Setting up your site in Dreamweaver

For those of you that wish to make content edits and updates to an existing site, this tutorial will help you get started.

Step 1: Select Site, New Site

Open the Site menu and select New Site.

Step 2: Set the Local Info

Note: If you are setting up dreamweaver to get a copy of your site already hosted on the web, create a new folder on your desktop and select that for your Local Root Folder when you perform the step below:

The Local Info category is the first to open. Provide a name for your site in the Site Name field, as well as the location of the Local Root Folder. Click the yellow folder icon to browse your hard drive for this location. Check the Refresh Local File List option to automatically have your file lists updated. If this site is to be placed on the Internet, provide the HTTP Address for the site. This assists in link management during document creation and testing.

Step 3: Set the Web Server Info

Select the Web Server Info option in the Category list. This dialog's contents vary with your Server Access list selection. If the Web server is accessed through FTP, select FTP from the Server Access list. This setting requires the FTP Host address (ftp.yourdomain.com), directory, and your login name and password for that server. Another option is Local/Network, for which you simply have to provide a directory name.

Step 4: Set Check In/Out

Select the Check In/Out option in the Category list. Check Enable File Check In and Check Out to use the new Check-in functions. To force the freeze of files when team members are using them, check the Check Out Files when Opening box. Type a name, such as "911-Author" to identify whom currently has the file and where it is being worked on.

Step 5: Set Site Map Layout

Select the Site Map Layout option in the Category list. Type in, or select, the file name of the sites Home Page. This is typically the index.html or default.html depending on the Web server. The Number of Columns and Column Width options control the appearance of the site map. Select either File Names or Page Titles from the Icon Labels option. File Names shows the name of the file in the map, while Page Titles shows the information you have listed in the title tag.

Step 6: Set Design Notes

Select the Design Notes option in the Category list. Check Maintain Design Notes if you wish to track your comments on the site with the site files. If you maintain both a local and a remote copy of the site, you can upload these comments to the remote server by checking the Upload Design Notes for Sharing box. When your done, click OK.

Step 7: Create a Cache

After clicking OK on the Site Definition dialog you are asked to create a cache, or a storage place for holding an image of your site, for your Web site. Click Create. This setting will increase the performance of your Site Map.

Step 8: View the New Site List

When the Site window opens it will automatically show the files that you have specified, by your directory selections, as the local storehouse of your Web site. From this screen you can open pages, preview documents, upload or download information from your Web server, or just study the structure of your Web site.

If the folder you selected is empty and you need to retrieve files from your domain server, click on 'connect' to connect to your domain name (ftp info. must have been set up previously for this to work - see step 4) When you've connected you'll see the server files in the left column. Select/highlight the files you wish to copy over to the new folder and then select the 'get' button to copy your files. If you are updating only one or two pages, it is not necessary to copy all files and folders over - select the file name you want to edit, select 'get' button, once it's copied over to your local folder, open it - make your edits, save it, then highlight the updated page in your right column, select 'put' button and it will send the updated page back to the host server.