Using Templates in Dreamweaver: An Overview

Dreamweaver templates are a great way to keep pages in your site consistent. Not only will all your pages have a similar look, but they will also be easy to update. Templates are created in a way similar to creating web pages. The template should be representative of the layout and formatting of the pages that will be based on it. Once the template is created, new pages can be based on that template. For information on creating templates, see Creating Templates. If you have existing pages in your site, you may also Apply the template to those pages.

One of the main advantages to using a Dreamweaver template is it allows you to make a change on the template and then choose whether you would like Dreamweaver to automatically make the same change on all documents based on the template. For information on automatically updating pages, refer to Updating Pages Based on a Template.

Dreamweaver templates consist of regions. When creating a template you have two types of regions available: locked and unlocked. As you work on pages based on the template, these regions determine whether you can edit content. When editing a template or a template-based page in Dreamweaver, template regions are enclosed by a teal box with a tab at the top that displays the region name. For information on inserting regions, refer to Adding a Region to a Template.

Locked Regions

Locked regions do not allow changes to be made to content in that area on a template-based page. Dreamweaver templates have three types of locked regions: a locked region, a repeating region, and an optional region. When changes are made to a locked region of a template, you have the option of applying the change to all pages based on that template. This works very well for making changes to information that appears on every page (e.g., contact information).

Locked Region
All elements placed into a Dreamweaver template, by default, are locked (i.e., a template can be considered one big locked region). The content of a locked region cannot be modified when working on a template-based page. The template must contain an unlocked region in order for content in that region to be edited when working on template-based pages.

Repeating Region
Repeating regions help ensure consistency between sections of a web page that repeat. For example, if a template contains a table row that is designated as a repeating region, that row can be repeated in template-based pages as content is added to the table. NOTE: In order for the repeating region to be editable, an editable region must be placed within the repeating region.

Optional Region
An optional region is used to control page content that may or may not be displayed. This type of region can be displayed when a certain condition--set in the template--is true or false. For example, if the current month is March , an optional region may be displayed containing the text Happy Spring

Unlocked Regions

Unlocked regions give full control over content in that area on a template-based page. There are two unlocked regions available in Dreamweaver: an editable-region and an editable optional region.

Editable Region
Content within the editable, or unlocked, regions is the area of a template-based page that can be edited. It is imperative that a template contain a minimum of one editable region; otherwise, pages based on the template will not be editable.

Editable Optional Region
An editable optional region allows content changes in an optional region. If the optional region contains text and images, then you can choose whether or not to include the region in the web page, as well as edit all elements of the text and images. For example, a table that contains information about what's new on a web site could be placed in an editable optional region. This way, when additions are made to the web site, the table can be displayed as well as edited. If there are no additions, the table can be hidden.

More tutorials on Using Templates:
Creating Templates
Apply Templates
Updating Templates