DWT - Dreamweaver Web Template

Discussion in 'HTML & Website Design' started by dongan, May 8, 2007.

  1. #1
    Hi,

    I have just heard this term "Dreamweaver Web Template (DWT) and i thought it is really useful to use in the basic site which has 5-10 pages.

    Can anyone clarify me my queries?

    1) is it possible to include common header and footer? if so, how. because, in php, we can use include statement.

    2) What is the advantage of using DWT rather than just copying the basic template and edit it?

    3) is it simply enough to keep the template file under templates directory and call them in about.html, contact.html files? if so, how can i do that?

    basically, i need a mechanism to have the common header and footer to make sure that any changes will reflect in all pages immediately.

    Any help is greatly appreciated.

    Thanks.

    Regards,
    Dongan
     
    dongan, May 8, 2007 IP
  2. mhdoc

    mhdoc Tauren

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    #2
    Your header, footer, and possibly navigation would be saved as a dreamweaver template. When you use the create new page item DW will ask you what template you want to use to create the new page. It then keeps track of which pages are made that way. If you later update the template it will ask if you want to update all the pages made from that template. Library items function much like includes. For those of use who don't write our own code it works well.
     
    mhdoc, May 8, 2007 IP
  3. Smithp0

    Smithp0 Peon

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    #3
    1) common header and footer Yes
    You would set up a new template and have a header and footer that are not editable regions. You set the editable regions that you wish to be edited in a new page. The new webpage use's this template and Dreamweaver (DW) adds a tag to your new webpages and looks for it each time you update your template so that it can update the page with the new information.

    2) The advantage is that each time you want to make a change to the navigation or other stuff you can change all the pages at once and not have to go to each page to make the changes.

    3) In DW you would open a new page and apply the template from the asset panel and at that stage the tag/Code would be applied by DW

    Hope that gives you some idea

    Smithp0
     
    Smithp0, May 8, 2007 IP
  4. bested

    bested Active Member

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    #4
    bested, May 8, 2007 IP
  5. dongan

    dongan Peon

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    #5
    thank you so much for your replies.
     
    dongan, May 8, 2007 IP
  6. jgjg

    jgjg Peon

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    #6
    I use PHP DWT templates, but I also use php include files for top navigation, left nav, right nav etc...

    This is because it is easier to update 1 php page than to update the main dwt file and then upload all the other related pages again.

    I also use CSS styling class tags in the DWT file for yet another way to update all pages.

    This way site is very flexible, has 3 ways to update pages.
     
    jgjg, May 9, 2007 IP
  7. mhdoc

    mhdoc Tauren

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    #7
    I didn't notice that at first because I started with some small sites, but it's a real issue as your page count grows.
     
    mhdoc, May 9, 2007 IP
  8. jgjg

    jgjg Peon

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    #8
    yeah...it's not a huge issue, but it get's very annoying quickly if you have 50 or so webpages that you have to upload each time.
     
    jgjg, May 9, 2007 IP