Floating Panels > How Floating Panel files work |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
Custom floating panels can be moved, resized, and tabbed together just like the floating panels that are built into Dreamweaver. Custom floating panels differ from built-in floating panels in the following ways:
![]() |
It is not possible to display an icon in the tab of a custom floating panel; the tab always shows the contents of the floating panel's TITLE tag. |
![]() |
Custom floating panels display in the default gray. Setting the BGCOLOR attribute in the BODY tag has no effect. |
![]() |
All custom floating panels either appear always on top of the Document window or float behind it when inactive, depending on the setting for All Other Floaters in the Floating panels preferences. |
Floating Panel files also differ somewhat from other extensions. Unlike other extension files, Dreamweaver does not load Floating Panel files into memory at startup unless the floating panels were visible when Dreamweaver last shut down. If the floating panels were not visible when Dreamweaver last shut down, the files that define them are loaded only when referenced from one of the following functions: dreamweaver.getFloaterVisibility()
, dreamweaver.setFloaterVisibility()
, or dreamweaver.toggleFloater()
.
When one of the files inside the Configuration folder calls dw.getFloaterVisibility(
floaterName
)
, dw.setFloaterVisibility(
floaterName
)
, or dw.toggleFloater(
floaterName
)
, the following chain of events occurs:
1 | If floaterName is not one of the reserved floating panel names, Dreamweaver searches the Configuration/Floaters folder for a file called floaterName .htm. (For a complete list of reserved floating panel names, see dreamweaver.getFloaterVisibility().) If floaterName .htm is not found, Dreamweaver searches for floaterName .html. If no file is found, nothing further happens. |
2 | If the Floating Panel file is being loaded for the first time, the initialPosition() function is called, if defined, to determine the floating panel's default position on the screen, and the initialTabs() function is called, if defined, to determine the floating panel's default tab grouping. |
3 | The selectionChanged() and documentEdited() functions are called on the assumption that changes probably occurred while the floating panel was hidden. |
4 | When the floating panel is visible, the following things happen: |
![]() |
When the selection changes, the selectionChanged() function is called, if defined. |
![]() |
When the user makes changes to the document, the documentEdited() function is called, if defined. |
![]() |
Event handlers attached to the fields in the floating panel interface execute as the user encounters them. (For example, a button with an onClick event handler that calls dw.getDocumentDOM().body.innerHTML='' would remove everything between the opening and closing BODY tags in the document when clicked.) |
5 | When the user quits Dreamweaver, the current visibility, position, and tab grouping of the floating panel are saved. The next time Dreamweaver starts up, it loads the Floating Panel files for any floating panels that were visible at the last shutdown and displays the floating panels in their last position and tab grouping. |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() |