Creating a Root Folder           Creating a Dreamweaver Site Definition  Uploading Files - FTP

Preliminary Steps - Set up a "root" folder to hold all files. There are a number of preliminary steps to using Dreamweaver. If you follow these steps, you will build successful sites. If you don't, you are likely to create many problems for yourself over time.

1. Create a basic folder on your C:// drive to hold your web site files.
2. Give a descriptive name to the folder that identifies the site -- for example, "rjkwebsite2010."
3. Follow the book instructions for creating a site:
   1. Use all small letters and no spaces in both folder and file names.
   2. Though not required, it is helpful to use the same name for your DreamWeaver Site and the Root Folder which holds the site's files and sub-folders.
4. Images Sub-Folder. Create a sub-folder called "images" within the site folder.
5. Define a DreamWeaver site using Site > Manage Sites > New. See "Defining a Site."
6. When defining the same site on another computer:
   1. Upload all your saved files from the External Storage Device to the C:/ drive of the local computer
   2. Always create the Site with the same "root folder" file name on any other home computer

Defining a Dreamweaver site:

• Choose Site (Main Menu Bar) > Manage sites and click New Site
• Click the Basic tab to set up a basic site.
• Click to select the Advanced tab (more options and more
  customizable than basic tab) once you get familiar with setting up a site.
• Under local info category, add site name.
  • We recommend the site name be the same as your root folder name, but this is not required. Dreamweaver will automaticlly recognize your root folder if the site name and root folder name match.
• Select
  • local root folder (the folder in which all of your webpages and documentsrelated to your website will be stored) and
  • default images folder ( folder inside your root folder in which all images will bestored)
  • ***this last step is highly recommended when importing graphics from Fireworks**
• Remote Server Information
  • Select "None" if you will load your web files to your web site on a remote server from an external FTP (File Transfer Protocol) software such as WS_FTPLE.
  • Select FTP if you will use DreamWeaver's internal FTP program for uploading to your remote server web site (recommended)
  • Fill in the following FTP information in the entry boxes:
    • Host computer name - Examples
      • web4students.montgomerycollege.edu
      • www.tripod.com or
      • www.montgomerycollege.edu
    • UserID - Example - cmp0592568101.
      • This is also the name of your root folder on the server.
      • Load "index.html," your home page, into this root folder.
    • UserID is case sensitive.
    • cmp059 is the course number
    • 26581 is the course registration number
    • 01 is your student folder location within the course.
    • Password - This is a password you have defined or one given to you with the UserID account, e.g., xzt123ab
• Testing Server. Select "None" unless you are setting up a Cold Fusion or ASP site, for example, that is going to use an application server and you can test on your local machine.
• Hit OK or Done twice, and create your site.
• Note - Always Define Your Site on the Local Hard Drive (C:\My Documents) of your computer.
  • Do not define the site as residing on your Zip Disk or CD RW disk
  • DreamWeaver expects the site to be located on the C: Drive
  • DreamWeaver establishes "relative paths" to the files in your site relative to the C Drive.
    • If you define your Site within the C Drive, your relative paths will be PERFECT when you upload to your web site.
    • If you define your Site on an external drive (A, ZIP, or CDRW drive) your links are likely to be wrong when you upload.
• Avoid Problems - Do the following at the beginning of each Class
1. Define your Site to a location on your MCollege computer at the beginning of each class.
   1. Define the name of your Root folder with the same name as the root folder on your external drive: e.g., "rjk_website"
2. Copy your files from the external drive to your new Site folder on the C:\ Drive using Windows Explorer
   1. Start>Right Click>Explore, or
   2. "MS Flag" Key + E
      1. In Windows Explorer:
         1. Select Folders to be copied
         2. Edit>Copy Files
         3. Select Root folder on C Drive
         4. Hit "Enter."
3. At the end of Class, Reverse the procedure:
   1. Open Windows Explorer
   2. Select your Root Folder
   3. Copy the Root folder and all its contents from the C:\ Drive to your External Drive (ZIP)
   4. This will give you all the modified files you did in class.
4. On Your Home Computer:
   1. Copy the Root folder from your External Drive (ZIP) into the C:\ Drive location where you have defined your Site on your home version of DreamWeaver MX.
   2. Your home computer version of Dreamweaver will "remember" the site definitions and file locations you created at home.
• Under remote info category , establish your access (generally FTP)
  depending on your ISP/server configurations
• *optional (and can be done later) -choose site map layout and
• specify homepage (this needs to be done to create site map for
  management purposes)
  
• Managing your site:
  • To make any changes to the configuration choose site ~ manage
    sites, select the name of the site, and choose edit
  • To view files in site, choose window ~ files
  • To view local and remote files, click drop-down menu on files panel,
    choose view, and expand files panel
  • To publish site or files, select file(s) in local view and choose "put"
    (blue arrow)
• Checking in/out files:
  • To enable check in and check out, follow above instructions to
    change configurations
  • Select remote info category
  • Click check in/out enable button
  • To check out files from remote server, select remote file and click
    check out file button (downward arrow with check mark)
  • After editing page, instead of clicking put button, click check in
    and lock button (upward arrow with lock icon

Creating pages within the site:

1. Begin Designing Pages using File>New Page Dialog Box
2. Create logical sub-folders within your Site's Root folder for sub-categories within your site
3. Save all new pages on your site to the Root folder or a sub-folder within the Root on your C:\ drive
   1. Don't save new pages to an external drive or disk, such as an A, ZIP, or CD-RW drive.
4. Copy your Root folder to an external device at the end of your design session.
5. Always edit pages from the Root folder in your DreamWeaver Site on the C Drive.