Chapter 7. Exploring Templates

What You Will Learn

In this lesson, you will:

• Create a basic template for Contribute use

• Define editable regions for headings and body text

• Convert a legacy template to work better with Contribute

• Structure a nested template for multiple departments

• Make a new page from a template in Contribute

• Apply a Dreamweaver template to a Contribute page

Approximate Time

This lesson takes approximately one hour and 45 minutes to complete.

Lesson Files

Media Files:

LessonFiles/Lesson_07/css/bg_dean.css

LessonFiles/Lesson_07/css/bg_news.css

LessonFiles/Lesson_07/images/bellastar.jpg

Starting Files:

LessonFiles/Lesson_07/company/deanletter0804.htm

LessonFiles/Lesson_07/depts/maternity/index.htm

LessonFiles/Lesson_07/hr/newsletter/august04.htm

LessonFiles/Lesson_07/Templates/general.dwt

Completed Files:

FinalFiles/Lesson_07/css/bg_filter.css

FinalFiles/Lesson_07/Templates/dean_letter_v2.dwt

FinalFiles/Lesson_07/Templates/hr_newsletter.dwt

FinalFiles/Lesson_07/Templates/master_dept.dwt

FinalFiles/Lesson_07/Templates/maternity_dept.dwt

FinalFiles/Lesson_07/Templates/pediatrics_dept.dwt

Macromedia Contribute and templates were made for each otherliterally. A basic concept of Contributeto allow nontechnical users to supply content to a pageworks best when templates are used. With templates, content is added to specific areas; whereas other page elements, such as navigation and overall design, are protected from modification. Moreover, advanced template features such as optional regions come into their own only when applied in Contribute.

Templates also represent the interdependent nature of the Macromedia Dreamweaver designer and the Contribute user. Templates can be created only in Web-authoring programs such as Dreamweaver, in which you have total control of the code: You cannot craft a template in Contribute. You can, however, create new pages from templates in Contribute; such pages are known as child pages or dependent pages. The dependency of these pages on their originating template is another boon to the Dreamweaver designer. Any changes that need to be made to the overall structure of the documents, such as adding a new navigation button, are applied to the template in Dreamweaver and propagated to the child pages without affecting the Contribute-added content.

Careful application of multiple editable regions when constructing Dreamweaver templates makes editing in Contribute easier, faster, and less error prone.

Dreamweaver templates were introduced several years before Contribute was launched; consequently, many templates were drafted that are not as Contribute-friendly as they should be. This lesson begins by discussing the surrounding issues and then demonstrating how to create a template that strikes the best balance in Contribute. Later in this lesson, you'll learn how to work with templates from both sides of the Dreamweaver/Contribute connection, starting with a discussion of the core techniqueeditable regionsand moving to the more advanced topic of nested templates.