HTML Editor that recognizes Dreamweaver DWT and Libraries

[Bonj]

Hi all,

I'm a new Linux user (been waffling for some time but just made the switch a couple weeks ago), and have been extremely pleased with everything I have found thus-far. The one problem I have been having is getting the samba-server working so I can file-share between linux and my emulated Windows running in QEMU (I will do more troubleshooting on that soon, and if online tutorials don't help, I'll post in the “Help!” forum).

I need Windows emulated so that I can run some proprietary software I've been using (mainly Dreamweaver) alongside open-source apps (such as the GIMP). I know I could have a dual boot system, install the GIMP and other apps in Windows, et cetera, but a less awkward setup would be nice (I would rather use Linux!).

What I'm looking for is an app that would be able to recognize Dreamweaver Dynamic Web Templates (DWT) and Libraries; it doesn't have to be flashy, just good enough to get by. And I don't need a “one for one” Dreamweaver replacement (I can do all the coding myself), I just need something to allow me to have the 'instant-update' capability (otherwise for every menu or library-item change I could have a couple hundred updates to do).

I hope to eventually move to a more slick PHP and MySQL setup, but with the pressure to complete the site (it is kinda overdue; I've held the job for 6 months, my predecessor held if for 2 years) I don't have time to make the switch right now.

And if it matters, I'm running Fedora Core 5, updated today (8/9/06).

Any advice/help on this would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Bonj

[TheDoctor]

I need Windows emulated so that I can run some proprietary software I've been using (mainly Dreamweaver) alongside open-source apps (such as the GIMP). I know I could have a dual boot system, install the GIMP and other apps in Windows, et cetera, but a less awkward setup would be nice (I would rather use Linux!).

This seems to me to be upside-down. You should start with what you want to do, then choose the appropriate tools to achieve it. Don't start with the tool then try to make it do something it wasn't designed for. That's the very complicated way to failure.

Your solution is a two-PC system, connected via a KVM and Samba. You share the data between the two operating systems and hot-key between them depending on which program you want to run.

[Steogede]

>> Your solution is a two-PC system, connected via a KVM and Samba.

That is if you have a spare PC and KVM.

This article recommends a perl tool called ttree. Apparantly it supports dwt.

I've read that Quanta includes a perl script (dwt.pl) which can read a dwt file and update the necessary files. I don't know how good these tools are, so I would recommend you make a backup of your site first.

I had never heard of DWT before, but it seems like a horrible idea. Compared to dynamic includes that you could do using SSI or PHP or anything else. Still if the damn thing's been created using in DWT, I don't imagine do much about it (atleast not in the time frame you have).

[bof]

I know your problem.
My present solution is to keep my local files on a FAT partition and use NVU for working on individual pages but using gFTP for uploading to web.
For any job requiring changes to the template or generally synchronising local and remote files I dual boot into XP and use Dreamweaver. I can also then use DW to tidy up the mess I've made with nVU.
This is of course a bit inconvenient. You could of course pay for Crossover Office and run Dreamweaver on that. I had it for a 30 day trial period and found it worked ok but paying cash seems to be going against the Linux ethic.
It may be possible to make DW work with Wine, I'll get around to giving it a go sometime.

[towy71]

I had it for a 30 day trial period and found it worked ok but paying cash seems to be going against the Linux ethic.

The Linux ethic is not against paying for software but rather the freedom to use the software, most distros you can get for free but there are costs involved along the line. Codeweavers do a fantastic job and a few bucks to help them keep going is good for all of us
I've bought boxed versions of quite a few distros and when I've finished with them I have passed them on

[bof]

I had it for a 30 day trial period and found it worked ok but paying cash seems to be going against the Linux ethic.

The Linux ethic is not against paying for software but rather the freedom to use the software,

Sorry but I am guilty of a poor choice in my words. I should have not said LInux ethic when I relly meant Linux challenge.
I very nearly paid up for the Crossover product. As well as enabling Dreamweaver this would also allow me to continue using my paid for copies of MS Office, Quicken, Photoshop Elements, PagePlus and a myriad of similarly excellent products.
Over the past couple of months I have been weaning myself off these onto Linux products. Buying Crossover seems like a bit of a cop-out

cop-out
noun [C usually singular] SLANG
a way of avoiding doing something difficult or unpleasant that you should do, or the excuse that you use to do this:
(from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

[TheDoctor]

>> Your solution is a two-PC system, connected via a KVM and Samba.

That is if you have a spare PC and KVM.

So okay, we're talking second-best solutions here for those who can't afford to do things the easy way. Which, of course, may be most of us.

[nelz]

Use a virtual machine to run both OSes on one computer.

[TheDoctor]

I don't really understand virtual machines. Could you run both OS's simultaneously? Or does it demand a virtual reboot to switch from one to the other?

[nelz]

They run simultaneously. A virtual machine is a program that runs on the operating system, but emulates a complete computer, on which you can run a separate operating system. You end up with Windows running inside a window on your Linux desktop.

[Bonj]

First off, thanks to everyone for their input! I've found that the approach I was taking will not work, so having all these alternatives effectively guarantees that I'll find a solution.

I had never heard of CrossOver Office, but I will definietly give it a try. I looked up DW 8 but it has not been tested (DW MX does work however).

Bof, what version of DW were you using?

Personally, one of the reasons I switched to Linux was to avoid spending a lot of money on proprietary, as all of my current software (with the sole exception of DW) was years old, outdated, clunky, and problematic. The current version The GIMP is far better than my Photoshop Elements 2.0 that I couldn't even get installed on Windows (it kept crashing). But seeing as how I've gotten a few hundred bucks worth in the free arena, I'm willing to spend a few bucks on some proprietary software if I need it (I'm already planning to buy some other Linux proprietary stuff, like Noise Ninja).

But if DW8 isn't compatible on CrossOver Office, I'll try some of the alternatives (most likely ttree first, and then the Dual Boot method).

As for virtualization, I've got it. It even works. But it doesn't work with Samba, and for all the time I've spent troubleshooting it, I don't think I'll be able to change that anytime soon (and without it connecting, I can't transfer files from the host OS to the guest OS). I've got Samba working on my machine, and I've got virtualization working via QEMU, but the two don't connect. I think I may have heard that this problem isn't as prevalent on WINE, though I haven't done any real research in that area (which I will do if CrossOver Office doesn't work).

So for now I'm just hoping CrossOver works, if it does that would be fantastic.

Oh, and refering to TheDoctor's early comment:

This seems to me to be upside-down. You should start with what you want to do, then choose the appropriate tools to achieve it. Don't start with the tool then try to make it do something it wasn't designed for. That's the very complicated way to failure.

This is right, but as Steogede accurately said:

I had never heard of DWT before, but it seems like a horrible idea. Compared to dynamic includes that you could do using SSI or PHP or anything else.

And if your dealing with something that's already on its head, things will have to get shaken up a bit.

I guess it's my fault - I could've changed the structure way back when I first started working on this site, but between my inexperience and naivety I didn't. Live 'n learn I guess.

Again, thanks for the help!

All the best,
Bonj

[bof]

Hello Bonj, I've just downloaded a second 30 day trial of Crossover Office and installed Dreamweaver MX on it. No problems with the installation and it all seems to be working ok.
I suggest you give it a try with DW8 - you may be lucky.

I have always assumed that DWT referred to suffix given to DreamWeaverTemplate so all that other clever stuff was over my head I'm afraid. I use Templates all the time and have not yet managed adapt them to nVU or Quanta Plus. DW is streets ahead of either of those programs when it comes to updating templates, synchronising local and remote sites and I expect I will keel over and pay for Crossover.

There are no other programs I will want to use with COO as I am well into all the Linux apps now.

The one thing I was really hoping would work is Active Sync so I could connect to my iPAQ. Apparently this doesn't work with COO but I expect I'll give it a try anyway. (Please don't mention SynCE as I have wasted hours trying to make it work)
If I buy COO then I will be dual booting purely to sync my ipaq to MS Outlook and I only have to do this so I have a backup of my Contacts database

Best wishes.

[Steogede]

As for virtualization, I've got it. It even works. But it doesn't work with Samba, and for all the time I've spent troubleshooting it, I don't think I'll be able to change that anytime soon (and without it connecting, I can't transfer files from the host OS to the guest OS).

I am surprised that qemu can't the local filesystem on the host OS. I imagine you should be able to mount the images which qemu uses, using something roughly along the lines of 'mount -t loop /home/myuser/hd.img /home/myuser/qemufiles'. However, it probably isn't a good idea to have the filesystem mounted on both the guest OS and the host OS at the same time (it might work if one was readonly), so you should exit qemu and then mount the file, remembering to unmount it before you run qemu again.

I've got Samba working on my machine, and I've got virtualization working via QEMU, but the two don't connect. I think I may have heard that this problem isn't as prevalent on WINE, though I haven't done any real research in that area (which I will do if CrossOver Office doesn't work).

WINE doesn't use virtualization (WINE Is Not an Emulator ), WINE sees the local filesystem (or a subdirectories of) as 'drives', as you configure them. E.g. you might map C: to '/home/user/.wine/c_drive', A: to '/mnt/floppy', D: to '/windows/C' and Z: to '/'.