How to Import Templates to Dreamweaver
By Filonia LeChat
Having a presence on the Web is no longer optional for businesses, but choosing whether to set up your Web pages from scratch or rely on a template can make all the difference. Templates suitable for your business needs may already exist in Dreamweaver, and you can add one to your current site instead of having to hand-code the entire website in HTML yourself. Whether you are looking to staff up, announce a sale or reach local customers, Dreamweaver templates can get you there faster.
Existing Website
Launch Dreamweaver and click on the name of your existing HTML Web file in the left column under “Recently Used.” If you don’t see the file there, click “Open,” browse to the HTML file and double-click on it.
Click the “Modify” menu. Choose “Templates,” then click “Apply Template to Page” to open the Select Template window.
Browse to and double-click the template you want to import. Click once on the name of the template, then click the “Select” button.
Click the “Use for all” button or cherry-pick the parts of the template you wish to apply to your current page. Click the “OK” button and Dreamweaver makes the changes to import the template and applies it to your current page.
Continue to work within your page and make any other changes required.
Click the “File” menu and choose “Save As.” Rename the page to preserve the previous version and click the “Save” button.
From Scratch
Download or save the template file in the proprietary Dreamweaver ".dwt" file format to the Template folder in your Dreamweaver root directory.
Launch Dreamweaver and click the “File” menu. Choose “New,” then click the “Page from Template” option.
Scroll the "Site" column and double-click your Dreamweaver page name.
Scroll the "Template for Site" column to the template you just downloaded or saved. Click once on the name.
Click the “Create” button to import the template. When Dreamweaver opens, make any changes to the template, add text, set up hyperlinks and continue setting up your site as required.
Click the “File” menu and choose “Save As.” Rename the template to preserve the original version, and then click the “Save” button.
Tips
It’s good practice to get into the habit of renaming your templates after you work with them. For example, when you import a template to use to build a shopping cart for your website, you may want to reuse that same template in the future. When you make changes to the template, such as customizing the shopping cart for a holiday sale, save the modified template using a unique filename or add distinctive information, such as version number or date. This ensures that the original template will be retained in its original form, ready for you to use later in another application.
Writer Bio
Fionia LeChat is a technical writer whose major skill sets include the MS Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Publisher), Photoshop, Paint, desktop publishing, design and graphics. LeChat has a Master of Science in technical writing, a Master of Arts in public relations and communications and a Bachelor of Arts in writing/English.