TechNote (Archived)

Common questions about Dreamweaver UltraDev 4

Note: Dreamweaver UltraDev is no longer available, but has been replaced by Dreamweaver MX. Developers with questions or wishing to purchase a web application development product should see Common questions about Dreamweaver (TechNote 14714).

What is a Web Application?
What does the term "Dynamic" mean with respect to Web pages?
How can I use Dreamweaver UltraDev 4 to develop a Web Application?
What features does Dreamweaver UltraDev 4 offer?
A glossary of terms related to Dreamweaver UltraDev 4.
What is the difference between Dreamweaver 4 and Dreamweaver UltraDev 4?

The evolution of Web application development

What is a Web Application?

In recent years, the term "Web application" has become a common term used to describe some of the most popular Web sites on the Internet. A Web application is a collection of Web pages that contain server logic code to dynamically generate HTML content when processed by the server. Web applications often replace traditional client/server software. Some examples of Web applications include inventory management sites, sales tracking systems and human resources applications.

Web applications have become increasingly sophisticated. In the past, application logic was primarily added to Web sites using the programmable APIs of Web servers like Netscape Enterprise Server and Microsoft Internet Information Server. Developing applications using these APIs often required programming experience with C or Java, making it very expensive to develop and deploy these applications.

What does the term "dynamic" mean with respect to Web Applications?

The term "dynamic" is often referred to with respect to Web applications. Dynamic in this context refers to how the characteristics of a given HTML page are determined by user interaction and/or the results of program execution on the Web server. For example, UltraDev 4 creates in-line, server-side code, which can programmatically construct HTML on the server just before it is delivered to a browser.

How can Dreamweaver UltraDev 4 be used to develop a Web Application?

With the introduction of Microsoft's Active Server Pages (ASP), Macromedia's ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML), and Sun's Java Server Pages (JSP), the skill set for building Web applications have changed. These new technologies are built upon the traditional HTML development methodology. ASP, JSP and CFML logic is added to Web pages using in-line server-side scripting or tags. This declarative approach to adding application server logic makes it possible for HTML developers to easily add sophisticated server-side logic to sites without having to write a complex, compiled program. By making Web application development more accessible to the HTML community, the number of Web applications has greatly increased.

Now, Web developers are under increasing pressure to deploy Web applications as quickly as possible. These developers require a tool that can speed the application building process without compromising the source control they have when hand coding. Enter Dreamweaver UltraDev 4!

Dreamweaver UltraDev 4 streamlines the application development process. It is the first development solution to include Roundtrip HTML design features and powerful application building features for ASP, JSP and CFML in one visual environment. Now, Web designers can build fully functional Web applications that look good and perform well across all Web browsers in a variety of application server environments. Dreamweaver UltraDev 4 provides Web designers and developers with the most important tools needed for creating great site designs.

What features does UltraDev offer?

In addition to the existing Dreamweaver 4 features, Web developers can now add additional server-specific functionality to their sites with Dreamweaver UltraDev 4. Dreamweaver UltraDev 4 provides a complete set of features for adding database connections, displaying server-side content, adding server-side scripts and previewing dynamic content in a browser. Using the Dreamweaver UltraDev's open API, you can add support for various server technologies including COM Objects and Java Beans to create a development environment that is fine tuned for specific application needs.

Dreamweaver UltraDev 4 Features

Build database-driven Web applications quickly and easily.

Live Data Preview
Server Behaviors
Dynamic Data Formatting
Database Objects
User Authentication Server Behaviors
Master Detail, Database Editing, Recordset Navigation, and Recordset Status Live Objects
Multi-Server Design Environment
Query Editor
Data Bindings inspector
Configurable Page Layout

Maintain total control with source editing and visual document views.

Support for Industry Standard Application Servers
Java Bean Support
COM Support Via Extensibility
Server Behavior Builder
Extensive Database Support
Customizable Live Data Preview
File Check in/Check out
Programmable API
Design Notes for Team Collaboration
Integration with Leading Web Application Servers

Create robust enterprise-ready Web applications for industry standard servers.

Roundtrip HTML and Roundtrip Server Markup
Clean Code
Flexible Database Connectivity
HTML Syntax Validation
HTML Styles and CSS
Unparalleled HTML Table editing
History Palette
Integrated BBEdit (evaluation version) and HomeSite 4.5
Site Management
Visual SourceSafe Integration
WebDAV Integration
Customizable Work Environment

UltraDev Glossary

Explanation of some common terms, technologies and acronyms:

Apache	Apache is an open source Web server that runs primarily on Linux but has also been ported to other operating systems including Solaris and NT. Users can use UltraDev to develop sites for Apache if they have added either Tomcat (JSP for Apache Free from Jakarta.apache.org) or ChiliASP (www.chilisoft.com for $995.00)
ASP	Active Server Pages is Microsoft's technology for adding server-side scripts to Web pages. ASP allows users to connect Web pages to back end databases and COM objects. ASP has been ported to non-Windows platforms by other vendors. ChiliASP provides ASP scripting for Linux machines running Apache Web server. ASP scripts can be written in both VB Script and JavaScript scripting languages. For more information on ASP, visit Microsoft's Web site.
CFML	ColdFusion Markup Language is Macromedia's tag based language that is used for creating Web sites that run on Macromedia's ColdFusion application server. For more information on CFML, visit the ColdFusion product page.
COM Objects	COM objects are programs that are written to the Microsoft component specification. These objects are used to encapsulate programming logic. Using COM objects, ASP sites can connect to other server-side systems. The ASP pages do not contain the code for these connections. Instead, the ASP pages make calls to COM objects. COM objects contain all of the programming to work with the back end system. For more information on COM, visitMicrosoft's Web site.
DSN (Data Source Name)	A DSN is the name for an ODBC connection. A DSN specifies the database connectivity driver to be used and physical location of the database.
DSN-less Connection	DSN-less connections are database connections for ASP servers that function as an alternative connection method to DSNs DSN-less connections are commonly used on sites that are hosted with Internet Service Providers.
IIS	Microsoft's Internet Information Server versions 3.0 and higher include support for Active Server Pages (ASP). IIS is only available on Windows NT and 2000 operating systems. IIS 3.0 and 4.0 have been tested with UltraDev. For more information on IIS, visitMicrosoft's Web site.
Java Beans	Java Beans are java components that are part of Sun's Java 2 platform. A Java bean is a program that is written to Sun's Bean specification. Java Beans are often used to connect to data sources from JSP pages. The appropriate code for the system is contained within the Java Bean and the JSP page communicates with the Bean rather than talking directly to the other program. By separating and isolating the different parts and pieces of site development, applications are easier to maintain. For more information on Java Beans, visit Sun's Web site.
JDBC	Java Database Connectivity is the Sun database connectivity standard. JDBC is part of the Java 2 platform. JDBC drivers enable database connectivity on any Java platform including Windows, Mac, and UNIX. JDBC drivers can be downloaded from various vendors. The Sun Web site includes a list of all the latest drivers for JDBC.
JSP	Java Server Pages is Sun's technology for adding server-side scripts to Web pages. JSP was developed by Sun as a standard for Web servers to support. JSP allows users to connect Web pages to databases and Java Beans JSP pages consist of HTML and Java. A number of different vendors include JSP support with their servers. These include: BEA WebLogic, IBM WebSphere, Netscape Enterprise Server (iPlanet), Allaire JRun, Oracle Application Server, Sun's JServ, and more. For more information on JSP, visit Sun's Web site.
Linux	UNIX based operating system that runs on Intel or Macintosh hardware.
Netscape Enterprise Server (iPlanet)	The latest version of Netscape Enterprise Server is now sold as part of the Netscape-Sun iPlanet servers. iPlanet supports JSP 1.0 code. Users can use UltraDev to develop sites for this server. For more information on the iPlanet server, visit out Netscape's Web site.
ODBC	ODBC is a Microsoft standard for connecting to databases. ODBC is included with the Windows operating system. ODBC drivers for most relational databases are available. The latest version of ODBC drivers can be downloaded from Microsoft as part of the MDAC installer.
OLEDB	OLEDB is another Microsoft standard for connecting to databases. OLEDB is object-oriented and works with relational and non-relational databases. There are fewer OLEDB drivers available for existing databases but those that are available provide better performance for ASP sites than ODBC.
SQL	SQL (pronounced See-Quel), or structured query language, is the programming language used to connect to, query and update relational databases.
WebSphere	WebSphere is IBM's Java application server. WebSphere 3.0 supports JSP 1.0 and has been tested with UltraDev. For more information visit the WebSphere Web site.