Creating and Applying Templates for your Final Project
To start, do the following:
- Launch Dreamweaver
- Define your CAT274 site
- Create a new “final-project” folder inside of your CAT274 folder on the Local side (ie, your flash drive)
- In Dreamweaver, move and organize all of your final project files (html, gif, jpg, css, swf, etc) into the new final-project folder, inside of your CAT274 folder
Then, in Dreamweaver, do the following:
- Open your completed sample file
- Select File > Save as Template
- Name your template appropriately – NO SPACES!
- DW creates a new file inside the /Templates/ folder (which sits in CAT274)
- Open the Templates folder – the new file name will include a .dwt extension
Open your Template file in Dreamweaver, define editable regions:
- Select an area on the page (text block, headline, photo) that you want to change from page to page
- Select Insert > Template Objects > Editable Regions
- Name your editable region something intelligent – like pic01 or mainContent
- Save your file, and close the Template file
Create a new page, guided by the Template:
- Select File > New – choose HTML and blank page
- Save the HTML file immediately in your final-projects folder
- Select Modify > Template > Apply template to page
- Choose your new template from the list of templates
Notice that only editable regions are changeable on the page now.
- Click and change text or photos appropriately.
- Save and close the HTML page
Changes to template will be reflected on all associated pages:
- Open your template file
- Change the footer or something in the page design (outside of Editable regions)
- Save – notice the box that asks to update files
- Click UPDATE to update the associated files
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