Chapter 3: User Interfaces For Extensions; Chapter 3: User Interfaces For Extensions; Designing An Extension User Interface - MACROMEDIA DREAMWEAVER MX 2004-EXTENDING DREAMWEAVER Manual

CHAPTER 3
User Interfaces for Extensions
Most extensions are built to receive information from the user through a user interface (UI).
If you plan to submit your extension for Macromedia certification, you need to follow the
guidelines that are available within the Extension Manager files on the Macromedia Exchange
website (www.macromedia.com/exchange). These guidelines are not intended to limit your
creativity; their purpose is to ensure that certified extensions work effectively within the
Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 UI and that the extension UI design does not detract from
its functionality.

Designing an extension user interface

Typically, you create an extension to perform a task that users encounter frequently. Certain parts
of the task are repetitive and by creating an extension, you can automate them. Some steps in the
task can change, or specific attributes of the code that the extension processes can change. To
receive user inputs for these variable values, you build a UI.
As an example, an extension can automate updates for a web catalog where users periodically need
to change values for image sources, item descriptions, and prices, but the procedures for taking
these values and formatting the information for display on the website remains the same. A simple
extension can automate the formatting while letting users manually input the new, updated values
for the three variables. An advanced extension can automate the process of pulling a set of values
for image sources, item descriptions, and prices directly from a database, with variables for time
intervals input by the user.
The purpose of your extension UI is to receive information that the user inputs to handle the
variable aspects of a repetitive task that the extension performs. Dreamweaver supports HTML
and JavaScript form elements as the basic building blocks for creating extension UI controls and
displays the UI using its own HTML renderer. Therefore, an extension UI can be as simple as an
HTML file that contains a two-column table with text descriptions and form input fields.
Most extension developers design their extension UI after coding most of the functionality of
their extension in JavaScript. After you begin writing code, it is often easy to discern what
variables are necessary and what form inputs can best handle them.
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