These notes are from a chapter from Dreamweaver 4 Bible Preview (Ch 32, Templates). Please download and review this pdf.

Dreamweaver tutorial on Templates (Macromedia Dreamweaver 4 --> Tutorial --> Compass Site). (Travel site with multiple destinations)

Templates:

• can have editable regions and non editable regions.
• can be detached from HTML files (but cannot be reattached)

Tips

• Use placeholders for editable and nonediatble regions while you are setting up your template
• Put as much as possible into the template
• Put as much as possible into the editable regions (ie, so all you have to insert is the actual file name, etc)
• Meta info
• Behaviors, CSS, code is all in the template because it is part of the head

Create a template

• Create your file, inserting as much as possible.
• File --> Save As Template
• Dreamweaver creates a folder called Templates and puts the .dwt file there.
• The title of your document now starts with <<Template>>
• All of it is locked

Editable regions (you must give each region a unique name)

• Make a current locked region editable
  • Select the complete tag (ie, <TD>....</TD>)
  • Modify --> Templates --> New editable region
  • Enter a unique name --> OK
• Create a new editable region
  • Place the cursor anywhere
  • Modify --> Templates --> New editable region
  • Enter name

Lock an editable region

• Place the cursor in region (or you can select it from a dialog box later)
• Modify --> Templates --> Remove editable region
• OK

Create HTML files from the template

• File --> New from Template
  • You can see in the code that the locked regions are highlighted
  • You can see in the WSYWIG that the cursor can only go into the editable regions and that the editable regions are clearly labelled with their names
• You cannot add behaviors to files from templates (must find a work around. The chapter has more on this)

Meta tags

• Already part of the template
• The <TITLE> tag is still editable
• Can still add meta tags unique to that page after the title tag, within the editable region

To change templates

• Templates must have the same editable regions
• Open the current page
• Modify --> Templates --> Apply template to page
• Select which template --> OK

Updating templates

• When you edit a template, Dreamweaver asks if you want to update all the pages attached to that template

  OR

• Modify --> Templates --> Update pages
• Dialog box

The pdf chapter has even more information and more detailed descriptions and directions than this outline. Please download it and use it as reference as you need it.

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