Now we need to look at how we can setup and organize our website within Dreamweaver. Dreamweaver gives us the ability to organize websites into a Site. This allows us to maintain and organize our files. To set it up, it ask us to identify several settings.

The Local Root Folder

Dreamweaver requires you to keep your files under on main local root folder. These are just a local copy of the files. We would normally copy these files to the server, however for most of our examples we do will stay just locally.

A local root folder also:

  • Allows you to easily duplicate folder hierarchy on local computer and web server
  • Dreamweaver will want you to use good site/file management and will “complain” if you don’t

Defining a Site

  • Switch to Advanced
  • Give the site a name (Local Info)
  • give a web address (if applicable)
  • Define where the files will be stored locally
  • Define any FTP information (Remote Info)
  • Define server technology (Testing Server) – we won’t worry about that

Import/Export Site Definitions

The nice thing about a site definition is that you can export out your settings to give to another designer. Then at designer can importing those settings.

  • You will want to to back up your settings
  • saves you in case of a computer crash or to share information

Relative Vs Absolute URLS

There are two different ways to link to the URL.

  • Full URL – http://www.mysite.com/files/test1.htm
  • Absolute URL – /files/test1.htm
    • Note: “http://” is missing
    • Note: the link starts with a “/” – that says look at the root folder
  • Relative URL – test1. htm

Linking Relative & Absolute URLS

Relative links are based upon showing the link in relation to where you physically are now on the server. If you move a file, then the link may not work. (Imagine having directions to get to the store, based upon where you are living now. Then move to a new house, and try to follow the exact same directions – it won’t work.)

Absolute files links work well on a server. They point to a file on the server, and the user can always find it, because it always starts from the same spot. However, if you are testing on your local computer, without a web server, links may not work.

Managing Files & Folders

  • From within Dreamweaver you can create new files and folders to organize your content better.
  • You can also copy and move your files.

Organizing Your Web Project in Dreamweaver was originally found on Access 2 Learn

Assistant Professor

Walter Wimberly is an Assistant Professor at a regional college in Tennessee, teaching Computer Science in the Software Engineering track. He works as a student advisor, oversees curriculum changes, develops new courses, and manages the advisory panel.
Walter taught full time for about 7 years, before going back into “industry” as a full stack Software Developer for a dozen years. There he focused on web based projects coding in JavaScript/jQuery and utilizing the Bootstrap CSS Framework on the front-end, and coding in PHP, ASP/ASP.Net, SQL on the back-end.

Since he loves teaching, he taught as an adjunct web and digital media classes for eight (8) years, while working in industry, and has since returned to teaching full time.

He has been married for over 25 years, and is father to several special needs boys. As such, he is working on some projects to help others who have special needs to be self-sufficient, and support the care givers of those with special needs. Check out his Autism blog for more info.

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