MACROMEDIA DREAMWEAVER MX 2004-DREAMWEAVER API, Reference

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CHAPTER 4
The Design Notes API
Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004, Macromedia Fireworks MX 2004, and Macromedia Flash
MX 2004 give web designers and developers a way to store and retrieve extra information about
documents—information such as review comments, change notes, or the source file for a GIF or
JPEG—in files that are called Design Notes.
MMNotes is a C shared library that lets extensions authors read and write Design Notes files. As
with the DWfile shared library, MMNotes has a JavaScript API that lets you call the functions in
the library from objects, commands, behaviors, floating panels, Property inspectors, and
data translators.
MMNotes also has a C API that lets other applications read and write Design Notes files. The
MMNotes shared library can be used independently, even if Dreamweaver is not installed.
For more information about using the Design Notes feature from within Dreamweaver, see
Using Dreamweaver .
How Design Notes work
Each Design Notes file stores information for a single document. If one or more documents in a
folder has an associated Design Notes file, Dreamweaver creates a _notes subfolder where Design
Notes files can be stored. The _notes folder and the Design Notes files that it contains are not
visible in the Site panel, but they appear in the Finder (Macintosh) or Windows Explorer. A
Design Notes filename comprises the main filename plus the .mno extension. For example, the
Design Notes file that is associated with avocado8.gif is avocado8.gif.mno.
Design Notes files are XML files that store information in a series of key/value pairs. The key
describes the type of information that is being stored, and the value represents the information.
Keys are limited to 64 characters.
The following example shows the Design Notes file for foghorn.gif.mno:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1" ?>
<info>
<infoitem key="FW_source" value="file:///C|sites/¬
dreamcentral/images/sourceFiles/foghorn.png" />
<infoitem key="Author" value="Heidi B." />
<infoitem key="Status" value="Final draft, approved ¬
by Jay L." />
</info>
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