Specifications

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CHAPTER 10
Tag Libraries and Editors
Dreamweaver MX users can use tag editors to insert new tags, edit existing tags, and access
reference information about tags. Dreamweaver comes with editors for the following languages:
HTML, ASP.Net, CFML, JRun, and JSP. You can customize tag editors that come with
Dreamweaver, and you can create new tag editors. You can also add new tags to the Tag Libraries.
The Tag Chooser uses information that is stored in the Tag Libraries to let Dreamweaver users
view available tags and select them to use in the active document.
Dreamweaver stores information about each tag, including all tag attributes, in a set of subfolders
that reside in the Configuration/TagLibraries folder. The tag editor and Tag Chooser functions
use the information that is stored in this folder when manipulating and editing tags. Before you
can create custom tag editors, you should understand the Tag Library structure.
Tag Library file format
A Tag Library consists of a single root file, the TagLibraries.vtm file, that lists every installed tag,
plus a .vtm (VTML) file for each tag in the Tag Library. The TagLibraries.vtm file functions as a
table of contents and contains pointers to each individual tag’s .vtm file. The following
illustration shows how Dreamweaver organizes the .vtm files by markup language:
HomeSite users will recognize the .vtm file structure, but they should be aware that Dreamweaver
does not use .vtm files in exactly the same way as HomeSite. The most important difference is
that Dreamweaver contains its own HTML renderer that displays extension UIs, so the .vtm files
are not used in the GUI rendering process.