Using Templates

Creating a template document

A template allows you to save the design of a web page and re-use it without having to create it from scratch. Often you will use several templates within a web site to accommodate different types of web pages. You might have a template for major unit pages, a template for individual detail pages, a template for pop-up windows, etc.

• Create a web page that contains the design you wish to use for multiple documents.
• Select File > Save as Template...
• Dreamweaver will ask you to name the template. Enter a name and click "Save."
• The page is now a template document.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creating an editable region within a template document

In a template certain areas will stay constant. These may include the banner, the navigation aids, the basic layout, etc. Other elements, such as the body text or the name of the person responsible for the page may change from page to page. Tell Dreamweaver which elements will change from page to page by defining them as editable regions.

• Select an area that will change from page to page.
• Select Insert > Template Objects > Editable Region
• In the "New Editable Region" dialog box enter a name for the editable region.
• Click "OK."
• Note that editable regions now have a light blue outline while you are editing the template.
• Save your changes.

 

Creating a new document from the template

• Select File > New
• Click on the "Templates" tab.
• Select the site you are working in and the name of the template you wish to use.
• A preview of the template will appear in the window on the right.
• Click "Create."
• You can only modify items within editable regions. You can recognize these by their blue background or outline.
• If you wish to make changes to other areas you must change them in the template document.
• Select File > Save As and save the new document with a unique name. Remember:
• The main or "home" page for your site should be called "index.html".
• Remember not to use spaces or special characters such as & or / in the filename.
• Use the underscore _ in lieu of spaces if desired as in “my_cool_file.html.”
• Your web page files should end in “.htm” or “.html."
• Click "Save."

Modifying your template and updating dependent files

Changes you make to the original template file will be automatically applied to all files you create from that template.

• In the right (Local Folder) side of the Site window open the "Templates" folder,
• Double-click on the file with the name of the template you wish to modify to open it.
• Within the template file you can redo any formatting you wish as long as you do not delete or rename your editable regions (though they can be moved).
• If you delete or rename an editable region you may lose information that was included in those regions on the dependent pages.
• When you have completed your changes, save them.
• Dreamweaver will ask if you want to update the formatting to the pages that use the template. Click "Update."
• Dreamweaver will update all of the pages.
• Click "Close" when it has completed updating them. The formatting changes will have been applied to all of the dependent files.

Detaching a dependent file from the template

Occasionally you might find that you no longer want a document to be formatted according to the template. You can detach a document from the template, permitting you to customize it individually.

• Open the document you wish to detach from the template
• Select Modify > Templates > Detach from Template.
• Note that the light yellow indicating areas you could not modify are no longer there and that you can freely make changes. Of course this means that the document will no longer be updated when you make changes to the template.