Dreamweaver Templates Editing Instructions

Thank you for choosing one of the faculty home page templates.

In order to use this template and all it's features you must use either Adobe Dreamweaver or Adobe Contribute web page editing programs.  Each program maybe purchased at AU's Bookstore or through GovConnection.com. 

 

Create a page based on an existing template

You can select, preview, and create a new document from an existing template. You can either use the New Document dialog box to select a template from any of your Dreamweaver-defined sites or use the Assets panel to create a new document from an existing template.

  1. Select File > New.
  2. In the New Document dialog box, select the Page From Template category.
  3. In the Site column, select the Dreamweaver site that contains the template you want to use, and then select a template from the list on the right.
  4. Click Create and save the document (File > Save).

 

Applying a template to an existing document

  1. Open the document you want to apply the template to.
  2. Select Modify > Templates > Apply Template to Page.
  3. The Select Template dialog box appears.
  4. Choose a template from the list, then click Select.
  5. If content exists in the document that can't be automatically assigned to a template region, the Inconsistent Region Names dialog box appears.
  6. Select a destination for the content by using the Move Content to New Region menu to select one of the following:
    1. Select a region in the new template to move the existing content to.
    2. Select Nowhere to remove the content from the document.
  7. To move all unresolved content to the selected region, click Use For All.
  8. Click OK to apply the template or click Cancel to cancel the application of the template to the document.

 

About editing content in template-based documents

Dreamweaver templates specify regions that are locked (uneditable) and others that are editable for template-based documents.

In pages based on templates, template users can edit content in editable regions only. You can easily identify and select editable regions to edit content. Template users cannot edit content in locked regions

Note: If you try to edit a locked region in a document based on a template when highlighting is turned off, the mouse pointer changes to indicate that you can't click in a locked region.

Template users can also modify properties and edit entries for a repeating region in template-based documents

 

Text

Editing text and other content in a template-based document

This template contains several areas/regions editable by users.  These areas are surrounded by a box containing text descriping the kind of content that should be placed in the region and a tab in the upper-left-hand corner of the box with the regions name.

Delete the default text in each editable region of the document:

  1. Select the descriptive text within the region you intend to edit.
  2. Delete the text by pressing the Backspace or Delete key.

Add text to each editable region of the document:

  1. Type text directly into the editable region of the Document window.
  2. Copy text from another application, switch to Dreamweaver, position the insertion point in the Design view of the Document window, and select Edit > Paste or Edit > Paste Special. When you select Edit > Paste Special, you can select several paste formatting options.

Images

Add images to an editable region of the document

  1. Place the insertion point where you want the image to appear in the Document window and do one of the following:
    1. In the Common category of the Insert bar, click the Images button and select the Image icon. With the Image icon displayed in the Insert bar, you can drag the icon to the Document window (or to the Code view window if you are working in the code).
    2. Select Insert > Image.
    3. Drag an image from the Assets panel (Window > Assets) to the desired location in the Document window; then skip to step 3.
    4. Drag an image from the Files panel to the desired location in the Document window; then skip to step 3.
    5. Drag an image from the desktop to the desired location in the Document window; then skip to step 3.
  2. In the dialog box that appears, do one of the following:
    1. Select File System to choose an image file.
    2. Select Data Source to choose a dynamic image source.
    3. Click the Sites And Servers button to choose an image file in a remote folder of one of your Dreamweaver sites.
  3. Browse to select the image or content source you want to insert.

    If you are working in an unsaved document, Dreamweaver generates a file:// reference to the image file. When you save the document anywhere in the site, Dreamweaver converts the reference to a document-relative path.

    Note: When inserting images it's also possible to use an absolute path to an image that resides on a remote server (i.e., an image that is not available on the local hard drive). If you experience performance problems while working, however, you might want to disable viewing the image in Design view by deselecting Commands > Display External Files.
  4. Click OK. The Image Tag Accessibility Attributes dialog box appears if you have activated the dialog box in Preferences (Edit > Preferences).
  5. Enter values in the Alternate Text and Long Description text boxes, and click OK.
    1. In the Alternate Text box, enter a name or brief description for the image. The screen reader reads the information you enter here. You should limit your entry to around 50 characters. For longer descriptions, consider providing a link, in the Long Description text box, to a file that gives more information about the image.
    2. In the Long Description box, enter the location of a file that displays when the user clicks the image or click the folder icon to browse to the file. This text box provides a link to a file that is related to, or gives more information about, the image.

    Note: You can enter information in one or both text boxes depending on your needs. The screen reader reads the Alt attribute for the image.

    Note: If you click Cancel, the image appears in the document, but Dreamweaver does not associate accessibility tags or attributes with it.

  6. In the Property inspector (Window > Properties), set properties for the image.

Links

Edit links within main navigation area

To edit existing links within the main navigation area on the left-hand side of the page

  1. select/highlight the links text (e.g. Link 1 or Link 2).
  2. Select Insert > HyperLink
  3. In the new window that appears change the value within the Text: input box.
  4. In the Link: input box type in the name and extension of the file you're linking to (e.g. index.html or foo.html).
  5. Click the OK button.

Add links to main navigation area

To add links to the main navigation area on the left-hand side of the page do the following:

  1. Place the cursor at the end of the text of the last link in the list.
  2. Press the ENTER key.
  3. Select Insert > HyperLink
  4. In the new window that appears type in the links name within the Text: input box. This will be the name of the link and will appear on the page.
  5. In the Link: input box type in the name and extension of the file you're linking to (e.g. index.html or foo.html). If you do not know the name and extension of the file follow these steps
    1. Click the folder icon located to the right of the Link: input box.
    2. In the window that appears select the file you're linking to.  If the file is located in another directory navigate to this directory and select the file you're linking to.
    3. Click the OK button.
  6. Click the OK button.

Add navigation links within main body copy

To add navigation links within the main body of the page (i.e. text within this area of the page) do the following:

  1. Select the text you wish to convert to a link.
  2. Select Insert > HyperLink
  3. In the new window that appears type in the links name within the Text: input box. This will be the name of the link and will appear on the page.
  4. In the Link: input box type in the name and extension of the file you're linking to (e.g. index.html or foo.html). If you do not know the name and extension of the file follow these steps
    1. Click the folder icon located to the right of the Link: input box.
    2. In the window that appears select the file you're linking to.  If the file is located in another directory navigate to this directory and select the file you're linking to.
    3. Click the OK button.
  5. Click the OK button.

Create e-mail links

To create an e-mail link do the following:

  1. Place the cursor at the point where the e-mail link will reside in the text.
  2. Select Insert > Email Link
  3. In the Email Link action window type the links name into the Text: input box and type the e-mail address into the E-mail: input box.
  4. Click the OK button.

Editing the your_email_address@auburn.edu link

To add your e-mail address to the contact information area at the bottom of the page do the following:

  1. Select the text your_email_address@auburn.edu
  2. Click Modify > Change Link.
  3. In the Select File action window that appears, locate the URL: input box. Replace the # symbol with your full AU e-mail address (e.g. AU username@auburn.edu).
  4. Click the OK button.

 

Repeating Regions

Add, delete, and change the order of a repeating region entry

If you notice there are two editable areas in the bottom or footer region of this page and one of them is surrounded by another box called Repeat: Repeating_Contact_Info_Area.  This box represents a Repeating Region.  Repeating regions allow users to add one or more instances of an entry bounded by the Repeat Region.  This action is similar to adding rows and/or columns to a spreadsheet.  To add, delete or change the order of a repeating region follow these steps.

Add, delete or change the order of a repeating region

  1. Open the template-based document.
  2. Place the insertion point in the repeating region to select it.
  3. Do one of the following:
    • Click the Plus (+) button to add a repeating region entry below the currently selected entry.
    • Click the Minus (-) button to delete the selected repeating region entry.
    • Click the Down Arrow button to move the selected entry down one position.
    • Click the Up Arrow button to move the selected entry up one position.

    Note: Alternatively, you can select Modify > Template, then select one of the repeating entry options near the bottom of the context menu. You can use this menu to insert a new repeating entry or move the selected entry's position.

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