Adobe Certified Professional Dreamweaver common mistakes
Adobe Certified Professional Dreamweaver · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Editing files directly from the desktop or a random folder instead of defining a Dreamweaver site first, so links, root-relative references, and dependency files break.
Candidates open individual files quickly to inspect them and skip the site definition step, not realizing that Dreamweaver's link management, asset paths, and check-in/check-out all depend on a defined local site root.
What to do instead
Always create a new site (Site > New Site) pointing at a local root folder before editing. Verify the site name and local root in the Files panel, and confirm the document is saved inside that root before testing links or previewing.
Choosing the wrong document type or leaving the default XHTML/HTML4 doctype when building a new page, then wondering why validation or CSS fails.
Candidates accept whatever template or default the New Document dialog offers and do not check the Document Type dropdown, so the page is created against an unintended standard.
What to do instead
In File > New, explicitly select HTML and set Document Type to HTML5. For existing pages, change the doctype via Modify > Page Properties or the Document Type field in the Property Inspector, then re-validate.
Relying on Design view to judge layout and nesting, producing invalid HTML such as block elements inside inline elements or stray tags dragged into the wrong container.
Design view renders approximations and lets elements be dropped anywhere visually, so the underlying markup structure is never inspected.
What to do instead
Work primarily in Code view or Split view. After each structural edit, check the tag nesting in Code view and run File > Check Page > Validate Markup to catch invalid nesting before moving on.
Using absolute file paths (file:/// or full http URLs) for internal links and images instead of site-relative or root-relative paths.
Dragging from a browser or typing full URLs is faster in the moment, and local previews still appear to work because the files exist on the same machine.
What to do instead
Point links using the Browse-for-File icon or the Point-to-File icon so Dreamweaver writes document-relative paths. Reserve root-relative or full URLs for external or intentionally site-rooted targets, and verify with Link Checker.
Adding presentational attributes or inline styles (align, bgcolor, style="...") instead of creating CSS rules, so styling is scattered and cannot be maintained or overridden predictably.
The Property Inspector's HTML tab and quick formatting options are convenient, and candidates do not switch to the CSS tab or CSS Designer.
What to do instead
Use the CSS tab of the Property Inspector or the CSS Designer panel to create rules in an external stylesheet. Strip presentational attributes and move the declarations into a class or element selector.
Creating conflicting or over-specific selectors and not understanding cascade, specificity, and inheritance, so a rule appears to be ignored.
Candidates add new rules repeatedly rather than diagnosing why the existing rule loses, and they do not check which stylesheet or selector is winning.
What to do instead
Inspect the element with the CSS Designer or the relevant styles panel to see which rule applies, and use the cascade/specificity rules deliberately. Prefer class selectors over ID or deeply chained selectors, and remove duplicate rules.
Building a layout with absolutely positioned divs or tables instead of a fluid structure, so the page does not reflow on other screen sizes.
Absolute positioning and tables give immediate visual control in Design view, and candidates do not test resizing or consider responsive behavior.
What to do instead
Use normal document flow with floated or flex-based containers, or Bootstrap/fluid grid structures. Avoid absolute positioning for page-level layout, and resize the Design view or preview in a browser at multiple widths to confirm reflow.
Forgetting the viewport meta tag or omitting it when converting a page to responsive, so media queries do not trigger correctly on mobile devices.
Candidates focus on writing media queries and testing in a desktop browser, where the missing viewport tag has no visible effect.
What to do instead
Insert in the head of every responsive page, and preview at device widths to confirm the media queries take effect.
Copying images into the site folder manually or linking to assets outside the local root, so the Files panel and dependency tracking miss them and they are not uploaded.
Candidates drop images in from a download folder and rely on the browser to display them locally, not realizing Dreamweaver only tracks assets saved inside the site.
What to do instead
Use File > Save As or the Assets panel to bring media into the site root, and confirm the image path in the Property Inspector is site-relative. Run Site > Check Links Sitewide to catch orphaned or external assets before publishing.
Uploading with the wrong remote settings or forgetting to put dependent files, so the live site shows broken images or styles.
Candidates test only locally and either skip the Put Dependent Files prompt or misconfigure the remote server folder, and do not verify the deployed page.
What to do instead
Configure the server in Site > Manage Sites with the correct host directory and testing server, use Put with 'Include dependent files' enabled, and then load the live URL to confirm CSS, images, and scripts resolve.