Use DreamWeaver AND VS.NET?

[I.P. Freely]

Hi,

I've been using Visual Studio.NET for a while to design WinForms and
Console apps and love it. Recently I had to a WebForms app. Because I have
no artistic skill whatsoever, I enlisted the help of one of our web
designers. She's a DreamWeaver expert, but I insisted that she use Visual
Studio because I was under the mistaken impression that DW doesn't support
WebForms, Visual Source Safe, and the other essential features that are
necessary to include her in our development project. Anyway, this web
designer really hates Visual Studio. She says that it must've been designed
for programmers, not designers, because the UI (what you and I call "Design
Mode") is horrible compared to that of DreamWeaver. She hates it so much
that she refuses to use it in future projects.

The thing is, I *need* Visual Studio.NET. I can't let her use DW if
there's no way to integrate her work into my VS.NET project. Is there a way
to allow her to use DW to design the .aspx file while I write the code in
the corresponding .cs file? It's a real puzzle for us, but it's necessary
that we be able to work together on projects since a) I can't design and b)
she can't code.

I know that VS.NET will divide a page into "aspx" and "cs" files. (I
want to keep it this way. I hate the idea of having all of the code in an
aspx file.) -- so I know that this division of labor must be possible... but
how does it all play out in the real world. Say we need to design a page
called "Login.aspx"... Would I go to the designer and say, "Ok, you design
Login.aspx in DreamWeaver"? Then she'd design it, give me the file, I'd add
the file to my VS.NET project + Source Safe and then create my own .cs file
to handle the Page_Load() event, etc? If I accidentally open the .aspx file
in VS.NET designer, will it become unreadable in DW? I just don't see how
it's all going to play out. Any advice?

keep on flowin',

I.P.

 

[Darren Clark]

I am in the same situation... and have been for years working with designers.

Teh best approach that i have found is to simply do the entire site prototype/UI/Design in pure HTML in dreamweaver first.
This then makes you go thorugh each step of a project and really understand the flow and how the user will use the site before any code is touched.

Once that is done you , the code, can take that html prototype and then create them as .aspx files and simply copy and paste her design in.
(of Course it would be quite silly to copy and past ethen code.... so build yourself a site convertser style system that will go through the directory of the prototype... then recreate each page... for the .cs files also.... making sure to create the internal classes etc and change all links from .htm to .aspx)

then by the timeyou have the site... the design is done and dusted... and simple mods can be done inside of vs.net

with all that said.

Even once the site is done.... and you are working inside of vs.net... there is nothing stopping anyone from working on the .aspx pages from inside of dreamweaver... we do it all the time and have no problems.

You can help me out with a problem now.... how do you run your version control and debuggin? do you do everyint local then deploy? or do you use remote debuggins and source safe on a dev server.?

 

[I.P. Freely]

Thanks for your comments... Wow, that's a really complicated procedure that you've got there. I was hoping for an easier way.
You can help me out with a problem now.... how do you run your version control and debuggin? do you do everyint local then deploy? or do you use remote debuggins and source safe on a dev server.?


Well, we basically have one development server running on Win2003. Visual Studio.NET is installed there, along with Visual Source Safe. All developers log into this box via Remote Desktop, launch VS.NET, and do their work -- checking files in and out of VSS as necessary. Each user has his own "work directory" on that server.

Web-based projects are a bit trickier. As before, each developer has his own copy of the site in his work directory -- but IIS needs to be configured so that each developer has his own "application pool." This allows each developer to have his own dedicated IIS process that he can use for debugging without screwing everyone else up. There are some good articles about this on MSDN.

Does DreamWeaver have built-in integration with Visual Source Safe like VS.NET does?

 

[Darren Clark]

Thanks for your comments... Wow, that's a really complicated procedure that you've got there. I was hoping for an easier way.

Actually it does sound complicated... But to be honest it works so much easier.... As once the HTML prototype is done... then you have the design DONE... and you have also worked out every other usablity issue as well... so takes longer at the start but you finish quicker.... it is great as it is a faster way to see the finished product... and easier to change .

but you can change .aspx pages with dreamwever without hassles

You can help me out with a problem now.... how do you run your version control and debuggin? do you do everyint local then deploy? or do you use remote debuggins and source safe on a dev server.?


Well, we basically have one development server running on Win2003. Visual Studio.NET is installed there, along with Visual Source Safe. All developers log into this box via Remote Desktop, launch VS.NET, and do their work -- checking files in and out of VSS as necessary. Each user has his own "work directory" on that server.

Web-based projects are a bit trickier. As before, each developer has his own copy of the site in his work directory -- but IIS needs to be configured so that each developer has his own "application pool." This allows each developer to have his own dedicated IIS process that he can use for debugging without screwing everyone else up. There are some good articles about this on MSDN.

Does DreamWeaver have built-in integration with Visual Source Safe like VS.NET does?

 

[Darren Clark]

Well, we basically have one development server running on Win2003. Visual Studio.NET is installed there, along with Visual Source Safe. All developers log into this box via Remote Desktop, launch VS.NET, and do their work -- checking files in and out of VSS as necessary. Each user has his own "work directory" on that server.
WOW.... that is crazy having to work via Remote Desktop..... Why dont you just have vs.net on each machine ?

Web-based projects are a bit trickier. As before, each developer has his own copy of the site in his work directory -- but IIS needs to be configured so that each developer has his own "application pool." This allows each developer to have his own dedicated IIS process that he can use for debugging without screwing everyone else up. There are some good articles about this on MSDN.
Thanx... i will look into that one...

Does DreamWeaver have built-in integration with Visual Source Safe like VS.NET does?
Yeah check out in manage sites.... Remote Info,, there is a option there for source safe


Thanks for your comments... Wow, that's a really complicated procedure that you've got there. I was hoping for an easier way.
You can help me out with a problem now.... how do you run your version control and debuggin? do you do everyint local then deploy? or do you use remote debuggins and source safe on a dev server.?


Well, we basically have one development server running on Win2003. Visual Studio.NET is installed there, along with Visual Source Safe. All developers log into this box via Remote Desktop, launch VS.NET, and do their work -- checking files in and out of VSS as necessary. Each user has his own "work directory" on that server.

Web-based projects are a bit trickier. As before, each developer has his own copy of the site in his work directory -- but IIS needs to be configured so that each developer has his own "application pool." This allows each developer to have his own dedicated IIS process that he can use for debugging without screwing everyone else up. There are some good articles about this on MSDN.

Does DreamWeaver have built-in integration with Visual Source Safe like VS.NET does?

 

[I.P. Freely]

WOW.... that is crazy having to work via Remote Desktop..... Why dont you just have vs.net on each machine ?

Well, the problem is that not all developers are on the same network. Some might work from their office, some from home, etc... It's true that we could have each developer running their own copy of VS.NET on their own machine, but if we did this, a ton of bandwidth would be used when doing massive check-ins, checkouts to Visual Source Safe... and if the connection drops (which is frequently the case with Roadrunner cable modem service), there is a chance of corruption. With Remote Desktop, very little bandwidth is used, and if someone runs into trouble I can intervene in the user's session to give tech support... I suppose this wouldn't be a very scalable solution for large groups of developers, but for 2-3 developers it works nicely..