How floating palette files work

Custom floating palettes can be moved, resized, and tabbed together just like the floating palettes that are built into Dreamweaver. Custom floaters differ from built-in floaters in the following ways:

	It is not possible to display an icon in the tab of a custom floating palette; the tab always shows the contents of the floater's `TITLE` tag.
	Custom floating palettes display in the default gray. Setting the `BGCOLOR` attribute in the `BODY` tag has no effect.
	All custom floating palettes 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 Palettes preferences.

Floating palette files also differ somewhat from other extensions. Unlike other extension files, Dreamweaver does not load floating palette files into memory at startup unless the floaters were visible when Dreamweaver last shut down. If the floaters were not visible when Dreamweaver last shut down, the files that define them are only loaded 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 floater names, Dreamweaver searches the Configuration/Floaters folder for a file called `floaterName`.htm. (For a complete list of reserved floater 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 palette file is being loaded for the first time, the `initialPosition()` function is called, if defined, to determine the floater's default position on the screen, and the `initialTabs()` function is called, if defined, to determine the floater's default tab grouping.
3	The `selectionChanged()` and `documentEdited()` functions are called on the assumption that changes probably occurred while the floater was hidden.
4	When the floater 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 floater 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 floater are saved. The next time Dreamweaver starts up, it loads the floating palette files for any floaters that were visible at the last shutdown and displays the floaters in their last position and tab grouping.