Create a good portfolio – as with any freelance job, having a good portfolio is the start of a successful Internet business. Start by doing some work for free, for yourself or for friends. Once you are confident enough with your programming skills, create a few samples of your work and maybe upload them on a website (you can download a free web template here and upload it on a free hosting site, if you wish).

Start off with competitive pricing – even if you have a nice portfolio, most of the Dreamweaver freelance jobs in programming and coding are accessed on auction-type websites, in which you bid on a project. At first, before your rankings grow, you should offer to do work for 50% of what you would normally charge.

Offer a free sample – this is the winning move whenever you wish to secure a project. If you want to make money online by doing programming work, you need to risk some of your time and present your potential clients with free mockups of what they are after.

Be prompt and polite – respond to your client’s requests ASAP. Also, don’t forget to be polite – many people skip greetings and signing their name in a message – don’t!

Freelance IT programmer tips

The single most important thing about being a freelance Dreamweaver coder is to secure enough projects on a monthly basis so that you can rely on a constant income from your online job. A good online IT programmer job may pay as much as any regular coding job, maybe even more if you manage to find good clients. However, success does not come straight away – you need to sharpen your coding skills and build your reputation as a reliable and prompt freelance IT programmer.

Many coders who are extremely talented in programming have a hard time putting together a nice portfolio website because they lack the aesthetic sense that is vital when creating a nice looking site. We recommend that you make your life easier and simply use a free web site template that already has a strong visual presence and an attractive look and feel. You will notice that your reputation of being a great freelance IT coder will increase dramatically once you are able to show your clients exactly what you did in the past. You can look for clients on specialized forums and discussion boards or by joining a freelance website and competing on auctions and projects. You can also develop your own freelance IT programmer website and get leads this way, bypassing all the competition.

If you want to start a profitable, easy to manage online business check out our step by step Google Adsense tutorial. Also get your free Adsense website templates from Web2earn.com For other websites by Michael Rad please visit All Car Photos

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Rad

Most of today’s web designers work with Dreamweaver, but there are plenty other web builders out there that you can use. Learn the software well and know its limitations – this will help you shape your work and your offers. Here is a list of the most efficient freelance web site design tips, many coming from our personal experience and some from veteran web designers:

No more cliches – Don’t include these: page counters , Javascript text scrolling, excessive animated GIF’s, under construction signs, page fade-ins. Many newbie freelance web site designers tend to overuse such tools – simply because they are there doesn’t mean they are worth integrating in a web page.

Careful with new web technologies – some things such as java applets, activex controls or shockwave objects may not display correctly to your users. If you are targeting a highly general website audience, avoid them. Many web designers also include this as one of their favorite freelance web site design tips: avoid any tools that require plug-ins as most of your visitor’s will probably never go through the trouble of installing a plug in just to see your site.

Be clear with the structure – what does this website want? Make it clear, from page one, what the site is about. Any successful freelance web site designer will tell you that visitors are not after flashy graphics and wacky menus – they are after information and they want it fast.

Web layout and appearance – here are the most popular freelance web site design tips regarding layout and visual appearance of a site:

Split your information into logical sections and try to have a consistent theme throughout the entire site make sure your starting page is attractive and well laid out – try to use colors, styles and fonts that complement each other

Web page size – try to keep loading time small. As a freelance web site designer you will often receive requests from clients to build intensely visual pages – try to find the balance between using a lot of graphics and having a page that loads quickly. The general size of a page should be around 50K or less.

Browser neutrality – these freelance web site design tips should help you avoid the mistake of stating “this site is best viewed using X browser and in 800×600″. People are annoyed to read that and they will quickly leave. Test your website in a different size screen and a text-only browser. Also go for a different color resolution or a different browser with a minimal feature set in order to get a better idea how your site will look on different computers.
Learn more about all VW models and get cool Volkswagen Caddy photos, Volkswagen Polo wallpapers and more information on the 2007 Volkswagen Citi.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Rad

Here is an overview of the video tutorials provided in the Dreamweaver Made Simple training guide:

Module 1. Getting started with Dreamweaver CS4

5 Interactive Video Lessons

* Setup Dreamweaver before you get started
* Six steps to building your Website
* Designing your site – how to design your site layout
* Content Creation – How to prepare and setup all the sample practise files you’ll be using to build your “practise” website.
* Creating a single page website (minisite) – How to create your first page
* What name you MUST give to your “home page” (get this wrong and your website won’t even work!)

Module 2. How to layout your first page

10 Interactive Video Lessons

* Creating a Table – The fastest and simplest way to layout your web page
* Adding a Banner Graphic -
* How to quickly and easily add Text to your page
* Formatting Text – Simple formatting steps to create great looking pages
* Creating Links – How to create links to other pages
* Background Graphics – How to add great background graphics
* Add professional looking navigation bars with grahpic buttons
* Using Forms – Include easy to use forms on your web pages
* Using Tables to organise your page – how to organise text and images using tables
* How to position text and images – positioning text and images without using tables

Module 3. Create a multipage site using templates

2 Interactive Video Lessons

* Using Templates – Save 100’s of hours building your website by using templates
* How to create a template in literally seconds
* How to create a new page from a template

Module 4. Advanced styling with CSS

2 Interactive Video Lessons

* Styling with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) – Quickly and easily change the font style across your whole website
* How to properly setup you site so updating styles is as easy as 1-2-3
* Attaching our Style Sheet to an existing webpage – Keep all your website styles in one single file (makes updating your site a cinch)

Module 5. Utilities in Dreamweaver

2 Interactive Video Lessons

* Switching Views – The difference between code view and design view (and how to use them)
* Spell Checker – Using the spell checker to get your spelling up to scratch
* Find and Replace – Use find and replace to replace, text, images, html code in seconds
* Link Checker – How to check all your page links to make sure your site actually works!

Module 6. Uploading your website

1 Interactive Video Lesson

* How to get your site live on the internet for others to see
* Uploading your site to your web hosting provider

Module 7. Quick reference guide and advanced topics

8 Interactive Video Lessons

* Top 10 keyboard shortcuts to speed up the web design process
* Alt Tags – Understand ‘ALT’ tags and know when and how to use them
* Anchors – How to link to sections within the same page
* Graphics – Insert graphics amongst your text
* Page Properties and Link Colors – Change page properties like background color, default font style and more
* Change the default link colors and style
* Rollover images – Create cool looking ‘rollover’ effects (that’s when an image changes when your visitor rolls his mouse over it)
* Meta tags – what they are and how to use them

For more information visit Dreamweaver Made Simple.

Once you know why you want to freelance, you then must understand and decide if you possess the attributes of a good freelancer. These attributes include marketable skills, good organizational skills, flexibility and ability to meet deadlines, entrepreneurial skills, experience, good communication skills and the ability to keep calm under pressure. Compare these attributes with those you possess and identify areas where you may be lacking, so you can try to improve on them, or reconsider freelancing altogether.

You will also need to do some form of a budget, where you set out how much money you will be spending on freelancing and other related costs, and how much you are prepared to personally get by on. Do a monthly budget and stick to it.

One important thing you must quickly decide on is, whether or not you will be working from home. Depending on the type of freelance work you will be doing, your location will be affected. If you are a freelance writer and you get jobs through a freelance website you will find it easier to work from home. If your freelance work requires you to manufacture products, then a different location would be appropriate.

When you have decided on your location, you then decide on the equipment you will need to do your work. Do you need a desk and chair, fax machine, computer with Internet access and a printer? Make sure you carefully consider your equipment needs, you do not want to start freelancing and then find out you are unable to do a project because you lack an important piece of equipment.

Consider also, whether or not you are going to work for a set number of hours. Freelancing allows you to set your working hours, and when doing so remember that you have a family you will need to spend time with. Once you set your hours, it is important to stick to it. There is nothing worse for a potential client than trying to reach you when you say you will be working and being unable to.

You now have to decide how you are going to find work. You can begin by contacting companies that need your kind of expertise. There are also agencies that can source work opportunities for you. A good place to search is the Internet; there you will find many freelance job sites.

When you are negotiating for work, charge your client according to the work that needs to be done. Be sure your price covers your costs and makes you a profit.

Being a Webmaster: Things you must know

If your desire is to be a Webmaster, you must understand who a Webmaster is and what a Webmaster does. One definition of a Webmaster is, “someone who is responsible for designing, management, and development of a website and its’ content”. The Webmaster also has responsibility for the websites connectivity and the human resources needed for its’ maintenance. Webmastering is considered a fairly complex job and knowledge of many different areas is required.

You will need to have an understanding of web development, knowledge of website development and ability to use all or most of the tools available to create and develop websites from scratch. Solid knowledge of the more popular softwares like FrontPage, Dreamweaver and ColdFusion is important. You will also need to be able to produce codes, install, trouble shoot, modify, fix and alter scripts. You should also know the difference between valid HTML and invalid HTML.

Another important role that a Webmaster plays is that of a Database Administrator. Many times companies use database administrators to manage and organize all aspects of their database. You will need to have knowledge of Structure Query Language (SQL), which allows webmasters to write queries to a database. Be able to use a database with any scripting language, since you will be writing a lot of database code for things like login code, forums, news, ad servers, and searches.
Having a working knowledge of what a Network Engineer does, including networking technologies, hardware and security will be to your benefit. The Network Engineer is also responsible for the hardware and software, server operability, connectivity, and security. Having certifications in MCSE, CIW, and CCNP would be a good place to start.

As a Webmaster, you must be able to maintain an existing website. Most websites go through many changes, from script to new and improved graphics. These changes have to be effected by the Webmaster.

One of the aspects of website maintenance is its’ content. As a Webmaster you may be called upon to be a writer and provide quality written content. You may be required to provide articles, newsletters, write copy for products and written responses to customer inquiries.

Knowing how to Web Design with Dreamweaver and develop and maintain a website will mean nothing to you unless you have the tools available to perform your job. Owning or having access to all the required software and programming applications is a must. You must also keep abreast of the new and improved software that becomes available each year, to see how they may improve your capabilities.

Many Webmasters have to take on the role of Website Marketer. As the name suggests, you will be responsible for marketing and promoting the website using search engine optimization. As a Webmaster you should have an understanding of how to employ a search engine strategy that is successful.

Finally, you will want to be employed or work as a freelancer. Whichever path you take you can search for jobs by contacting companies that have a website or is looking to develop one. You can also use freelance sites like and search for freelancer work. When you go to these freelance sites, for example, spend some time searching for jobs that meet your skills.

Before you decide to go into freelancing, you must be sure of what your reasons are for wanting to freelance. Think about it and carefully decide what your aims are. Do you want to specialize in a particular area in which you have expertise? Are you in it to earning more money?

http://www.netafreelancer.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Musa_Aykac

Whether you are looking to put more money in the bank, pay the bills, or save for retirement, freelancing is a great way you can make that second income.

1. What is freelancing? Simply put, it is working on an as-needed basis, for different companies or individuals who are looking for various tasks or jobs to be completed. These can be anything from website design, writing, editing, data entry, or telemarketing.

2. Why would a firm hire a freelancer? To save money. They do not have to pay benefits, overtime, or the costs of having them physically in their office. They only pay as they need tasks completed.

3. How Much Money Can I Make? This is one of the great benefits of becoming a freelancer. You can potentially make as much or as little as you want. Companies pay you either a fixed price, or by the hour and you are paid once the job is completed. As you get more experienced, you can take on as many jobs as you think you can handle at one time. You can work for more than one firm at a time, depending on the type of freelancing you decide to do. Some jobs are much more detailed and will consume more of your resources. You can make a few hundred dollars a month, or a few thousand.

4. Can I Work From Home? Absolutely! As long as you have a computer with internet capability, a phone and email, you can find a Dreamweaver job. Depending on the type of jobs you choose, you will need the latest version of Adobe Dreamweaver CS4. It is also a good idea to make sure you have MS Office and other programs as you get more advanced in your dreamweaver skills.

How Do You Get Started? First, decide what types of jobs you want to do. What do you think you can do really well? It may be something you are already doing in your current job, like creating websites, or customer service. Maybe you have always wanted to try writing? Then, search the internet for freelancing jobs. You will find a multitude of websites and discussion forums on the topic. Find out who is hiring for the work you want to do. This may take some time but it is well worth it. Have a resume and cover letter on hand to submit to any companies you think you would like to work for. Be prepared to give them work samples and references.

Becoming a freelancer can be a great way to make a second income and relieve some of the pressures of today’s economic worries. Take the time to decide what type of work you want to do, and create a good resume. You may even find your second income more enjoyable than your first!
FreeLancer.co.uk is the leading site where you can find freelancers and freelance projects of all kind, where businesses connect with independent professionals to get work done.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_J._Cameron

Creating a website is only the start of the skills needed by professional web-designers today. You’d be wise to find a course that incorporates subjects such as PHP, HTML and MySQL so that you can know how to maintain content, drive traffic and operate on dynamic sites that are database driven.

An all too common mistake that students everywhere can make is to choose a career based on a course, and not focus on the end result they want to achieve. Colleges are brimming over with unaware students who chose a course based on what sounded good – rather than what would get them an enjoyable career or job. It’s a testament to the marketing skills of the big companies, but the majority of trainees start out on programs that sound fabulous from the syllabus guide, but which gets us a career that doesn’t fulfil at all. Talk to many college students to see what we mean.

It’s a good idea to understand the exact expectations industry will have. What accreditations they’ll want you to gain and how to gain experience. Spend some time assessing how far you think you’ll want to progress your career as it will force you to choose a particular set of certifications. Have a conversation with a skilled advisor that has a commercial understanding of the realities faced in the industry, and is able to give you a detailed description of what tasks are going to make up a typical day for you. Establishing this well before you start on any learning course makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?

Typically, a new trainee will not know to ask about a vitally important element – the way their training provider actually breaks down and delivers the physical training materials, and into how many separate packages. A release of your materials one stage at a time, according to your exam schedule is how things will normally arrive. This sounds sensible, but you should take these factors into account: What would happen if you didn’t finish every module at the required speed? And maybe you’ll find their order of completion doesn’t work as well as another different route may.

To be straight, the very best answer is to get an idea of what they recommend as an ideal study order, but make sure you have all of your learning modules right from the beginning. Meaning you’ve got it all if you don’t manage to finish inside of their required time-scales.

How long has it been since you considered the security of your job? Normally, we only think of this after we experience a knock-back. However, the painful truth is that true job security doesn’t really exist anymore, for most of us. Where there are rising skills deficits together with increasing demand however, we generally reveal a newer brand of market-security; driven forward by the constant growth conditions, businesses are struggling to hire the staff required.

A recent national e-Skills study showed that twenty six percent of computing and IT jobs are unfilled due to a chronic shortage of properly qualified workers. To put it another way, this clearly demonstrates that the country only has 3 trained people for each 4 job positions available currently. Acquiring full commercial computing certification is consequently a quick route to a long-term and pleasing line of work. In reality, retraining in Information Technology throughout the next year or two is probably the safest career move you’ll ever make.

Exam ‘guarantees’ are sometimes offered as part of a training package – they always involve paying for the exam fees up-front, at the very beginning of your studies. Before you get carried away with the chance of a guarantee, consider this:

Everyone knows they’re still footing the bill for it – obviously it has been added into the overall price charged by the course provider. Certainly, it’s not a freebie (it’s just marketing companies think we’ll fall for anything they say!) The honest truth is that if a student pays for each progressive exam, at the time of taking them, there’s a much better chance they’ll get through on the first attempt – because they’ll think of what they’ve paid and their application will be greater.

Take your exams at a local pro-metric testing centre and find the best deal for you at the time. Buying a course that includes payments for exams (which also includes interest if you’ve taken out a loan) is a false economy. It’s not your job to boost the training company’s account with additional funds only to please their Bank Manager! Some will be pinning their hopes on the fact that you won’t get round to taking them – so they get to keep the extra funds. Additionally, ‘Exam Guarantees’ often aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. The majority of organisations won’t be prepared to pay for you to re-take until you’re able to demonstrate an excellent mock pass rate.

On average, exams cost around the 112 pounds mark twelve months or so ago through Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. Therefore, why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra to have ‘an Exam Guarantee’, when common sense dictates that the most successful method is consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software.

We’d hazard a guess that you’ve always enjoyed practical work – a ‘hands-on’ type. Typically, the unfortunate chore of reading reference guides is something you’ll force on yourself if you absolutely have to, but it doesn’t suit your way of doing things. Check out video-based multimedia instruction if books just don’t do it for you. If we’re able to utilise all of our senses into our learning, then we often see hugely increased memory retention as a result.

You can now study via interactive CD and DVD ROM’s. By watching and listening to instructors on video tutorials you’ll learn your subject by way of the expert demonstrations. You can then test yourself by utilising the practice lab’s and modules. Each company you’re contemplating must be able to demonstrate a few samples of their courseware. Make sure you encounter videos of instructor-led classes and a variety of interactive modules.

Plump for CD and DVD ROM based physical training media whenever you can. You can then avoid all the difficulties of the variability of broadband quality and service.

(C) Jason Kendall. Navigate to LearningLolly.com for great career tips on Computer Courses and Web Designer Courses.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Kendall

Dreamweaver templates relieve you of much of the tedious job of editing individual web pages, because you create the template one time then apply it to initial pages in your site. If you want to make changes alter, you can make them to the template and they are automatically applied to all of the pages that are based on your template.

Using Templates is a two step process:

1. Create the template.

2. Instantiate the template into one or more actual web documents.

So when should you use a template? How do you create it? How do you apply it? How do you make changes to a template and update the pages it applies to? The following sections will answer these questions.

When to Use a Template

Use a template whenever you have a group of pages that share a basic common group of layout features, and well defined areas that need to be customized. For example, you might use a template to define a group of pages with a three column layout, a common background color, and common menu bar at the top of the page, possibly common links on both sides of the page, and only the center column of the page left available for customization.

How to Create a Template

Dreamweaver gives you two methods to create a template, but this article discusses only the second method. The methods are:

* Create a template from an existing page.
* Create a template from a new page.

Here are the steps to create a Dreamweaver template from a new page:

1. Click the File menu, then click New.

2. A “New Document” dialog box will pop up. In the left column (the Category column) of the dialog box select Template page and in the right column (the Template column) select “HTML template”. Click the Create button in the lower right corner of the dialog box.

The template is created. Now save the template as follows:

1. Click the File menu, then click Save.

2. You may get a Dreamweaver message complaining that the template has no editable regions. Ignore it, and click OK.

3. Now a “Save as Template” box will pop up. Type the name you want for the template in the bottom entry field, which is labeled “Save as”.

Dreamweaver will automatically create a Templates folder and save the template into it. The template will have a “.dwt” file extension.

Populate the Template

To populate a simple Dreamweaver template, follow these steps:

1. Add content

2. Mark content as editable where applicable

A detailed description of these two steps follows:

Adding content to a Dreamweaver template is the same as adding content to any other page — except . . . you should think carefully about the fact your content will be replicated on all instance pages based on your template.

As an example, you might do a table based three column layout, where the first row of the table is just one cell containing a graphic, and the second row of the table contains three cells — links on the left, links on the right, and an editable region in the center.

You create the table, and then add the top graphic and the links as you normally would. This leaves only the center cell of the second row of the table to be marked as editable. Do this as follows:

1. Select the center cell of the second row of the table.

2. On the “Common” Bar, click the Templates popup menu, then click the Editable Region command.

3. A “New Editable Region” dialog window should pop up. Type a name (for example “Content1″) into the “name” text box, then click OK.

Now the template has an editable region. Save it.

Create a Page Based on the Template

This is where you get a return on the work you did creating your template. The following steps describe how to create a page based on a template.

1. Click the File menu, then click New.

2. A “New Document” dialog box will pop up. Select the “Templates” tab at the top of the dialog box.

3. Now there should be two columns at the top of the “Templates” tab in the dialog box. The first column is labeled “Templates for:” and the second column is labeled “Site [site name]“. In the first column, select your site; then in the second column, select your template.

4. Select “Update page when template changes” in the lower right corner of the tab.

5. Now click Create in the lower right corner of the tab.

6. A new untitled page should now have been created. Save the page, giving it the name you want.

Now you can make changes in any of the editable regions of the new page.

At this point, making changes is very simple, because Dreamweaver will only allow you to edit regions of the page that were defined as editable in the original template. If you try to edit anywhere else, the editing cursor will turn into a little circle with a slash through it and you cannot edit or delete anything.

When you are done customizing the page, save it. If you make any changes to the template in the future, they will be automatically added to the page you just created.

Conclusion

If you would like to know more of the under-the-hood mechanics of how Dreamweaver implements templates, see my article “How Dreamweaver Templates Work”.

Sam Mela does web design and runs a math tutoring business in Springfield Virginia. His web site is http://www.WeekendSuccess.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Samuel_Mela

2. Access the right code and CSS styles you need. You can click any file in the “Related Files” bar to see at the same time its source in “Code View” and the parent page in “Design View.” You can also use “Code Navigator” to quickly access CSS source code that affects your current selection.

3. You can script faster with “Enhanced Code Hinting” by writing JavaScript more efficiently with improved support for JavaScript core objects and primitive data types. You can also incorporat popular JavaScript frameworks, including jQuery, Prototype, and Spry.

4. You can add dynamic data without database or XML wrangling by integrating the power of dynamic data into your web pages without struggling with databases or XML coding. Spry Data Sets recognize content in a simple HTML table.

5. You can update Adobe Photoshop file images fast with Photoshop Smart Objects whenever the original files change — no more need to resave and reinsert images because they are automatically web-optimized in your preferred HTML-friendly format.

6. Conveniently apply CSS best practices without writing code. You can create new CSS rules in the “Properties” panel and get clear and simple explanations of where each property fits in the cascade of styles.

Now before proceeding, I state a few important points regarding Adobe Dreamweaver. Based on the technology of WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get), the Adobe Dreamweaver also supports other web technologies like Java script and CSS. It also includes support for various server-side scripting languages like JSP (Java Server Pages), ColdFusion, PHP and ASP.NET. So, a lot of functionality has been inserted into this single piece of software.

Dreamweaver was originally a product of Macromedia, which was then purchased by Adobe and merged into a single unit. Since its release, several versions of the soft wares had been launched into the market which works mainly on Apple Macintosh platform and Microsoft Windows platform. In spite of being stand alone software, it operates well along with various other soft wares especially those from Adobe like Adobe Fireworks.

Now, knowing that Adobe Dreamweaver is a handy and very useful tool for website development for almost any professional, you cannot jump into the software without knowing anything. Although Dreamweaver has a well designed human friendly interface, it is sophisticated with a wide variety of features included in it. A proper training guide can get you through all the complications. A proper Dreamweaver book should not only teach you to use Dreamweaver by pressing buttons but should also help you understand the web technology and graphics design principles that underlie the wonderful application.

Plenty of resources are available nowadays to learn the minute details of Dreamweaver. Some of the resources that we can use are software packages for training, website tutorial n Dreamweaver, books on Dreamweaver or E-books or flash tutorials. With so much help available for us, it should take us no time to master the sophisticated course of Dreamweaver.

In spite of there being several resources, books have always been the best friend of a person. Dreamweaver books are no special. You can find a wide variety of books on Dreamweaver varying in the level of difficulty and the scope of topic completed. In our website you can find some of the best books on Adobe Dreamweaver with which you can master the application and develop some of the top selling websites.

For a detailed list of Dreamweaver books. Visit us at: http://dreamweaverbooks.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martin_Louis

Dreamweaver has form insertion and editing features that make it easy to add a form to any web page.

Furthermore, the Dreamweaver Insert bar allows you to add a complete array of form fields, including Text Fields, Hidden Fields, Text Area, Check Boxes, Radio Buttons, Radio Groups, Button, Labels, and more advanced form items such as List Menus, Jump Menu, File Field, Image Field, and Fieldset. This article covers only very simple forms, but additional form elements will be covered in future articles.

For this article, we assume the Form Accessibility options are turned off. To do this, click Edit on the menu bar, then Preferences, then select the Accessibility category, and then uncheck Form Objects.

Three Tasks for Adding A form

There are three tasks involved in adding a working form to a web site. They are:

1. Add Form – Using Dreamweaver editing features, you create the form.
2. Populate the Form – Using Dreamweaver editing features, you add form fields and other HTML tags (for example, tables).
3. Add Form Processing – In general, a script is required to process form data when the user enters it.

Here is a very simple example form I created using Dreamweaver:

Example Form:

http://www.weekendsuccess.com/TestForm.htm

The following sections describe the steps necessary to create a form like this.

Add the Form

To add a form and form fields, you must the Insert Toolbar must be visible. If the Insert Toolbar is not visible, click View on the Dreamweaver main menu, then click Toolbars and click to put a check next to the Insert selection. Now click the down arrow on the left side of the Insert bar (right after the title), and select Forms. You are ready to add a form and some form fields.

Position the Dreamweaver insertion pointer to the place in your document where you want the form to be inserted. Now click the Form button on the insert bar (should be the leftmost button), and a form will be inserted into your document. You cannot drag the edges of the form to resize it. The form will be resized automatically as you add content to it.

Once the form is added, the Dreamweaver form property inspector box will display a number of options.

From left to right and top to bottom, you will see “Form name”, “Action”, “Method”, “Target”, “Enctype”, and “Class”.

* Form Name is used to give the form a name. This makes it possible to manipulate the form with a scripting language.
* Action specifies what is done with the form data when the form submit button is pushed. In the real world, you the action is generally set to the file name of a form processing script. For example:

“formmail.php”

* Method specifies the means by which the form data is communicated. For professional forms you will generally want to set this to “POST”. The “GET” method sends the data as part of a URL, and it will be visible in the address bar of the browser. Also, the “GET” method is limited in how much information it can send.
* Target controls which window displays the results of a form submission. Normally this will be left empty.
* Enctype defaults to “application/x-www-form-urlencoded”. That is the setting you would generally use with posted data.
* Class sets the “class” attribute of the form. In other words, applies a CSS style. It is left blank in this example, but you can experiment with it.

Populate the Form

Adding a table to contain the form fields is entirely optional, but it makes it much easier to line of the fields, and gives a professional look to your page, so I highly recommend it. To add a table, set the insertion pointer inside of the form, and insert a two column table into the form, just as you would normally insert it into a web page.

Now add some Form Text Fields to the table. A typical selection would be name, address, email, and telephone number.

The strategy for adding labeled text form fields to the table is simple — add text descriptions to the left column of the table (right justify them), and add form text fields to the right column of the table (left justify them). This will work very nicely for such fields as name, street address, E-mail, and telephone number.

To actually add the text fields click the Text Field button on the Insert Toolbar. The form text field will be inserted into the table cell, and the Property Inspector will display a list of Form Text Field related properties. In the field labeled “Textfield” type the name of the field. In the field, labeled “Char Width”, select an appropriate width — 50 is good for name, address, and E-mail; 2 is good for state abbreviations. Also, for simple fields like name, street address, and E-mail– select the “Single Line” radio button option.

The last thing you must add to the form to make it work is a “Submit” button. I suggest centering this in the bottom row of the table. To do this, merge the two cells in the bottom row of the table, then place the Dreamweaver insertion pointer in bottom row and click the Button button on the Insert Toolbar. By default the button should be named “Submit”, have a value of “Submit”, and an action of “Submit Form”. If for some reason it does not, set these in the Property Inspector.

Add Form Processing

In order to actually use the information in the form, you need some sort of a script. The script will typically store the form contents in a data base file or email them somewhere. If you are not a script expert, I suggest you buy a script or use one of the free scripts available on the internet. For my example form, I used a script from “Jacks Scripts (Home of Jack’s Formmail.php)”. It’s easy to find with Google.

In general, you will need to customize the script for your site and email address, but this is quite easy. For the “FormMail” php script, you just make a few changes at the top of the file. They look like this:

// for ultimate security, use this instead of using the form</br> $recipient = “YourEmailAddress@YourEmailDomain.com”;</br> // referrers.. domains/ips that you will allow forms to</br> // reside on</br> $referers = array (‘YourDomain.com’,'<a target=”_new” rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.Yourdomain.com”>http://www.Yourdomain.com</a>’);</pre></br>

You may also need to add some hidden fields to your form. The values of these fields are passed to the processing script. For my example form I had to add two hidden fields – a field named “redirect” whose value is the web address of the response page the user is sent to after submitting the form; and a field named “subject” whose value is the subject line of the email that is sent after the form is submitted.

Finally, you should be aware that that this article did not discuss error checking and data validation. For reliable, high end, business form processing there are a number of commercial sites available. You can direct the output of your forms to a service, and they will database the information or email it to you.

Conclusion

It is easy to add a form to a web page using Dreamweaver. Just use the Form insertion bar to add the form and form fields, then hook the form to a script; or link your form to a site that processes form data professionally. Forms are absolutely necessary if you want to have a professional presence on the web.

© 2006 Sam Mela

Sam Mela runs a math tutoring business in Springfield Virginia. His web site is http://www.WeekendSuccess.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Samuel_Mela