To print a page, simply click the print button above. To ensure accuracy, it is highly recommended that you use Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 (or higher) or Netscape Navigator 6 (or higher) to view and print this User Guide.

templates

A single Dreamweaver template powers the Jazz web site. Dreamweaver stores templates in a root folder called Templates. The Templates folder must never be moved. Your site window for Jazz should look like this:

why use a template?

Using a Dreamweaver Template enables us to manage the Jazz menu system in a single file. Templates have two main component parts:

  1. Locked Regions
  2. Editable Regions

Editable regions are surrounded with special Dreamweaver tags. You create editable regions by selecting paragraphs, tables, or any part of your page and explicitly telling Dreamweaver to mark it as editable by selecting Modify - Template - New Editable Region. All editable regions must be created by the user, except one: The Document Title. Dreamweaver always creates an editable region around the page title. If you inspect the source code in a brand new template, you'll see this up close to the top:

<!-- #BeginEditable "doctitle" -->
<title>Project VII Jazz</title>
<!-- #EndEditable -->

All areas that are not editable are Locked. It's as simple as that.

When you make a change in a Locked Region of your template and save the file, Dreamweaver asks if you'd like to update pages based upon the template. If you say yes (which well you should!) then the changes made in the template will also appear in every page that is attached to that template. By having the Jazz menu buttons and menu layers in Locked Regions, we are able to manage our menu in a single file: the Template (index.dwt).

Changes you make to editable regions of your template will not cause your other pages to be changed. When you create a new file using File - New From Template, then the entire template is replicated and you get a brand new page that contains both the Locked and the Editable regions. Of course, the Locked regions remain locked and you can only edit the Editable regions.

the Jazz template file

The Jazz template file is located in your Templates folder and is named: index.dwt

The dwt extension stands for DreamWeaverTemplate. Let's take a look at how index.dwt looks

The Template shows you where the editable regions are by drawing a box around each one. In the left top corner of the box is a rectangle that bears the region name. Let's zoom in and hava a look at each of the editable regions.

editable regions

There are 5 editable regions in the Jazz template:

  1. Doctitle: So you can enter a unique title on each page. The title is accessed in one of two ways:
    1. The title field on your Dreamweaver toolbar
    2. By choosing Modify - Page Properties.
  2. maintbl: The left column of the main table where your primary content goes.
  3. runembase: This special editable region contains a single empty paragraph that exists to house the PVII RunEm events.
  4. thelayers: A special hand-coded region that allows you to add new layers on any page.
  5. midbar: The area below the main menu buttons.
  6. sidebar: The right column of the main table.

editable regions: maintbl- runembase- thelayers

editable region: maintbl

Everything within the blue box can be edited in pages attached to the template. The maintbl region includes paragraphs, but does not include the table cell itself. This prevents you, or someone else, from accidentally changing the table cell properties in your working pages.

The spotlight rolldown trigger is in this editable region so you can keep it, delete it, or add more rolldown layers to your pages.

editable region: runembase

This special editable region contains a single empty paragraph that exists to house the PVII RunEm events to set the menu button Down Class (down class by PVII) and the PVII Snap Layer event that positions the rolldown layers onResize.

editable region: thelayers

We thought this was a little stroke of genius. We hand-coded an editable region for you that includes the two rolldown layers. This way, you can delete them! But this method also allows you to add more layers to any of your pages. All you do is stick your cursor in the little space to the right of the second layer icon - then use the Insert Menu to create a new layer (you cannot use the Object Panel- Draw Layer Method).

editable region: midbar

The midbar editable region is located just below the main menu buttons. This is a great place to insert hyperlinks that relate to the current page.

editable region: sidebar

The sidebar editable region is located on the right side of the page. The in the news rolldown trigger is in this editable region so you can keep it, delete it, or add more rolldown layers to the sidebar in any page.

locked regions

Any part of your page that does not fall within one of the 5 editable regions is locked and can only be edited from within the template (index.dwt). Dreamweaver reminds you that a region is locked by dinging or by presenting a special cursor:

Locked Regions protect your site from accidental deletions of key components. With respect to Jazz, the following key design components are locked:

  • The menu buttons
  • The menu flyout layers
  • The main table structure (only the content inside is editable)
  • The Home button
  • The telephone number
  • The copyright notice
  • The page background

The above areas can only be modified from within the template and all changes made will be applied to every page in the Jazz site.