Web 2 - CSS layout, a new way to start a site!

When creating a new page in Dreamweaver, you can create one that already contains a CSS layout. Dreamweaver comes with over 30 different CSS layouts that you can choose from. Additionally, you can create your own CSS layouts and add them to the configuration folder so that they appear as layout choices in the New Document dialog box.

Dreamweaver CSS layouts render correctly in the following browsers: Firefox (Windows and Macintosh) 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0; Internet Explorer (Windows) 5.5, 6.0, 7.0; Opera (Windows and Macintosh) 8.0, 9.0; and Safari 2.0.

Create a page with a CSS layout

1. Select File > New.
2. In the New Document dialog box, select the Blank Page category. (It’s the default selection.)
3. For Page Type, select the kind of page you want to create.
   Note: You must select an HTML page type for the layout. For example, you can select HTML, ColdFusion®, JSP, and so on. You cannot create an ActionScript™, CSS, Library Item, JavaScript, XML, XSLT, or ColdFusion Component page with a CSS layout. Page types in the Other category of the New Document dialog box are also restricted from including CSS page layouts.
4. For Layout, select the CSS layout you want to use. You can choose from over 30 different layouts. The Preview window shows the layout and gives a brief description of the selected layout.

   The predesigned CSS layouts provide the following types of columns:

   Fixed

   Column width is specified in pixels. The column does not resize based on the size of the browser or the site visitor’s text settings.

   Elastic

   Column width is specified in a unit of measurement (ems) relative to the size of the text. The design adapts if the site visitor changes the text settings, but does not change based on the size of the browser window.

   Liquid

   Column width is specified as a percentage of the site visitor’s browser width. The design adapts if the site visitor makes the browser wider or narrower, but does not change based on the site visitor’s text settings.

   Hybrid

   Columns are a combination of any of the previous three options. For example, the two-column hybrid, right sidebar layout has a main column that scales to the size of the browser, and an elastic column on the right that scales to the size of the site visitor’s text settings.

5. Select a document type from the DocType pop‑up menu.
6. Select a location for the layout’s CSS from the Layout CSS in pop‑up menu.

   Add To Head

   Adds CSS for the layout to the head of the page you’re creating.

   Create New File

   Adds CSS for the layout to a new external CSS stylesheet and attaches the new stylesheet to the page you’re creating.

   Link To Existing File

   Lets you specify an existing CSS file that already contains the CSS rules needed for the layout. This option is particularly useful when you want to use the same CSS layout (the CSS rules for which are contained in a single file) across multiple documents.

7. Do one of the following:

   • If you selected Add to Head from the Layout CSS in pop‑up menu (the default option), click Create.

   • If you selected Create New File from the Layout CSS pop‑up menu, click Create, and then specify a name for the new external file in the Save Style Sheet File As dialog box.

   • If you selected Link to Existing File from the Layout CSS in pop‑up menu, add the external file to the Attach CSS file text box by clicking the Add Style Sheet icon, completing the Attach External Style Sheet dialog box, and clicking OK. When you’re finished, click Create in the New Document dialog box.

     Note: When you select the Link to Existing File option, the file you specify must already have the rules for the CSS file contained within it.

   When you put the layout CSS in a new file or link to an existing file, Dreamweaver automatically links the file to the HTML page you’re creating.

   Note: Internet Explorer conditional comments (CCs), which help work around IE rendering issues, remain embedded in the head of the new CSS layout document, even if you select New External File or Existing External File as the location for your layout CSS.
8. (Optional) You can also attach CSS style sheets to your new page (unrelated to the CSS layout) when you create the page. To do this, click the Attach Style Sheet icon above the Attach CSS file pane and select a CSS style sheet.

Add custom CSS layouts to the list of choices

1. Create an HTML page that contains the CSS layout you’d like to add to the list of choices in the New Document dialog box. The CSS for the layout must reside in the head of the HTML page.
   To make your custom CSS layout consistent with the other layouts that come with Dreamweaver, you should save your HTML file with the .htm extension.
2. Add the HTML page to the Adobe Dreamweaver CS3\Configuration\BuiltIn\Layouts folder.
3. (Optional) Add a preview image of your layout (for example a .gif or .png file) to the Adobe Dreamweaver CS3\Configuration\BuiltIn\Layouts folder. The default images that come with Dreamweaver are 227 pixels wide x 193 pixels high PNG files.
   Give your preview image the same file name as your HTML file so that you can easily keep track of it. For example, if your HTML file is called myCustomLayout.htm, call your preview image myCustomLayout.png.
4. (Optional) Create a notes file for your custom layout by opening the Adobe Dreamweaver CS3\Configuration\BuiltIn\Layouts\_notes folder, copying and pasting any of the existing notes files in the same folder, and renaming the copy for your custom layout. For example, you could copy the oneColElsCtr.htm.mno file, and rename it myCustomLayout.htm.mno.
5. (Optional) After you’ve created a notes file for your custom layout, you can open the file and specify the layout name, description, and preview image.