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Dave Sawyer McFarland

Dave Sawyer McFarland is a Web designer, instructor, speaker, and the author of Dreamweaver CS3: The Missing Manual and CSS: The Missing Manual. You can learn more about his books and work at www.sawmac.com.

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View Source: Make Your Links Unforgettable

How-Tos: Written by Dave Sawyer McFarland on April 30, 2008

Most Web usability books (for example, Steve Krug's excellent Don't Make Me Think) emphasize that the less you make a visitor think and work, the more likely they'll visit, enjoy, and benefit from your site. The typical HTML link is one of those things that make visitors work -- a single linked word, for example, is a small target that requires good aim to hit. That's one of the reasons Web designers make navigation bars with buttons that are larger than the text inside them.

View Source: JavaScript for Designers

How-Tos: Written by Dave Sawyer McFarland on February 25, 2008

Add interactive Web site effects without a lot of programming.

View Source: An Introduction to Dreamweaver Templates

How-Tos: Written by Dave Sawyer McFarland on January 4, 2008

Want to build and update your sites more quickly and efficiently? Read on.

View Source: Web Design's Magic Bullet Is Back!

How-Tos: Written by Dave Sawyer McFarland on November 26, 2007

Do you want overlapping page elements, captions that sit on top of photos, and images that float outside the edges of their containing divs? Modern browsers and this tutorial make it safe to try CSS positioning again.

View Source: Create Advanced Online Galleries

How-Tos: Written by Dave Sawyer McFarland on October 29, 2007

Do you need an online portfolio or just want to post photos from your kid's birthday party? The free Lightbox2 adds sophisticated JavaScript functionality you can customize. The best part? You don't have to do a lick of programming.

View Source: Building Better Forms with Dreamweaver CS3

How-Tos: Written by Dave Sawyer McFarland on September 26, 2007

Web forms don't do you much good if they're incomplete or filled out with incorrect data. You can prevent this problem with form validation that is sophisticated yet simple to add to your sites.

View Source: Advanced CSS Rollovers

How-Tos: Written by Dave Sawyer McFarland on August 20, 2007

Forget JavaScript -- you can create dynamic rollover images using just CSS. And once you've mastered the basic concept, many creative possibilities open up.

View Source: The Easy Way to Add Dynamic Elements to Web Sites

How-Tos: Written by Dave Sawyer McFarland on July 11, 2007

This tutorial takes you step-by-step through adding and modifying a Spry Menu Bar in Dreamweaver CS3.

View Source: Harnessing the Power of PNGs

How-Tos: Written by Dave Sawyer McFarland on June 13, 2007

Compared to GIF AND JPEG, the PNG file format has a lot to offer: smaller file sizes, higher quality, and superb transparency. All you need are a few guidelines and techniques to expand your design toolbox.

Web How-To: Plan Your Site Right In Dreamweaver

How-Tos: Written by Dave Sawyer McFarland on May 20, 2005

Without the proper site management, your brilliant work may instead be replaced with an annoying "File Not Found" error. Here's how to plan, build, and manage Web sites for best results.

Banking on CSS Inheritance

Features: Written by Dave Sawyer McFarland on November 6, 2001

Making the most of cascading style sheets means learning Web geneology. Inheritance, or how one style passes its physical attributes to its offspring, is the key to good Web design.

Dreamweaver 4: Something for Everyone

Reviews: Written by Dave Sawyer McFarland on December 13, 2000

Macromedia Dreamweaver has made building and maintaining Web sites easier since its debut, but as Web development changes, so too must its tools. With version 4, Dreamweaver has grown into a mature tool intended to address the real-world concerns of professional Web designers and developers.