Launch Window

The starting point is the Launch Window behavior. Launch Window sets the size, position, and attributes of the new window(s).

Windows can be launched from a link or the body tag (onload, etc.).

The name of the window establishes a unique identity, which is used for communication and is available on drop down boxes in the other behaviors of this suite (See Targeting Windows for further detail). If multiple windows are launched, each new window should have a unique name.

The URL refers to the file you will be loading in the new window.

Width and height determine the size (pixels) of the new window.

Left and top determine where this new window will be located. This measurement is in pixels from the most left and top of the screen.

Check boxes are used to establish the attributes of the new window. Checking a box will include that attribute. For example, if you needed scroll bars in the new window, you would check the scroll bar attribute.

Just focus new window if already opened, is an important feature that prevents reloading a new window if that window is already opened. An example would be a form that you would not want to be reset by reloading as you move between multiple windows.

Control Window

Control Window performs four related functions.

Blur deactivates the window by sending that window to the back of the stack and focusing (activating) the next window in the stack.

Focus activates the window by sending it to the top of the stack.

Close removes the window from the stack.

Reload resets the window to its original state. The value of reload becomes important if you have dynamically altered and need to restore the original content of a window or wish to retrigger a series of events such as relaunching windows.

Manage Window

Manage windows allows you to resize, move or scroll a window or another window created by Launch Window. Each of these three functions can be done in two different ways. Using resize as an example, if you start with a window 100 x 100 pixels and then Resize To 500 x 400 pixels, the window would resize to 500 x 400 pixels. If you took the same 100 x 100 window and Resized By 500 x 400, the finial size would be 600 x 500. To is an absolute value and By is a relative value.

Load URL

Loads new files inside child windows and links from the child back to the master window. The most commom use of this behavior would be a remote control navigation window that would load different files in the master window.

This behavior will be automatically updated by Dreamweaver or UltraDev if the name or path of the target file is changed from the site window.

Go History window

Performs the same function as the back and forward button on the browser. Negative (back) and positive (forward) numbers can both be used. This behavior is useful when you have strip the chrome off a new window and these buttons are not available. Other uses would be a "continue shopping" link on an E-commerce site where several files would lead to a single shopping cart template.

Print Window

Performs the same function as the print button on your browser with the added feature of being able to print content from another window. Creative use of this behavior would be the development of "printer friendly pages" that exist outside the normal design content.

An Example

This example was accomplish by using three behaviors from the Window Suite. On "An Example" link, the Launch Window behavior was used to open a new window. Two behaviors were applied to the body tag of the new window. The behavior Print Window was applied first, to be triggered onload. Then Control Window was applied to close this window also onload.

Set BG Color

Changes the background color in the same (self) or a new window. Uses the DW color picker.

Set BG Images

Changes the background image in the same (self) or a new window. This behavior does not work in NN4x.

Launch Visual Demo

Download Demo

Demo and Help Files by Jason Jonas, Gxidesign