8 Replies Latest reply: Jan 1, 2012 3:26 PM by Nancy O. RSS

    Div Tags Organizing Creating with Draw AP Div

    WebGuyDesign Community Member

      Ok i'll be honest, i'm not crazy about the process of creating DIV tags because I think it is a very long process on building a website, yet many professionals and web page designes indicate that it's a must have for orgnaization.  Besides the pro's and the con's, I have found a usefull tool that dreamweaver has called the "draw AP Div" which allows you to "draw" where you want certain DIV tags to be. 

       

      My question is, what is the pro's and con's for using this?

       

      One of the problems I have ran into is that, over my background I wanted to create a white box so I simple drew it to the size of which i want it using the AP DIV and selected a bckground color, however in design mode it looks how i want it to be but in "live code or live view" it's not there.

       

      Why does this happen

       

       

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        • 1. Re: Div Tags Organizing Creating with Draw AP Div
          Ken Binney CommunityMVP

          There are very limited proper uses for AP DIV's, and certainly not for overall layouts.

           

          http://apptools.com/examples/pagelayout101.php

          • 2. Re: Div Tags Organizing Creating with Draw AP Div
            MurraySummers CommunityMVP

            yet many professionals and web page designes indicate that it's a must have for orgnaization.

             

            I think you have misinterpreted their statements.  There is no such requirement, especially not if you are using HTML5 tags.

             

            Ken has certainly cited the correct article to read.

            • 3. Re: Div Tags Organizing Creating with Draw AP Div
              WebGuyDesign Community Member

              One of the problems I have ran into is that, over my background I wanted to create a white box so I simple drew it to the size of which i want it using the AP DIV and selected a bckground color, however in design mode it looks how i want it to be but in "live code or live view" it's not there.

              • 4. Re: Div Tags Organizing Creating with Draw AP Div
                mytaxsite.co.uk CommunityMVP

                WebGuyDesign wrote:

                 

                One of the problems I have ran into is that, over my background I wanted to create a white box so I simple drew it to the size of which i want it using the AP DIV and selected a bckground color, however in design mode it looks how i want it to be but in "live code or live view" it's not there.

                Have you tried creating nested DIVs?  Nested DIVs is one way to avoid using AP DIVs which Ken & Murray stay away from with a barge pole.

                 

                Hope this helps.

                • 5. Re: Div Tags Organizing Creating with Draw AP Div
                  MurraySummers CommunityMVP

                  in "live code or live view" it's not there.

                   

                  If it's not there in Live code view then you have a problem.  If it's not there in Live design view, then your code has a problem.  To say more we'd have to see this page and its code.

                   

                  I would do this in an entirely different way - make the larger image the background image of a container, and locate the white box within that container by using margins/paddings within the container.

                  • 6. Re: Div Tags Organizing Creating with Draw AP Div
                    Nancy O. CommunityMVP

                    I wish Adobe would remove the draw APDiv (layer) from Dreamweaver.  It creates nothing but confusion for beginners who use it incorrectly to "draw" containers on screen as if they were using a graphics app.

                     

                    DW is not a graphics app.  What you see in Design View is NOT what you get in browsers.  When this method fails (as it always does) our beginner friends invariably come back here crying "why doesn't this work? How can I fix it?"

                     

                    ANSWER:

                    1. Don't use APDivs for layouts. 
                    2. Learn HTML & CSS code basics first.  DW expects you to know this stuff. Without it, DW will punish you.
                    3. Start with a pre-built CSS Template that has all the divisions and columns you'll need for your project.  This will greatly simplify your design process.

                     

                    RESOURCES:

                    http://forums.adobe.com/message/4105662#4105662

                     

                     

                    Nancy O.

                    Alt-Web Design & Publishing

                    Web | Graphics | Print | Media  Specialists 

                    http://alt-web.com/

                    • 7. Re: Div Tags Organizing Creating with Draw AP Div
                      WebGuyDesign Community Member

                      then I blame adobe for this, why would they make an application that has known "failures" to this.  We as a buyer of this application pay good money for these programs, it's the companies responsible to read these forms and use the suggestions and thoughts by the users.

                       

                      Basically your telling me this tool is useless. 

                      • 8. Re: Div Tags Organizing Creating with Draw AP Div
                        Nancy O. CommunityMVP

                        then I blame adobe for this, why would they make an application that has known "failures" to this. 

                        Sorry but the "failures" are yours for using this feature incorrectly to draw a page layout.  This is not what the feature is designed for.  The draw APDiv feature is mostly used for creating advanced behaviors -- like show/hide layers.

                        it's the companies responsible to read these forms and use the suggestions and thoughts by the users.

                         

                        Adobe employees don't participate here.  This is a user-to-user forum.

                         

                        If you want to make a suggestion, post it where the Adobe Developers will see it.

                             https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform

                         

                        Basically your telling me this tool is useless. 

                        No.  The tool is not broken. But the person using it doesn't have a clue about good web design practices.  Until you take time to learn the basics, you won't have good results -- no matter which tools you use.  

                         

                         

                         

                        Nancy O.

                        Alt-Web Design & Publishing

                        Web | Graphics | Print | Media  Specialists 

                        http://alt-web.com/