UI elements. If you delete an element from
the page (or add), you will have to recompile in VS.NET.
2. Get used to doing all app compiles in VS.NET before running tests

If you set up Dreamweaver as an editor in VS.NET, you can use the right
click menu to edit the ASPX page in Dreamweaver. Just remember the code
barrier. Best not to mess with code in Dreamweaver, unless you do not use
CodeBehind at all.

--
Gregory A. Beamer
MVP; MCP: +I, SE, SD, DBA

**********************************************************************
Think Outside the Box!
**********************************************************************

 

[Max]

Dreamweaver will re-write stuff you did in VS.NET and VS.NET will re-write
stuff you did in Dreamweaver. There's very little you can do to prevent it,
so just be aware that it happens, and learn each app's behavior. A lot of
people will flat out deny that it happens, that's why I'm pointing this out.
Heck, even using the app individually you run into code rewriting problems.
There are probably 2000 cases where it will happen, so there's no since in
pointing them all out. It just depends on what you are doing. Some people
apparently never experience any difficulty. So, I'll just have to say, good
for them.

-Max

 

[Jeff]

Agreed - I'll just add that before I start work on any project, I first open
all aspx pages in DWMX, then open the requisite files in VS.NET. Then I
proceed with any modifications (aspx/ascx in DWMX, coding in VS.NET and no
coding in DWMX or layout in VS.NET), then do all compiling and subsequent
test runs from VS.NET. The big benefit of opening all aspx pages in DWMX
prior to opening any related project pages in VS.NET is that if aspx the
page inadvertently gets opened in VS.NET (perhaps as a result of a search
operation) and then rearranged by VS.NET, then I can simply switch back to
DWMX which will be telling me that the aspx has been modified outside of the
DWMX environment - and prompts me to save or not. I save at that point -
replacing the screwed up html with what DWMX had in memory. Works like a
charm and saves a ton of time. This may sound a bit complicated and it IS.
But when I first started developing with ASP.NET/VS.NET, I presented my
strategy to this group and no one came up with a different or better
strategy. If there is one, I'd still like to know.

 

[Ian]

Thanks everyone for all your help. still quite new to C# and vs.net....

At first when I started playing around it was going crazy... things were
rewriting etc.

Now.. hopefully think I have got it now

I went into VS.Net 2003 and tools and options.

and then found Texteditor, HTML/XML and format.

There are 2 options, apply automatic formatting.. Uncheck both options..

Now basically I have made the default option when double click an asp file
in the solution explorer to load Dreamweaver... I can do all my HTML stuff
there...

When I finish it says "ok it was changed want to reload?" i say yes... and
then I use the Design view to add textboxes etc etc Now this is amazing as I
thought for sure its going to mess up but i keep jumping between DM and
VS.NET using the above method and so far it never messes up. Even adding
asp.net controls in VS.net and it seems ok...

I hope it stays like this as it seems to really work...

Fingers crossed!

Ian