With each new version of Dreamweaver, Adobe adds new functionality, but they also remove one or two things from the newest version of the application.
Sometimes the features that are removed are the least-used features in the application or features that can be recreated in other Adobe applications.
To the people who were using those least-used features, removing those features can be totally disheartening.
This becomes a bigger issue if those features were removed because they exist in other Adobe applications, but you only have Dreamweaver and not an Adobe Suite. This means that you'll need to buy another application or forget about and/or find another way to make it happen.
Here's an example of what I'm talking about...
In Dreamweaver CS3, there is a timeline feature that allowed you to create Flash-like animation right in Dreamweaver. This feature is also in CS2, by the by. I used it all the time, because Adobe Flash has such a high learning curve. It was removed from Dreamweaver CS4.
In Dreamweaver CS4, there is a feature to create web photo albums. This feature is also in CS3, by the by. You need to have Fireworks, also, but the only thing you need to have in your Dreamweaver CS4 site definition is a folder filled with all the images you want in your photo album. Dreamweaver, in conjunction with Fireworks will do the rest. I did a video tutorial on how to use this feature. The feature was removed from Dreamweaver CS5.
These are just two examples, but there are other features that have been removed from one version of the application to the next.
One way to maintain use of those features that get removed from newer versions of Dreamweaver is to simply keep your older versions of Dreamweaver. If you're upgrading, instead of buying the newest, full version, this is going to be an issue. If you're buying the newest, full version, then this method will work for you.
I personally have three full versions of Dreamweaver running on my computer--CS3, CS4 and CS5--without any conflicts whatsoever. This allows me to continue to use Dreamweaver to create Flash-like functionality (CS3) and to create web photo albums (CS4).
If you aren't an Adobe Suite owner, and you only have Dreamweaver, and your budget for software purchases is really tight, consider Adobe's subscription programs (see my article, Dreamweaver CS5 for $19! No way! Way!). You won't be able to get all the previous versions of the software through the subscription program, but at least going forward you can continue to have access to all versions you subscribe to. At the time of the writing of this article, it was still possible to subscribe to several CS4 applications.
If you need help, or have comments or questions, about the content in this article, please do not hesitate to contact me, and I'll be happy to help.
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