Fireworks CS4 as Wireframe Tool

In the past I have used OmniGraffle for creating wireframes but soon realized some of its limitation. I work extensively with Photoshop and Dreamweaver CS4 so I thought it was only appropriate to use a tool from the same family for creating wireframes.
Fireworks CS4 is missing (or I'm not finding) a few key features that I really need.
Bulleted Lists - I need the ability to input bulleted lists. I could cheat and create graphics for the bullets but this isn't what I want. If I modify the bulleted item's text, the images won't align if the text shrinks or expands in height.
Tables - I don't mean tables for page layout. I need the ability to input a table to hold data. As an example, I am creating a wireframe for a local college that is displaying course information. Information such as Course Name, Course Number, and Credits need to be included. Laying this data in a table with the headers mentioned above is what I'm searching to do.
If anyone know how to go about doing the above, please let me know. Under a tight deadline on this one.
Thanks,
Grant Novey

You may try to use some proxy server, to check?
Meanwhile, I hope I can help:
I will copy the Grid Autoshape here (Aaron won't mind, I am sure;-) so that you can download and use it!
"" GRID 1.2
This AutoShape allows you to create a grid of rectangles, with padding and alternating fill/stroke styles – useful for mocking up tables.
Update: Minor bug fix that caused breakage after restarting Fireworks. ""
http://fireworks.abeall.com/extensions/autoshapes/
In the attached ZIP are all files that Aaron has posted on his website, and above I have quoted his original description of the auto shape.
Hope this works for you this way!
Cheers,
--Michel

Similar Messages

Can't import/open HTML files in Fireworks CS4

I'm trying to import/open HTML files into Fireworks CS4 to do some redesigning. I inherited the job of redoing my companies website and we believe the person who created our website created the site using Dreamweaver 8. Unfortunatley that person moved on to a new job across the country and we can't ask him exactly how he created our website.
When I try to open some of the HTML files in FW I get the message: "Could not open the file....Fireworks could not find an HTML table in this file". Next I tried creating a new, very simple HTML page in Dreamweaver CS4 that contains just a few lines of text and 1graphic (we just bought the CS4 web suite). Again, I get the same error.
Other files give me a slightly different error message when trying to open them in FW, "The HTML document contains one or more images with absolute web addresses for the source. Fireworks cannot handle these images. --click OK-- (next error message) Could not open the file. Fireworks has encountered a problem with the HTML in this table. Verify that the HTML is valid"... and then it closes and nothing loads into FW. Bummer.
I've searched on these forums and can't find any solutions to this problem although I found a few people experiencing the same problem.
Do I need to do something to the Dreamweaver created HTML's to get them to open in FW? Any help would be appreciated.

Fireworks is a graphics editor that can export code; it is not an HTML/code editor.
If you have exported HTML from Fireworks, you ought to be able to re-import that, but I would think most people who use Fireworks exported code would just modify their Fireworks document and re-export. (Fireworks' code is not robust and it is only intended for mockups and prototypes. Fireworks is not intended for developing and maintaining live Web sites; Dreamweaver is.)
If your developer used Dreamweaver, then I really don't expect that Fireworks would be able to import that, nor any code that isn't in exactly the format that it can export. If you know your developer used Fireworks, then you need to look for .png files. Fireworks uses an enhanced version of the PNG format for its native document format.
If you are making small adjustments to your site, then you might be better off working in Dreamweaver. If you're doing a site re-design, then Fireworks is an excellent tool for laying out your design and producing your graphics, but you will, at some point, need to move over to Dreamweaver for coding.

How to fill areas with Fireworks CS4?

How can I fill areas created with a pen tablet in more than
one layer with Fireworks CS4?
I need to fill areas created with vector path tool divided in
more layers like a raster image but without converting strokes to a
raster image.
For example hair of a man...
Do you know a trick or a tecnique?

arcadiaclub.com wrote:
> Ok this is an example... I need a trick or tecnique to
fast (because I am
> creating a long animation) fill areas with strokes
placed in different layers...
>
>
http://www.arcadiaclub.com/img/zup/scena_1.png
>
> I need to fill all hairs (front and back) in one time,
clothes in one time and
> so on...
>
Is there a reason each path is it's own object? Do they have
to remain
this way?
If they don't, you can select the paths that make up the
different areas
and try using Modify > Alter Path > Join or Modify
> Alter Path >
Union. You will probably need to remove some anchor points if
you choose
one of these options.
Are you aware of the Vector path tool which let's you draw a
path
freehand? That might be a better option than the Pen tool.
Jim Babbage - .:Community MX:. & .:Adobe Community
Expert:.
http://www.communityMX.com/
CommunityMX - Free Resources:
http://www.communitymx.com/free.cfm
.:Adobe Community Expert for Fireworks:.
Adobe Community Expert
http://tinyurl.com/2a7dyp
.:Author:.
Lynda.com -
http://movielibrary.lynda.com/authors/author/?aid=188
Peachpit Press -
http://www.peachpit.com/authors/bio.aspx?a=d98ed798-5ef0-45a8-a70d-4b35fa14c9a4
Layers Magazine -
http://www.layersmagazine.com/author/jim-babbage

Fireworks CS4 Internal error when starting

Hello,
Have upgraded to CS4 Web Premium yesterday. Everything seems
to working fine except for Fireworks.
When trying to load it says 'Fireworks can not be started,
internal error occurred' . This always happens on the splash screen
at the point 'Initializing Tools'
I have tried re-installing, I have tried removed Application
Data and renaming the Control Panels folder (read this somewhere as
something to try) but nothing resolves the problem.
At the moment I have to revert to using Fireworks CS3 which
continues to work without any problems.
Help!
Cheers
Neil

quote:
Originally posted by:
Very Invisible
quote:
Originally posted by:
jaymannz
I had this same issue. When I loaded Fireworks CS4, it would
get past the splash screen but then come up with an error "An
internal error occurred. An internal error occurred" (yes the
message appeared twice in the same message box).
I resolved this issue by deleting my Fireworks CS4
"configuration" folder.
For Vista users you can find this folder under
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\. Sorry XP users
but I don't know the exact path for you but will assume that it is
something like C:\Documents and
Settings\<username>\Application Data\Adobe\.
I renamed the "Fireworks CS4" folder to "Fireworks CS4 OLD"
(just so I could access it again if need be). When I relaunched
Firefox CS4, the "configuration" folder was recreated and my
problem disappeared (along with any preferences and workspaces that
I had created - but hey that is better than NOT being able to
access the application fullstop).
I hope this can help you all.
I did that. I even deleted the whole Adobe folder and still
having no luck.
I can only try and reinstall Windows Vista :(
When you say that you deleted the whole Adobe folder do you
mean the one I described
(C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\)? The only reason
I ask is that you say in your earlier post that you were playing
around with "Program Files/Adobe/Fireworks CS4".
J

Fireworks CS4 - Unable to Launch

I am trying to virtualize Fireworks CS4 but keep running into the following error after running the compiled exe.
The application was unable to load a required component: LogSession.dll. Please contact the publisher of this application for more information.
Dreamweaver CS4 runs fine though. I have seen a couple of other threads relating to VMware Tools possibly causing an issue. I have tried the following without any success..
1. Build machine with VMware Tools.
2. Build machine without VMware Tools
3. Stopping FlexNet service before capture
4. Copying LogSession.dll into the 'System32' folder
All snapshots\packages are been carried out on the local disk and not on a network share.
I can't open a SR request with Novell, as we don't have a support contract with them.

Originally Posted by zeevromm
If you check the virtual file system in ZAV, does it contain the LogSession.dll in the expected location? Compare it to the machine you're building on to be sure.
Some people have had success with issues such as these by adding entries to the "Child Process Exception List", but I haven't done that much myself and will need to poke around a bit to get you some more information.
Is Fireworks CS4 something I can get on my own to work with?
Will give that a go.
In terms of obtaining Fireworks CS4, it is part of the Adobe CS4 Web Premium pack. You could probably get a trial version of it, but finding it on the Adobe site is unlikely as they are on CS6 now.

Fireworks CS4 Does Not Start Up

I have been using Fireworks CS3 for over 1 1/2 years with no
problems. I have the new Fireworks CS4 installed, and it will not
load. The splash screen loads, but nothing initializes, and after a
short period of time, the application closes and an support message
pops up asking me if I want to send an error report to Adobe. I
have sent the report several times. I have looked through the
forum, and tried using the removal tool, reinstalled, but I still
have the same problem. Photoshop CS4 and other CS4 applications
load perfectly. Does anyone have an idea of how to solve this? In
the mean time, I am back to using my old dependable Fireworks
CS3.

Derren,
It happens every time. I have tried restarting my Mac, no
good. It does work when I install it and use it under another user
name with admin privileges. Someone else suggested my OS Admin
account was limited, which is totally impossible, as it is the
original and only admin account I have had since I purchased the
computer, until I set up another account for testing purposes.
And to answer your other question, yes, I far exceed the
minimum requirements to run CS4. I have been running CS3 since the
middle of 2007 with no problems.
I wish I could find the answer to the problem, but Adobe has
been of no help whatsoever. I have emailed them at least 10 times,
and they ignore me. Since I cannot try the new version properly,
since they will not help me to make it work, it looks like they
lost me as an upgrade customer. I'll stick with CS3. I will say I
am very disappointed in their customer service. i have been an
Adobe customer for as long as they have been making Photoshop.
If you have any suggestions, please let me know, I would
appreciate hearing any ideas.
Paul

Reinstalling CS3 Why the is it asking for Adobe Fireworks CS4

When attempting to reinstall my Photoshop CS3 on my Mac because of the clone brush not working I am prevented from doing so because It is asking for Adobe Fireworks CS4. Thanks

Run the Creative Suite Cleaner Tool, reinstall everything from scratch.
Mylenium

Clipping Mask Effects in Fireworks CS4?

Hello everyone,
I was initially trained on Adobe Illustrator, and over time
have gotten very pretty comfortable with it. Not too long ago I
started making mock ups in Illustrator, and would use the crop tool
to export particular pieces (buttons and banners) of my mock up
into Dreamweaver tables.
But I recently got CS4, and now I'm all screwed up!
Unlike CS3, CS4 Illustrator does not appear to have the crop
area function. I can no longer export select pieces of my artwork.
I recently found out that this 'crop area' feature exists in
Fireworks CS4, so lately I've been trying to learn fireworks.
The problem I have with fireworks though, is that there
doesn't seem to be a clipping mask feature. I did stumble upon
something called 'group as mask' under the modify menu. But I don't
understand it's function, as it works nothing at all like
Illustrators clipping mask.
Clipping mask is such a useful design feature, and I can't
bear the thought of doing without it.
I'm relatively new to graphic and web design, so here's to
hoping some experienced users can help me out with this!
Cheers,
Cory
PS: Please don't tell me the solution to all this is
photoshop! So tired of switching applications :)

CoryPatrick wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> I was initially trained on Adobe Illustrator, and over
time have gotten very
> pretty comfortable with it. Not too long ago I started
making mock ups in
> Illustrator, and would use the crop tool to export
particular pieces (buttons
> and banners) of my mock up into Dreamweaver tables.
>
> But I recently got CS4, and now I'm all screwed up!
>
> Unlike CS3, CS4 Illustrator does not appear to have the
crop area function. I
> can no longer export select pieces of my artwork.
>
> I recently found out that this 'crop area' feature
exists in Fireworks CS4, so
> lately I've been trying to learn fireworks.
>
> The problem I have with fireworks though, is that there
doesn't seem to be a
> clipping mask feature. I did stumble upon something
called 'group as mask'
> under the modify menu. But I don't understand it's
function, as it works
> nothing at all like Illustrators clipping mask.
>
> Clipping mask is such a useful design feature, and I can
bear the thought of
> doing without it.
>
> I'm relatively new to graphic and web design, so here's
to hoping some
> experienced users can help me out with this!
>
> Cheers,
>
> Cory
>
> PS: Please don't tell me the solution to all this is
photoshop! So tired of
> switching applications :)
>
I doubt you'll find many - if any - telling you the answer is
Photoshop
in this forum. ;-)
The term clipping mask isn't really part of the FW
vocabulary, but FW
works very well with vectors and that is pretty much what a
clipping
mask is - a path used to mask part of an image.
FW can mask objects using vectors or bitmaps. Here's some
instructions
to create a simple vector mask.
Open an image in FW.
Select the Rectangle tool from the Vector tool area of the
Tools panel.
Draw a rectangle.
position it where you want the mask to be.
Cut the rectangle (Ctrl+X or Command+X for Mac)
Select the image using the Pointer tool.
Go to Edit > Paste as Mask.
Your image is now masked by a vector. Both objects remain
editable.
There is much more you can do; this is just a simple example.
Jim Babbage - .:Community MX:. & .:Adobe Community
Expert:.
http://www.communityMX.com/
CommunityMX - Free Resources:
http://www.communitymx.com/free.cfm
.:Adobe Community Expert for Fireworks:.
Adobe Community Expert
http://tinyurl.com/2a7dyp
.:Author:.
Lynda.com -
http://movielibrary.lynda.com/authors/author/?aid=188
Peachpit Press -
http://www.peachpit.com/authors/bio.aspx?a=d98ed798-5ef0-45a8-a70d-4b35fa14c9a4
Layers Magazine -
http://www.layersmagazine.com/author/jim-babbage

Fireworks CS4 - layers display incorrectly

I created a web page graphic in FW CS4 and it looked like
this:
Good
version
Now, when I reopen it up in FW CS4, it looks like this:
Bad
version
I exported it as a web page before and that looks fine. I can
even re-open the PNG file in Photoshop OR Fireworks CS3 and it is
fine! Fireworks CS4 is the only problem, but I would like to
continue designing there if I could.
Any ideas? Thank you,
Drew Baltzley
[email protected]

I did what you suggested and it didn't seem to do anything.
What seem to help a little bit is to open the file up in FW CS3 and
re-save it. Open the CS3 file in FW CS4 and NOT update the fonts.
Seems to be intact. But everytime I open the file, it warns me that
I need to update the fonts. However, if I update the fonts, then
the text boxes get messed up. Not as bad as before, but all the
text in the text box displays on one line ... on top of each other.
I then tried your Re-Sync text tool again on this new file, but
again, it didn't seem to change anything.
Thanks,
Drew

Dreamweaver and Fireworks CS4

Hello Folks,
Quick question:
Is it a bad idea to use Fireworks CS4 layouts ( exported as
CSS ) to design complete web pages?
Are there any display layout issues with any of these
browsers: IE6, IE7, IE8, Safari, or Firefox ?
Cheers!

It's a great idea to use FW CS4 to design your layout, and to
export your
images for the production work. It's a terrible idea to have
FW export HTML
to use for production work. Your pages should be built in DW.
> Are there any display layout issues with any of these
browsers: IE6, IE7,
> IE8,
> Safari, or Firefox ?
If your pages are built with VALID HTML (as shown here -
http://validator.w3.org) and
with best-practice methods, then you willl
experience minimal rendering differences among all those
browsers EXCEPT
IE6. The good news is that the problems you may have with IE6
are pretty
well characterized and not so hard to fix, especially with
the use of IE
Conditional Comments. The bad news is that even if your code
validates,
using non-best-practice methods can get you into serious
rendering
differences. What's an example of a non-best-practice method?
Using
absolute positioning as a primary layout tool would be the
most frequently
used one I can think of.
Murray --- ICQ 71997575
Adobe Community Expert
(If you *MUST* email me, don't LAUGH when you do so!)
==================
http://www.projectseven.com/go
- DW FAQs, Tutorials & Resources
http://www.dwfaq.com - DW FAQs,
Tutorials & Resources
==================
"billhdz" <[email protected]> wrote in
message
news:gm4hse$aue$[email protected]..
> Hello Folks,
>
> Quick question:
> Is it a bad idea to use Fireworks CS4 layouts ( exported
as CSS ) to
> design
> complete web pages?
> Are there any display layout issues with any of these
browsers: IE6, IE7,
> IE8,
> Safari, or Firefox ?
>
> Cheers!
>
>
>
>

Design Flex with Fireworks CS4 or Flex Builder?

I need help in making a process decision on how to build Flex
Apps going forward.
In the past, we have built the concept for our Flex app in
Photoshop and sent it over to our development team in India to
build. The process has been difficult because our engineers are not
designers and our designers are not engineers. Invariably we spend
alot of time bridging the gap between whats possible and what we
want to see in our Apps.
I want to bring our Design and Dev much closer together and
essentially take the GUI out of the hands of my Indian Developers
who choose to work in raw XML rather than Builder today.
To accomplish this goal, I will be training my US Design team
to become either Fireworks Experts or Flex Builder Experts....
(they are already Photoshop experts) This is where I need your
help. If you were starting from scratch with a talented design team
that could learn either tool, which one would you choose to
accomplish the goal? Does the Fireworks to Flex export create
crappy code like Dreamweaver thats tough to modify manually? Does a
"true" Flex developer despise Fireworks-generated code?
I have read up on the Fireworks>Flash Catalyst>Flex
Builder Path and dont understand the additional step... is Catalyst
part of Fireworks and thats how Flex code is developed or is it a
new code generation engine that does code better than Fireworks
CS4?
Thanks in advance.

Here's my recommendation:
I would suggest Fireworks for your Design team/ Flexbuilder
for your dev team.
Essentially, what Fireworks already has in terms of Flex UI
components (though a short list) is identical in theme (default
halo) AND output (mxml code) as you would expect from creating in
Flexbuilder alone.
You can then easily extend your designs with custom
components using the Fw Commands Export Flex Skins and they can be
imported to your Flex project using the CSS Designer.
As for Catalyst, this is a separate beast altogether. It's
merely meant to bridge designs (from design applications Ps, Ill,
Fw) and create usable components for complete animations.
A full tutorial/ video overview was just released a few days
ago here
http://blog.digitalbackcountry.com/2009/01/getting-started-with-flash-catalyst-tutorial/
As for how Fw fits into the Catalyst scheme of things,
designs you create can be exported to the FXG format that Catalyst
will use, if you want to use Flex and work with this format you
have to have the latest Flex SDK plugged into FlexBuilder 3 or Flex
4 will have full support for it.
Here is an older referebce to this scenerio (reference to
Thermo = Flash Catalyst and Gumbo = Flex 4)
http://www.mikechambers.com/blog/2008/08/28/getting-started-with-flex-4-fxg-and-flex-build er-3/
Hope this helps.
h

Fireworks CS4 gibberish in menus & tooltips

Just installed Fireworks CS4 on my XP SP3 system. In the
menus, the menu
shortcuts show up as "Ctrl+[empty squares & garbage]",
etc. instead of
e.g. "Ctrl+C". The same for the tooltips when hovering over
the tools in
the LH panel , e.g. "Subselection tool [long string of
squares, etc.]".
Anyone know what's going on? I'm sure I installed it in
English, etc.,
but could reinstall it if something else needs to be
selected.

Here's a screen shot illustrating the problem:
Fireworks
menu.

Fireworks cs4 - animated gif

ok.
Haven't had to do this since cs3.
I have my images collected for each frame of the animation in Fireworks CS4 on separate layers.
I am under the impressions that "States" has replace "Frames".
I create a new state and make layer one visible.
I duplicate the state and make layer two visible.
When I go back to state one layer two is visible instead of just layer one.
It looks like layer visibility is changing across all states.
What's the trick?
Thanks.

Hi Linda,
I'm wondering if you can explain in a bit more detail how to actually place graphics on states as opposed to layers.
If I select the contents of a layer and copy them, then go to the states panel, select the specific state i want the content on, and paste... it doesn't seem to do anything but create a new layer in my layers panel. If I turn off layers from one state to the next, it turns them off for all states.
I made many layers in Photoshop, expecting to be able to open the file in Fireworks, make states, and just turn on and off layers to create my animation. This worked with earlier versions of Fireworks (back when GIF banners were the standard format for online ads... I know, I'm a dinosaur).
I've been trying to get this to work for hours, and finding this very unintuitive and frustrating.
Thanks for any help you can provide.

Fireworks cs4 will not launch after accepting license agreement

fireworks cs4 will not launch after accepting license agreement

<user_name> = Your User Name:
in XP:
Application Data Path:
C:\Documents and Settings \<user_name>\Local Settings\Application Data
Fireworks CS4 Preference Folder Path:
C:\Documents and Settings \<user_name>\Local Settings\Application Data\Adobe\Fireworks CS4
Delete the Preference folder and re-launch FW.
Note: They are hidden folders, you need to uncheck the 'Show Hidden Files' and "Hide System Protected File" in Folder Options > View.
-- Sag-e-Attar Junaid Atari

Can't Open Fireworks CS4 in Mac. Error Message

Hello,
I have had CS4 for 2 years almost and recently Fireworks won't open. When I click on the icon, I get this error message (below). I have updated by my Mac OS and Adobe updates with no success. I thought about uninstalling and reinstalling Fireworks, but it says I would need to deactivate my serial number from within Fireworks. Since I can't open Fireworks, I can't deactivate it - so presumably I wouldn't be able to reinstall it.
All my other Adobe products are working fine - it's just this one.
I operate Mac 10.6.7
Any suggestions? I'm not a graphic designer, so if you're able to assist, pretend you're explaining to an 8 year-old! :-)
Thank you kindly.
~Ben~
Process:         Adobe Fireworks CS4 [307]
Path:            /Applications/Adobe Fireworks CS4/Adobe Fireworks CS4.app/Contents/MacOS/Adobe Fireworks CS4
Identifier:      com.macromedia.fireworks
Version:         ??? (???)
Code Type:       X86 (Native)
Parent Process: launchd [110]
Date/Time:       2011-04-22 22:49:22.228 -0400
OS Version:      Mac OS X 10.6.7 (10J869)
Report Version: 6
Interval Since Last Report:          34494 sec
Crashes Since Last Report:           2
Per-App Crashes Since Last Report:   2
Anonymous UUID:                      BC97E414-33E1-4359-8E55-3107A9B0E1E6
Exception Type: EXC_BREAKPOINT (SIGTRAP)
Exception Codes: 0x0000000000000002, 0x0000000000000000
Crashed Thread: 0
Dyld Error Message:
Library not loaded: @executable_path/../Frameworks/AdobeAXEDOMCore.framework/Versions/A/A dobeAXEDOMCore
Referenced from: /Applications/Adobe Fireworks CS4/Adobe Fireworks CS4.app/Contents/MacOS/Adobe Fireworks CS4
Reason: image not found
Binary Images:
0x8fe00000 - 0x8fe4162b dyld 132.1 (???) <A4F6ADCC-6448-37B4-ED6C-ABB2CD06F448> /usr/lib/dyld

Thank you Linda, I thought I would post here since other users may have had a similar experience. My next step will be to reinstall the software since I'd rather not pay for their technical support if it's a simple fix - thus the posting here.
8 year olds don't make a lot of dough selling lemonade!
I appreciate the reply.
~Ben~

Fireworks CS4 as Wireframe Tool

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