Macromedia Dreamweaver 8

Getting Started with Dreamweaver

This document will provide you with the basic information needed to get started using Dreamweaver.

Opening Dreamweaver
Creating a New Web Page
Adding or Modifying a Title
Saving a Web Page
Exiting Dreamweaver

Opening Dreamweaver

To open Dreamweaver, use the following instructions. Then proceed on to learn how to create and modify a document.
NOTE: These instructions are for on-campus computers only.

From the Start menu, select All Programs » Development Tools » Macromedia » Macromedia Dreamweaver 8
The Dreamweaver 8 opening menu appears.
Make the appropriate selection
HINTS:
To create a blank web page select HTML,
To create a blank external style sheet, select CSS
To manage an existing site or define a new one, select Dreamweaver Site
These are the three most common selections made from the Dreamweaver 8 menu.

Creating a New Web Page

There are two options to choose from when creating a new, blank web page in Dreamweaver while the program is running.

Creating a New Web Page: Toolbar Option

From the Standard toolbar, click NEW
NOTES:
The New Document dialog box appears.
If the Standard toolbar is not visible, from the View menu, select Toolbars » Standard
From the Category list, select Basic page
From the Basic page list, select HTML
Click CREATE

Creating a New Web Page: Menu Option

From the File menu, select New...
OR
Press [Ctrl] + [N]
The New Document dialog box appears
To create a new blank document:
1. Verify that the General tab is selected
2. From the Category list, select Basic page
3. From the Basic page list, select HTML
4. Click CREATE
OR
To create a page based on a template:
1. Verify that the General tab is selected
2. From the Category list, select Basic page
3. From the Basic page list, select HTML Template
4. Click CREATE

Adding or Modifying a Title

The title of a page is used by search engines to locate pages and to identify bookmarks. Therefore, it is important to have a descriptive title. If you are developing pages for a course, you may want to include the course number and UWEC along with a description of the page (e.g., Syllabus, English 110, UWEC).

Adding or Modifying a Title: Toolbar Option

From the Document toolbar, in the Title text box, type an appropriate title
NOTE: If the Document toolbar is not visible, from the View menu, select Toolbars » Document
Press [Enter]

Adding or Modifying a Title: Properties Pane

If the Head Content toolbar is not visible, from the View menu select Head Content
OR
Press [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [H]
From the Head Content toolbar, click TITLE
The Title Properties pane will open.
In Title Properties pane, in the Title text box, type an appropriate title
To set the title, click anywhere in the page

Adding or Modifying a Title: Dialog Box Option

From the Modify menu, select Page Properties...
OR
Press [Ctrl] + [J]
The Page Properties dialog box appears.
In the Category pane select Title/Encoding
In the Title/Encoding section, in the Title text box, type an appropriate title
Click OK

Saving a Web Page

To save a web page, you must give the page a filename. The filename is the name of the page as it appears in your operating system. Web pages require an .htm or .html file extension. This is essential for the web browser to identify your page as an HTML file. For more information, refer to Naming Files and Understanding URL's in the UW-Eau Claire Web Development Tools series.

From the File menu, select Save As...
OR
Press [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [S]
The Save As dialog box appears.
If necessary, change the location where the file will be saved
In the File name text box, type the filename
The filename must have an .htm or .html extension
EXAMPLE: mydoc.html
Click SAVE

Exiting Dreamweaver

When you are done using Dreamweaver, simply exit the program. If you have not saved recently, you may be prompted regarding whether or not to save before closing.

From the File menu, select Exit
OR
Click the X in the upper right corner
A prompt might appear asking if you want to save.
Click YES, NO, or CANCEL