To add functionality to your application, start by obtaining an extension you want to install. For example, if you find an extension you're interested in on the Macromedia Exchange site, you can download the extension package file by using your Web browser. The extension package file name ends with the extension .mxp; this file contains all the files you need to use the extension.
When you click an extension's name to download it, you may have two choices, depending on your Web browser:
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You can download the extension and save it on your disk. If you do this, you'll have the extension's package file handy in case you need to reinstall it later. To install the extension, double-click the file's icon on your desktop or choose File > Install Extension in the Macromedia Extension Manager. Save it in the Downloaded Extensions folder inside your Macromedia application's main folder (such as the folder where Dreamweaver is located). |
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You can open the extension package file directly from its location on the Web instead of simply downloading the file. If you do this, the Macromedia Extension Manager automatically launches so that you can install the extension, but you won't retain a copy of the package file for later use. |
To install an extension file:
| 1 | Start the Macromedia Extension Manager by using one of these methods: |
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Double-click the extension file or open it from Windows Explorer (Windows) or the Finder (Macintosh). |
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In Dreamweaver or UltraDev, choose Commands > Manage Extensions to start the Macromedia Extension Manager, then choose a Macromedia product into which you want to install the extension from the product pop-up menu. |
| Note: To install an extension designed for Dreamweaver in UltraDev when both applications are installed on your hard disk, you must use the second approach above: first start the Macromedia Extension Manager, then choose Dreamweaver UltraDev from the pull-down menu of Macromedia products, then choose File > Install Extension. | |
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In Flash 5, choose Help > Manage Extension, then choose Flash 5 to install into if it is not listed as the default in the product pull-down menu. |
| 2 | Choose File > Install Extension in the Macromedia Extension Manager. |
| 3 | In the file-selection dialog box that appears, choose an extension file and select Install. |
| 4 | Read the Macromedia Extension disclaimer. Select Accept to continue with the installation, or select Decline to cancel the installation. |
| 5 | If you already have another version of the extension installed, or another extension with the same name, the Macromedia Extension Manager asks you whether to disable the one that's already installed. Select Yes to replace the previously installed extension with the new extension; select No to cancel the installation and leave the existing extension in place. |
| 6 | If the Macromedia Extension Manager doesn't encounter any problems, it informs you that the extension has been successfully installed. |
| Note: Before installing an extension with menus.xml changes, the Macromedia Extension Manager creates a backup of your menus.xml file, called menus.xbk. In the unlikely event that your menus.xml file is damaged by an extension, you can restore your menus to their previous state by replacing menus.xml with menus.xbk. This is also true for UltraDev xml files, such as formats.xml. | |
| 7 | For some types of extensions, you must close and then restart the application for the changes to take effect. (If you have Dreamweaver 3.0, you must always close and restart Dreamweaver for the changes to take effect; in that case, upgrade to Dreamweaver 3.01, which does not have that limitation. See the Macromedia Web site for upgrade information.) |
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