Adobe Dreamweaver CS3

Managing Library Items

Once a Library item has been successfully created, these directions explain how to insert, delete, and edit the item.

Inserting a Library Item
Editing a Library Item
Detaching an Item from the Library
Copying a Library Item to Another Site
Deleting an Item from the Library

Inserting a Library Item

Once a Library item has been created, it can be inserted on to a web page.

If the Assets panel is not displayed, from the Window menu, select Assets
OR
Press [F11]
OR
From the Files pane, select the Assets tab
On the Assets toolbar, click LIBRARY
Position the insertion point where the Library item is to appear
From the list of Library items, select the item that is to be used
At the bottom of the Assets pane, click INSERT
The Library item now appears where the insertion point was placed.
NOTE: You can also drag a Library item from the Library item list to the web page.

Editing a Library Item

When editing a Library item, the item will appear in a separate editing window. After editing is complete, you have the option of updating all the documents that use that item, or you may update them later.

Editing a Library Item: Assets Panel Option

If the Assets panel is not displayed, from the Window menu, select Assets
OR
Press [F11]
OR
From the Files pane, select the Assets tab
On the Assets toolbar click LIBRARY
From Library item list, right click the item you wish to edit » select Edit
OR
From the Library item list, select the item you with to edit and click EDIT
The item will open in a new window.
Select what you want to change
The appropriate Properties pane appears.
Make any necessary changes to the item
When you are finished editing the item, press [Ctrl] + [S]
The changes are saved.

Editing a Library Item: From the Current Web Page

From the current web page, select the item
The Library Properties pane appears.
In the Library Properties pane, click OPEN
The item opens on a new page.
Make any necessary changes to the item
When you are finished editing the item, press [Ctrl] + [S]
The Update Library Items dialog box appears.
To update the documents on the local site that use the item, click UPDATE
To wait to update the document, click DON'T UPDATE
NOTE: If you choose not to update, documents can later be updated from the Modify menu by selecting Library » Update Current Page or Update Pages...

Detaching an Item from the Library

Detaching an item from the Library allows you to break the link between the item on the page and the Library.

From the current web page, select the item
The Library Properties pane appears.
In the Properties pane, click DETACH FROM ORIGINAL
A confirmation dialog box appears.
Click OK

Copying a Library Item to Another Site

If the Assets panel is not displayed, from the Window menu, select Assets
OR
Press [F11]
OR
From the Files pane, select the Assets tab
On the Assets toolbar, click LIBRARY
From the Library item list, right click the item you want to copy to another site » select Copy to Site » the desired site
The Library item is now in both sites.

Deleting an Item from the Library

Removing an item from the Library is a two-step process. First, delete the item from your Library item list; then, if the item is to remain on the web page and editable, the item must be detached. If the item is not detached, Dreamweaver will not permit the item to be modified later.

If the Assets pane is not displayed, from the Window menu, select Assets
OR
Press [F11]
OR
From the Files pane, select the Assets tab
On the Assets toolbar, click LIBRARY
From the Library item list, select the item to be deleted
Click DELETE
A confirmation dialog box appears.
Click YES
The item is removed.
If you are still using this item content on a web page, detach the item from the library
HINT: If the item is not detached, Dreamweaver will not permit the item to be modified later.