Specifications

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CHAPTER 24

The Design Notes API

Macromedia Dreamweaver, Fireworks, and Flash MX give web designers and developers a way to

store and retrieve extra information about documents—information such as review comments,

change notes, or the source file for a GIF or JPEG—in files that are called Design Notes.

MMNotes is a C shared library that lets extensions authors read and write Design Notes files. As

with the DWfile shared library, MMNotes has a JavaScript API that makes it possible to call the

functions that are contained in the library from objects, commands, behaviors, floating panels,

Property inspectors, and data translators.

MMNotes also has a C API that lets other applications read and write Design Notes files. The

MMNotes shared library can be used independently, even if Dreamweaver is not installed.

For more information about using the Design Notes feature from within Dreamweaver, see

Using Dreamweaver.

How Design Notes work

Each Design Notes file stores information for a single document. If one or more documents in a

folder has a Design Notes file associated with it, Dreamweaver creates a _notes subfolder where

Design Notes files can be stored. The _notes folder and the Design Notes files that it contains are

not visible in the Site panel, but they appear in the Finder (Macintosh) or Windows Explorer. A

Design Notes filename comprises the main filename plus the extension .mno. For example, the

Design Notes file that is associated with avocado8.gif is avocado8.gif.mno.

Design Notes files are XML files that store information in a series of key/value pairs. The key

describes the type of information that is being stored, and the value represents the information

itself. Keys are limited to 64 characters.

The following example shows the Design Notes file for foghorn.gif:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1" ?>

<info>

<infoitem key="FW_source" value="file:///C|sites/¬

dreamcentral/images/sourceFiles/foghorn.png" />

<infoitem key="Status" value="Final draft, approved ¬

by Jay L." />

</info>