When the Dreamweaver 8.0.2 updater came out, I originally reported that it mishandles the MySQL DATE_FORMAT() function in the Test SQL Statement panel. After further testing, and some help from Alexandru Costin of InterAKT, I’ve discovered the problem was with the dates in a test table that I was using. Oops!
The dates had been entered incorrectly into the test table, so the actual values were 0000-00-00 00:00:00. No wonder that DATE_FORMAT() wasn’t able to convert them. However, the nasty problem with Dreamweaver 8.0.2 corrupting SQL queries that use CONCAT() has been confirmed by several people. Let’s hope it gets fixed soon.
May 14th, 2006
Adobe released the 8.0.2 updater for Dreamweaver on 9 May. It provides a solution for embedding active content, such as Flash and QuickTime movies, in IE6, and makes dynamic server behaviors more secure by adding code to prevent SQL injection attacks. Both are good moves, so you might have expected the updater to be greeted with enthusiasm. Instead, it brought an outpouring of abuse on the Dreamweaver forum.
The problem stems from the fact that the changes to dynamic server behaviors affects the way third-party extensions workâor no longer work, to be more accurate. Those worst affected are extensions created by ImpAKT and Tom Muck. Apparently, ImpAKT had advance access to the updater, but didn’t test it thoroughly enough to reveal the problems. Tom Muck had no advance access, and estimates he now faces several weeks of work making his extensions compatible with the new Dreamweaver API.
I’ve also discovered that the 8.0.2 updater doesn’t handle MySQL functions correctly, and actually corrupts SQL queries that use CONCAT().It’s no secret that software companies like Adobe have beta teams that are meant to test new releases. From what’s been disclosed in public by Alexandru Costin of InterAKT, he’s taking the blame for his company not having done sufficient testing. He deserves credit for his honesty, but it makes me wonder if Adobe gave beta testers sufficient information to give the 8.0.2 updater a really rigorous testing. If InterAKT had known that changes had been made to the server behavior API, they would surely have made use of their advance access, rather than risk being left with egg all over their face.
It’s also odd that leading developers of third-party extensions to Dreamweaver, such as Tom Muck, aren’t given advance warning. I understand from Al Sparber of ProjectSeven that he got no advance warning, either. Fortunately, the changes in the 8.0.2 updater haven’t had any impact on ProjectSeven’s extensions. Still, one of the biggest selling points of Dreamweaver is its extensibility. If extensions break in every new version, it’s going to alienate users in a big way.
May 13th, 2006