Using Adobe GoLive CS, Part 3

In this chapter we touched on the basics needed to begin working with GoLive CS. There are many additional tools in GoLive, and you will probably discover new features every time you work with it. Although it's true that the application is incredibly deep and very powerful, you don't need to know it all to begin creating your Web site. Just jump on in and get started. With the Adobe Creative Suite's incredibly powerful toolset, your ideas can spring to life both in print and on the Web more easily than ever before.

GoLive Extensions

Another terrific feature of GoLive is that it is extensible. Using the included Software Development Kit (SDK), you can extend GoLive's capabilities in countless ways. There are various samples inside the Adobe GoLive SDK folder, which is inside the Adobe GoLive CS application folder. Using the SDK, one can develop customized palettes, menu items, and objects for use inside of GoLive. One example of an amazing GoLive extension is Big Bang's MenuMachine, which allows Web designers to create complex pop-up menu systems in a beautiful interface right inside of GoLive. For more info visit their Web site at http://www.menumachine.com.

To install an extension from the Samples folder in the SDK, copy the folder to Adobe GoLive CS/Modules/Extend Scripts, and then restart Go Live. To use an extension, read the documentation for that particular extension.

Co-Author

Included with GoLive CS is an application called GoLive Co-Author. Using Co-Author, you, the designer, can set up pages that your client, the co-author, can update on his own. Every box of GoLive CS and every copy of the Adobe Creative Suite Premium comes with one free license of the standalone Co-Author client application for you to try. The Co-Author client is the part you give to your client.

The process goes like this: You design and set up the pages in GoLive CS and upload any necessary files to the server. Next you export the Site Locator file from the File menu in GoLive CS, which you can e-mail to your client. The client loads the site locator file into his Co-Author application, which loads the site's publish settings for him. Using the very simple interface in Co-Author, which is similar to using a Web form, the client can update pages or create new pages. Those pages will then be uploaded automatically when he clicks the Publish button in Co-Author.

The entire Co-Author application is built into GoLive CS, so it is not necessary to install the standalone client version for testing. In fact, you cannot install both GoLive CS and GoLive Co-Author on the same computer, because one will overwrite the other!

If you try Co-Author and decide you like it, additional copies can be purchased from Adobe's online store. At the time of this book's printing, the price for one copy of Co-Author was $89. For more information on using Co-Author, visit the Adobe Studio Exchange and check the tutorials in the GoLive section at http://www.adobestudioexchange.com.