Formatting Text on a Web Page

A few rules and hints:

• Simple and consistent formatting of text helps readers focus on the content of the page.
• On the web you cannot use tabs or spaces to align your text. Use lists, indents and tables (discussed in "Using Tables") to accomplish more complex formatting.
• Stick with standard fonts when formatting. You cannot count on every computer having specialized fonts to view your page.
  
• Avoid using underlining to emphasize text or to indicate the titles of books. Readers expect underlined words to be links. Use italics or bold instead.
• To format elements like text-color that affect the entire page select Page Properties from the Modify menu.
  
• To format individual pieces of text within a paragraph select the text and apply your changes individually.
  
• To format a paragraph (a block of text separated by carriage returns) or to create lists, select the paragraph(s) and use the Format styles.

Properties Inspector – Text Properties

• To format text, use the buttons on the Properties Inspector toolbar:

Formatting elements that affect the entire page: To set up your default page colors

Colors set in the Page Properties window become the standard colors for the entire page. These colors can be overridden by setting the color for individual pieces of text discussed below.

• Select Modify →Page Properties

To set the background color:

• Click on the square color box    next to "Background:"
  
• Dreamweaver will present a palette of colors from which to choose. 
  
• Click on the color you want with the eyedropper.

ü      Note that you can also use the eyedropper to select other colors anywhere on your monitor (Mac) or in any Dreamweaver window (Windows). Keep in mind, however, that these colors may not look the same on other computers.

ü      It is good to use background and text colors that contrast. White is a common background color.

• Dreamweaver will display your color choice in the color box and will enter the corresponding hex code for the color.

You can set the color for other elements following the same steps:

ü      Text: the color of words that are not links
ü      Links: the color of words that are links that have not yet been visited
ü      Visited Links: the color of words that are links that have been visited
ü      Active Links: the color of words that are links at the moment they are clicked.

• Click "OK" to close the Page Properties window when you are done.