Getting Started with GoLive CS

[Mike_M...@adobeforums.com]

Background:

I'm new to Go Live. I have some experience setting up image based rollover pages using Image Ready. My site is hosted using IIS/ASP. I have several new user questions before I dive into using GoLive CS 7. Before I attempt to learn GoLive, I want to get a confidence level that it will make it easier for me to create and maintain an image and multimedia based site than by simply using FrontPage and graphics programs such as ImageReady. I'd also like to get a feel for the learning curve needed to gain the skills necessary to use GL for my purposes.

Let me briefly explain what content will be displayed on this site and what the site will attempt to accomplish so that you can better understand my questions below. The site will be used to promote a business. It will use text, images and multimedia files. It will employ a main navigation page. I'd like to use a narrow navigation frame on the left side and a wider content frame to the right. The site will also be used to validate logins to specific user based pages containing images and or multimedia files. (No, this is not an "adult" site.) Eventually, we may want to add some user feedback and small amounts data collection on some pages but the site will not need SSL or employ a shopping cart. I have the Adobe Creative Suite of programs available to use although I only have experience with PS (extensive) and IR. I also have many other multi-media tools at my disposal. The site is hosted on an IIS server where active server pages code may be used. The site can also invoke frontpage extensions if needed.

Here are my questions:

1) How well integrated are GL CS and Image Ready CS? Can I edit in IR, import to GL and make changes in GL that are later recognized/editable in IR? What are the general procedures for setting up image based rollover pages for someone using IR and GL? Can one create a IR navigation frame easily that causes rollover action inside another page located in another frame?

2) I want to be able display a Flash file under a rollover state. In other words, as one mouses over a button, I want an area of the screen to show a flash file. When they move their mouse over another button, another flash file should replace the previous one show up in the same area. Is this possible? Advisable? Must/should I use frames to make this happen? If so, how does one create a frame window using an IR based page? Does GL display flash and other media files correctly in it's preview window?

3) How well does GL handle other media files such as Windows Media and QT files? Are there any gotcha's with using either file type?

4) Since I'm using an ASP site as my hosting vehicle, I'd like to know how well GL understands basic ASP code natively. I'm using ASP to reference login databases and such. Will GL understand any of this relatively simple ASP code to validate username's and passwords?

5) Having a basic understanding of what I'm trying to accomplish, what GoLive tutorials would you recommend?

If you need more details in order better understand what I need to accomplish, please post.

Thank you for taking the time to read this rather lengthy post. Any incite that you can provide to one or more of the questions above is appreciated.

[Robert...@adobeforums.com]

I'd like to use a narrow navigation frame on the left side and a wider
content frame to the right.

I'd strongly advise against using frames. They are not very search engine-friendly.

How well integrated are GL CS and Image Ready CS?

Fairly well, I believe, but I always create my rollovers from within GoLive itself, so I can't comment much on the integration.

3) How well does GL handle other media files such as Windows Media and
QT files? Are there any gotcha's with using either file type?

They work well enough for me.

4) Since I'm using an ASP site as my hosting vehicle, I'd like to know
how well GL understands basic ASP code natively. I'm using ASP to reference
login databases and such. Will GL understand any of this relatively simple
ASP code to validate username's and passwords?

I'd guess that it will leave the code alone, but it won't understand it. GoLive 6 had a feature called Dynamic Content that could handle ASP, but that was removed in GoLive CS.

5) Having a basic understanding of what I'm trying to accomplish, what
GoLive tutorials would you recommend?

You might want to try the GoLive CS Classroom in a Book as a starter. It walks you through basic lessons on how to use GoLive. I'm not aware of that many other GLCS books.

You could also check out Total Training's video material:

<http://www.totaltraining.com/store/2003/category_product/adobe_golive_cs.asp?mscsid=>

A nice and free option is this very forum :)

[Mike_M...@adobeforums.com]

Robert, thanks for the quick response. I appreciate help from forum participants.

"I'd strongly advise against using frames. They are not very search engine-friendly"

Not knowing too much about how search engines work, can't one simply put some commented text in each frame that does not get displayed to trigger search engines?

Without using frames, how does one create the same look as having a navigation frame where the navigation stays put when you click on a button and load a new page?

[Tim_Tr...@adobeforums.com]

Without using frames, how does one create the same look as having a navigation
frame where the navigation stays put when you click on a button and load
a new page?

Use GoLive component and template features. Make a page containing only your navigation system and save it as a component. Make another page and drag in the above navigation component and add any other elements that will be common to all pages (logos, copyright notice, etc...) and save this page as a template.

Everytime you add a page to your site create it from the template.

If you make a change in the navigation component GoLive will make that same change in all the templates and web site pages that contain the component. Likewise if you make a change to a template GoLive will automatically make that change to all web pages created from that template.

[Robert...@adobeforums.com]

Without using frames, how does one create the same look as having a navigation
frame where the navigation stays put when you click on a button and load
a new page?

With GoLive you can use a component, which is a chunk of code that can be placed on many pages, but updated from one central file.

You could also use GoLive templates, either by themselves or along with a component.

Not knowing too much about how search engines work, can't one simply put
some commented text in each frame that does not get displayed to trigger
search engines?

I'm not an expert on the subject, but I don't believe that would work. Almost any source on web design recommends against using frames, and I've never heard of the "workaround" you mentioned.

Frames are also considered bad because of the inability for users to bookmark a given page (browser usually bookmark the frameset).

However, if your site doesn't require hits from search engines for its vitatlity, frames might be a viable solution. It's not that you can't or shouldn't ever use them, but it's always a good idea to use alternatives if you can.

[Tim_Tr...@adobeforums.com]

1) How well integrated are GL CS and Image Ready CS? Can I edit in IR,
import to GL and make changes in GL that are later recognized/editable
in IR? What are the general procedures for setting up image based rollover
pages for someone using IR and GL? Can one create a IR navigation frame
easily that causes rollover action inside another page located in another
frame?

I often make things in IR and import into GL without problems. I've never imported back to GL though as i always do any further editing needed right in GL.

2) I want to be able display a Flash file under a rollover state. In other
words, as one mouses over a button, I want an area of the screen to show
a flash file. When they move their mouse over another button, another
flash file should replace the previous one show up in the same area. Is
this possible? Advisable? Must/should I use frames to make this happen?
If so, how does one create a frame window using an IR based page? Does
GL display flash and other media files correctly in it's preview window?

There are many ways you can do this without using frames. Look at using GoLives' show/hide floating boxes features or using the SwapText(ID) action. I have some site that use the swaptext action and it works beautifulle (your not limited to swapping text, you can swap any html coding including coding the embeds flash files.)

3) How well does GL handle other media files such as Windows Media and
QT files? Are there any gotcha's with using either file type?

I havn't used any other multimedia file types but GL does have a QT editor and support for other formats.

4) Since I'm using an ASP site as my hosting vehicle, I'd like to know
how well GL understands basic ASP code natively. I'm using ASP to reference
login databases and such. Will GL understand any of this relatively simple
ASP code to validate username's and passwords?

I use PHP instead of ASP.

5) Having a basic understanding of what I'm trying to accomplish, what
GoLive tutorials would you recommend?

There are major differences from GoLive v6.01 to GoLive CS, make sure whatever book/tutorial you get is for GoLive CS.

[Mike_M...@adobeforums.com]

Thanks everyone for your detailed suggestions and instructions! I'm sure to have follow up questions. It sounds like GL/IR are great products once you learn how to use them properly.

[sdp...@adobeforums.com]

How well integrated are GL CS and Image Ready CS?

That part seems to work very well, once you've practised it a few times. The products are so complex that there is a lot undocumented - particularly the library of styles, actions etc that comes with Photoshop CS and ImageReady.

I created buttons in Photoshop (draw a rounded rectangle and apply a style they had created for this but appears to be undocumented), then drop on a text layer.

Then in ImageReady there is a "2-state button" action which creates the rollover and down states. Save the optimized file (without HTML) and ImageReady creates an "images" directory beneath whatever path you save to (this was a surprise too - it prompts for a file but creates the files one layer down in the directory structure), and puts in the rollover states.

Then go into GoLive and press F5 to update the directory. This is important (and undocumented) because if GoLive doesn't know about the rollover images, it won't use them.

In GoLive, drag a Smart Photoshop object in, then link to the first image. It creates the rollover and down states, with images, actions and preload, automatically. If you used variables in the button image (eg text label, visibility of various optional symbols on the button) then you can enter these in GoLive.

Then you can go back and change the button text or anything else later, and it automagically updates the GoLive file. Or generate lots of buttons from the same image, with different variable settings.

I was very impressed (but not with the documentation).

One minor annoyance is that if you make many buttons from one SmartObject original, it flags them all as warnings. You can ignore, or unlink from the original object.

[Mike_M...@adobeforums.com]

Yesterday, I went through the GoLiveCS Total Training Video Tutorial. I have never accomplished a useful tutorial before with so much ease. I was able to pretty much follow along with the tutorial in real time and I think that I learned a lot from it about golive. I think that its probably a credit to both the tutorial and the software package that this was so easy. My only complaint with the tutorial may be that it is not in-depth enough for the money. I'd expect a few more lessons for the $50 price tag.

I also purchased the Adobe classroom in a book book, but have not started into it yet.

Thus far, I am very impressed with golive and its integration with other adobe products. Smart objects are the key to editing graphics or page designs in another program while using them in golive. I was able to create an entire page in imageready with rollovers, etc. and then easily import this into a golive page. But after going through the one tutorial, I think that a lot of my rollovers would be better served as being text based and designed using CSS inside of golive. The biggest "problem" with golive I've discovered so far is that my designs do not have to be as constrained as they would have been without it. Now, I'm rethinking the entire design of my site because I have a tool that appears to offer a lot more flexibility than I was expecting. After becoming more familiar with the software, I'm sure that I will uncover some things that I don't like about it. But so far, I think it is worth the effort to learn it to create a more professional looking site.