Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 Developer Certification Examination Specification

Introduction

This is an exam specification for Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 Developer. The skills and knowledge certified by this examination represent a professional level of expertise where a certified individual can: Identify requirements and strategies for Web site design Develop, implement, test, deploy solutions, and maintain Web sites

Exam Purpose

This examination is based upon the most critical job activities a Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 Developer performs. The skills and knowledge certified by this examination represent a professional level of expertise for a certified individual. The critical job activities of a Dreamweaver Developer are: Identify and recognize project architecture considerations to successfully implement a Web site Implementation and coding Solution testing, deployment and maintenance
Background and Experience
The test is intended to address the knowledge and skill areas that demonstrate proficiency as a Dreamweaver 8 Developer. The basic knowledge and skills required at this level should include all of the following areas and test objective components identified in the Test Content section below. The knowledge level can be defined as having the following prerequisites:
Six months experience creating/using professional high quality graphics Two or more years experience in Web development Job knowledge of HTML, XML, XHTML, JavaScript, and CSS syntax Six months experience in Web site management At least one year experience using Dreamweaver Experience with manual coding
These training courses or equivalency will assist in exam preparation. Dreamweaver 8 Website Development Dreamweaver 8 Dynamic Application Development For more info: http://www.macromedia.com/support/training/

Macromedia, Inc.

The skills and knowledge measured by this examination are derived from current course content and from an understanding of the jobs of current Dreamweaver developers. A team of highly qualified Macromedia Dreamweaver experts defined the test content and wrote the test items. Note: This examination specification includes weighting, test objectives, and example content. Example topics and concepts are included to clarify the test objectives; they should not be construed as a comprehensive listing of all of the content of this examination.

Exam Structure

The knowledge domains measured by this examination and the extent to which they are represented in the examination are shown in the table below. Domain
1.0 2.0 3.0 Project Requirements, Site Design, and Usability Techniques Implementation and Coding Solution Testing, Deployment, and Maintenance
% of Examination 20% 50% 30% 100%

Response Limits

The examinee selects, from four (4) or more response options, the option(s) that best completes the statement or answers the question. Distracters or wrong answers are response options that examinees with incomplete knowledge or skill would likely choose, but are generally plausible responses fitting into the content area defined by the test objective. Test item formats used in this examination are: Multiple-choice: The examinee selects one option that best answers the question or completes a statement. The option can be embedded in a graphic where the examinee points and clicks on their selection choice to complete the test item. Multiple-response: The examinee selects more than one option that best answers the question or completes a statement. Sample Directions: Read the statement or question and from the response options, select only the option(s) that represent the most correct or best answer(s) given the information provided.

Test Content

The basic knowledge and skills required at this level should include all of the following content areas and objective components below.

Domain 1.0 Project Requirements, Site Design, and Usability Techniques
1.1 Identify and recognize project architecture considerations, such as fundamental components, effective designs, and methods to successfully implement a Web site. Content Limits Strand A Defining the local site Case-sensitive link checking Defining the site navigation Designing page size resolution Implementing basic user interface principles Targeting browsers for consistency in page delivery Supporting international languages W3C standards (HTML validation) W3C deprecated tags Accessibility Standards Section 508 WCAG Priority 1 & 2 checkpoints Strand B Architecting for reuse and consistency using Templates New starter pages for rapid development Dreamweaver Extensions Setting Preferences General Preview in Browser Document defaults Copy/Paste Strand C Using page layout Tables CSS Box Model Layers
Using graphics and rich media Tracing Images Video
Domain 2.0 Coding and Implementation
2.1 Identify the appropriate techniques and methods in using Macromedia Dreamweaver interface to code and implement a client solution. Content Limits Using Dreamweaver Interface Customize and save workspace configurations (Panel sets) Tabbed documents for the Mac Coding Toolbar Property Inspector Insert Bar Assets Panel Unified CSS panel Zoom Ability to use "Find and Replace"
Identify the appropriate techniques and methods in using Macromedia Dreamweaver to design and implement a client solution. Content Limits Templates Editable regions Optional regions Repeating regions Setting template properties (Modify, Template Properties) Template expressions Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) Box Model page design Relative vs. Absolute positioning Insert DIV CSS media type support Advanced CSS techniques, such as overflow, pseudo-elements, and form elements

2.3

Cascade of styles, inheritance and specificity ID, Class and Tag Selectors Library Items Server-side includes Snippets Table Layout Layers Expanded Tables mode
Identify the appropriate techniques and methods in building a site with Macromedia Dreamweaver to code and implement a client solution. Content Limits Strand A - Building sites Creating and saving new pages Creating pages from a Template Titling pages Setting Document Properties Building pages Guides Formatting the document structure (paragraph and line breaks) Entering and modifying text Paste Special improvements Linking files and sites Importing graphics Table editing Creating Image Maps Setting meta information (Head Content) Creating user forms Auto check for browser compatibility Visual Aids Strand B Adding interactive and rich media content Using Behaviors Pop-Up Menus Show-Hide Layers Open Browser Window Swap Image Go To URL Pop-Up Message Timelines

Adding Flash Elements Flash Text Flash Video Flash Buttons Flash Paper
Strand C - Hand Coding Sites Visual authoring with XML data Integrate XML-based data, such as RSS feeds Transforming XML with XSLT Coding features Reference Panel Code and Design View Code Collapse Code Navigation Code Insight Coding Context Menu option Naming conventions (i.e., variations between UNIX and Windows) Strand D - Collaboration Using Design Notes and Comments Using Check In-Check Out effectively
Domain 3.0 Solution Testing, Deployment, and Maintenance
3.1 Recognize critical procedures to conduct testing and quality assurance of site. Content Limits Link Check Size Reports Ensuring Accessibility Download Time Testing Error resolutions (403 & 404) Creating a Site Map
Identify approaches to maintain and manage Web sites. Content Limits Connecting to servers Managing assets, links, and files for a site Cloaking Macromedia Web Publishing System: notification and event logging Transferring files to servers (e.g., FTP & SFTP) Different methods accessing the remote site (FTP, LAN, VSS, WebDAV) SSL support Background file transfer Compare Files Synchronization

Whitepaper

Authoring E-learning Content for WebCT Vista with Macromedia Dreamweaver 8
by Andrew Strombeck May 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Challenges of Online Learning Content 2 Bringing Web Design to the LMS 2 Authoring WebCT E-learning Content with Dreamweaver Conclusion
Learning management systems (LMSs) have become important tools for managing learning content in academic settings. While these systems excel in distributing and structuring learning content, however, they offer few options for page creation, incorporating only limited HTML editors. Faculty have solved this problem by turning to the Macromedia suite of web design tools, which supplement the LMS with full-featured design environments for creating compelling learning content. The LMS extension for Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 enables WebCT Vista users to develop sophisticated content using Dreamweavers rich feature set and then deploy this content directly to WebCT Vista. This document provides an overview of the benefits of using Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 to author content for WebCT Vista, along with an overview of the steps in the content-authoring process. A more detailed version of this process is available in the how-to guide Importing Dreamweaver Learning Content into WebCT Vista.
Challenges of Online Learning Content
The advantages of online learning are well documented. For learning content to be effective for both faculty and students, it needs to meet multiple challenges: It needs to be easy to manage and access, so that neither faculty nor students waste time trying to find what they need. It needs to be affordable to produce, since budgets are always limited. It needs to be reusable. Once faculty create rich, compelling content, they want to repackage this content for multiple courses. It needs to be interoperable across different online systems, since faculty may, for example, need to post the same content to both a department web server and a learning management system. Learning management systems like WebCT Vista meet many of these challenges, providing structured systems to manage and deliver learning content. These systems excel at enabling faculty to develop and implement online courses with full-function, if simply designed, learning content. However, these systems include only limited HTML editors, which present several obstacles for faculty: Content design is restricted. Built-in HTML editors are difficult to use. Content cannot be repackaged for other use. Content cannot be reused from other contexts, such as Word documents. Content may not easily address accessibility issues.
Bringing Web Design to the LMS
Web technologies offer a nearly limitless potential for creativityand faculty have a deserved reputation for expanding their students imaginations with innovative content. By supplementing your LMS with the rich design features of Macromedia Dreamweaver 8, you can create educational content that takes full advantage of all that the web can be. Design Potential Building content in Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 enables you to create reusable, highly interactive, and beautifully designed content. Using Dreamweaver in conjunction with WebCT Vista offers you the structure of an LMS with the flexibility of a rich web design environment. This combination expands the capabilities of WebCT Vista by enhancing both the quality and reusability of course content. Reusable Content Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 makes it easy to both package existing content for online use and reuse in different contexts the content that you develop. For example, using Dreamweaver, you can quickly convert content developed in Microsoft Word to HTML. These HTML pages are extremely flexible; you can import them into WebCT Vista or reuse them elsewhere. Having a full-featured web design tool at hand promotes the creation of content that can be reused in a variety of contexts and allows you to take full advantage of the flexibility of web technologies. Once you create, for example, a table listing chemical properties or historical dates, you can easily reuse this table in multiple web pages. Accessibility Assurance You can quickly check to see if content meets accessibility standards using Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 before you import your material into an LMS such as WebCT Vista. A single command lets you identify and correct accessibility problems so you can meet the needs of students and faculty with disabilities.
Authoring WebCT E-learning Content with Dreamweaver 8
Macromedia has developed the IMS extension for Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 to bridge Dreamweavers design environment and WebCT Vistas learning management system. Once you create e-learning content in Dreamweaver, the IMS Course Packager Extension packages this content into WebCT Vista learning modules. By formatting Dreamweaver e-learning content for WebCT Vista, this extension allows these two technologies to work together smoothly. This section provides an overview of this authoring process. For specific steps, refer to Importing Dreamweaver Learning Content into WebCT Vista. To use Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 to develop content for WebCT Vista, you follow the steps shown here.

Authoring E-learning Content for WebCT
To use WebCT Vista with Dreamweaver, you first install the IMS course packager extension for Macromedia Dreamweaver 8. Once the extension has been installed, you can create new e-learning content or take previously created e-learning content and, from within Dreamweaver, package that content as a WebCT Vista learning module. After you import the content into WebCT Vista, you add the learning module to your course home page. Students can then access the material through WebCT Vista.

Conclusion

Learning management systems like WebCT Vista help faculty meet many of the challenges of online learning, but limit both the design and reusability of learning content. Using Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 in conjunction with WebCT Vista enables faculty to create compelling, beautiful, interactive pages that can be repackaged for future use. With the IMS course packager extension for Dreamweaver, faculty can create whole course units in Dreamweaver and import them directly into WebCT Vista. The combination of these two technologies provides faculty with the resources to create professional-looking content that will ensure success for both them and their students.
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Adobe, the Adobe logo, Acrobat, Clearly Adobe Imaging, the Clearly Adobe Imaging logo, Illustrator, ImageReady, Photoshop, PostScript, Macromedia Studio 8, Dreamweaver 8, Fireworks 8. Flash 8, Macromedia Breeze, and Macromedia Captivate are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Mac and Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. PowerPC is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation in the United States. Intel and Pentium are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 2006 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. xx/04