Working with Files and Folders


The Files panel is great for organizing all of the files on your site, and creating new files and folders. You should do most of your file creation and management in the Files panel, because it can often save you quite a bit of time compared to using another method in Dreamweaver.

For example, you can create a new page by choosing File > New, then choosing the kind of page you want from the New Document dialog, then editing the page. When you save the dialog, you must navigate to the correct folder in the local site folder, name the page, then save it. In contrast, to create a new page in a particular folder using the Files panel, you select the folder that you want to contain the page, then choose the New File command.

Tip

  • Just because the Dreamweaver files area is reminiscent of the Windows Explorer or Macintosh Finder, don't be fooled into thinking that it is the same, and that you could do your local file management on your computer's desktop. Dreamweaver is designed for working with Web pages, and it can do incredibly useful things like updating the links on a page to work correctly, even if you move the page that contains the links to a different folder on the site.


To create a new file or folder:

1.
Use the File view pop-up menu to select the local or remote site. You will usually create files or folders in the local site.

2.
Right-click a file or folder in the files area.

A shortcut menu appears that gives you many options ( Figure 2.17 ).

Figure 2.17. The shortcut menu in the Files panel is the fastest way to create a new file or new folder.


3.
From the shortcut menu, choose New File or New Folder.

The new file or folder appears in the files area. If you had selected a folder in step 2, the new file or folder will be created inside of the selected folder.

4.
The name of the newly created file or folder will be selected in the Files panel. Type the name you want.

Tip

  • You can instead use the panel options button at the upper-right corner of the Files panel, which gives you a different shortcut menu, but it's easier to use the right-click shortcut menu.


To move files or folders:

1.
Select a file or folder in the files area. To move multiple items, Ctrl-click (Cmd-click) to select each of the items you want to move.

2.
Drag the selected item(s) to the new location.

The Update Files dialog appears ( Figure 2.18 ).

Figure 2.18. If you move files that are the target of links, Dreamweaver will ask to update the pages that link to the file you moved.


3.
Click Update.

Dreamweaver updates all of the links in the site that are affected by the move.

To rename files or folders:

1.
Select a file or folder in the files area.

2.
Click the name of the file or folder.

The name will become highlighted.

3.
Type the new name. Don't forget to add the correct file extension for the file that you're renaming. For example, most Web pages will have the file extension .htm or (preferably) .html .

4.
Press Enter (Return).

The Update Files dialog appears.

5.
Click Update.

Dreamweaver updates all of the files in the site that are affected by the renamed file.

To edit files or folders:

1.
Right-click a file or folder in the files area.

2.
From the resulting shortcut menu, choose the Edit submenu ( Figure 2.19 ).

Figure 2.19. The Edit submenu in the Files panel shortcut menu gives you several options for working with files or folders.


3.
Choose one of the items in the Edit menu.

You can Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete, Duplicate, or Rename the file or folder. If a file operation will affect other files, Dreamweaver may display an "Are you sure?" dialog or the Update Files dialog.

Tip

  • Note the shortcut keys listed next to each of the items in the Edit menu. As you become more comfortable working with files in Dreamweaver, using the shortcut keys can save you time.





Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 for Windows & Macintosh Visual QuickStart Guide
Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 for Windows & Macintosh
ISBN: 0321350278
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 239

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