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Dreamweaver libraries and templates

Most well-designed websites have areas that are repeated from page to page. These would include header areas, navigation bars, information boxes, footers, etc. Occasionally, changes need to be made in these areas. There are wonderfully easy-to-use components in Dreamweaver to make those changes appear on multiple pages when the change is made at one location. Dreamweaver has two such components, Libraries and Templates.

Dreamweaver Libraries

The easiest way to go about creating a Library Item is by placing content on a web page as you wish it to appear, then converting it to a Library Item. Keep in mind that using tables to control your layout is the only cross-compatible method.

1. Design the content on a web page you wish to convert to a Library Item.


2. Go to Window > Assets. Click on the Library icon on the left side of the Assets window (library view 1). The icon looks like an open book.

3. Select the area you wish to convert to a Library Item.

4. Click on the black arrow at the top of the Assets window and choose New Library Item.

5. Give it an appropriate file name.

File names should contain lower case letters, numbers, hyphens, and/or underscores. They should not contain spaces.

cat.htm, Cat.htm, and CAT.htm are not the same file. Writing file names in all lower case letters will help keep things in order.

Dreamweaver Assets Window
library view 1

6. When you wish to add this Library Item to another web page, select the appropriate Library Item from the list in the Assets window then simply drag from the gray area at the top of it and drop into the web page. See library view 2.

Modifying a Library Item

When you wish to make a change in a Library Item, open the Library Item by double clicking on the file name in the Assets window, make the changes on the page, and save. The changes will appear wherever you have inserted the Library Item.

Dreamweaver Templates

Some of my peers consider Dreamweaver Templates to be one of Dreamweaver's greatest assets. Stated simplistically, Dreamweaver Templates are really big Library Items. Instead of occupying a small part of a page, Templates control a large portion of a page, all areas that are to be kept consistent throughout most of a website. Areas within the page are made editable so new content can be inserted from page to page. All of our Template Store templates designed for Dreamweaver, available for purchase on this site, are based on Dreamweaver Templates.

1. Build a web page as you normally would, including graphics, text, css, navigation, etc.

Dreamweaver Asset Window - Library Item
library view 2

2. When it is complete, File > Save as Template. Give the template a simple name. It will reside in its own folder and have a .dwt extension. See template view 1.

If you saved the page you originally designed as an .htm or .html page, delete that page from your web. You will replace it later.

3. There will be certain areas on the page you will want to be able to change from page to page, such as the body content. Select all the content in the body area, then go to Modify > Templates > New Editable Region.

4. Give the region a simple descriptive name such as "body."

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each region on the page you want to make editable.

The HTML head section of your web page also becomes part of the template. Unless you modify that area in the HTML, you may have trouble adding meta tag keywords and descriptions, head sections of JavaScript, etc.

Dreamweaver Template view 1
click to enlarge

template view 1

6. Look at the head section of the HTML of your page. Notice the title of the page is an editable region (template view 2). You can manually cut the entire BeginEditable line of code, and paste it immediately below the <head> tag. You can also cut the entire EndEditable line of code, and paste it just above the </head> tag.

Control + x = Cut

Control + c = Copy

Control + v = Paste

Control + s = Save

7. When you have finished assigning editable regions, save the Template.

Making and Modifying a Page from a Template

1. File > New From Template

2. File > Save. Assign the page an appropriate file name. See the file name hint above.

3. Give the page a title, remembering to use keywords, if possible.

4. Select the contents of an editable region and replace it with content appropo for that page. Save. Continue for each editable region.

Modifying a Template

When you wish to make a change to a template, open the template page by double clicking on its file name in the Site window. Make changes. Save. All modifications will appear throughout the site on pages created from the template. Note: Universal changes will not occur if made in editable regions.


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