Tips for Macromedia Approved Extensions writing

Here are some tips about building extensions compilant to Macromedia Approved standards.

• When writing the .mxi file description use no more than three </br> to separate one paragraph from another
• If the extension is an object and his destination is not the Common category in the Object panel. You have to make some changes in the <configuration-changes> tag of the .mxi file. So, if the extension - named in these examples "My Extension # 1" - is going to have its own category (e.g.: My Extensions), you will have to create not only the subfolder My Extensions inside the Objects folder, but also you have to modify these lines in the <configuration-changes> tag of the .mxi file:
   <configuration-changes>
     <menu-insert appendTo="DWMenu_Insert">
       <menu name="My Extensions" id="Me_DWMenu_Insert_My_Extensions">
       </menu>
     </menu-insert>
     <menu-insert appendTo="Me_DWMenu_Insert_My_Extensions">
       <menuitem name="My_Extension_#_1" file="My Extension # 1.htm"
         id="Me_DWMenu_Insert_My_Extension_#_1" />
     </menu-insert>
   </configuration-changes>
  Instead, if you're going to insert this extension in an exsisting Macromedia Object category, such as Forms, the <configuration-changes> tag has to be written this way:
   <configuration-changes>
     <menu-insert insertAfter="DWMenu_Insert_FormObject_JumpMenu" 
       skipSeparator="true">
       <menuitem name="My_Extension_#_1" file="My Extension # 1.htm"
          id="Me_DWMenu_Insert_My_Extension_#_1" />
     </menu-insert>
   </configuration-changes>
  As you can see, modifying the <configuration-changes> tag, you have to choose your own "id" that precedes DWMenu_Insert... In these examples the id choosen has been Me. Its' a good idea to choose as id name the same name of your subfolder - if you need to create one - in the Shared folder.
  It's also a good idea making the same changes in <configuration-changes> tag, when writing other kind of extensions, such as Commands, that add submenu to other Dreamweaver or UltraDev menu.
  Also adding a sub-sub menu for each extension will make easyer for users to find them (e.g.: "Commands > Me > My first Commmand" and "Commands > Me > My second Commmand"). So all yours Commands can be quickly found as a sub menu of Me, which is a sub menu of Commands
• Use the shared attribute, in the <file source=.../> tag of .mxi file, set to true, only if more than one extension will be using that file. e.g.:
  <file source=" my Logo.gif" destination="$dreamweaver/Configuration/Shared/Me/images/" shared="true" />
  As you can see in the example, a folder named images had been created inside in Me sub folder of Shared folder.
  It's a good system adding as much folders a you need in your personal shared sub folder. So you could have, inside "Me" sub folder, various folder e.g.: "images" for your logo or other shared images or "scripts" if more than an extension use the same js file. It will make simpler your further extensions development.