Updating text

Open the page you want to update by double clicking it in the Files window on the lower right of your screen. Only open html pages (such as index.html, or contacts html). The only editable text is on these pages.

To delete text, highlight it and press your Delete key. To insert text, place your cursor where you want to begin and start typing. You can also copy text from word processing software and paste it into Dreamweaver. If you make a mistake you can click the Undo button (top left, under the page Title field). Double check your changes. You will notice that the tag at the top left where your page name is shown, is accompanied by an asterix. This means that changes have been made to the file. Click the Save button (top left, under Code-Split-Design), the asterix disappears, showing that the file has been saved.

If you want to spell check your text, click on the drop down menu Text (top left), choose Check Spelling and follow the prompts. You're not finished, however, until you preview the page in your browser and check that it looks exactly as it should. You do this by pressing F12. F12 loads the current Dreamweaver page in your default browser. Check your changes, and you're done.

We will familiarise you with any variations of text updating that are specific to your business in our on-site training.

Updating images

Click on the image you want to remove and press your Delete key. The image should be gone, but the container the image was in should remain. If changes occur to the container, click on Undo and select the image again. To insert a new image, the new image file needs to be copied into your images folder in Dreamweaver. Do this outside the Dreamweaver application in the normal way you copy files (holding down the Control key and clicking, dragging and dropping where you want it to go). When you return to Dreamweaver, look at your Files window (lower right) and click on the + next to the images folder to open it. You should see your new image file within. If you don't, click on the Refresh button at the top of the Files window. If it's not there, check that you copied it correctly.

There are two ways to insert an image. 1/ Click on the image container to highlight it, look to the bottom of the screen to Properties, click on the folder button to the right of the Src (Source) field, file your image and press OK. 2/ Highlight the new image file (in the images folder in the Files window) and click and drag it to where you want to insert it. This can sometimes be tricky, as small mouse movements can sometimes drop the file in the wrong place. If that happens, press the Undo button and try again.

We will familiarise you with any variations of image updating that are specific to your business in our on-site training.

Updating keywords

Keywords are words that your customers are likely to put into a Search Engine to find websites such as yours. Your keywords are part of your website text, but there's a specific area of your site, hidden from general view, where Search Engines look for your keywords. It is important that your keywords are appropriate, comprehensive and well-chosen so that the Search Engines can do their job: deliver relevant search results. Help the search engines and your customers will find you.

To update your keywords double click on index.dwt (in your templates folder) from the Files window to open it. The template file will usually open in Design view, but we need to open it in Code view to access your keywords. Open in Code view and scroll to the top of the page. Find the following code:

<meta name="Keywords" content="keyword keyword keyword ... keyword"/>

Carefully add/change/delete your keywords (with no punctuation - just a space in between) corresponding to the highlighted area of the line of code shown above. When you're finished, check your work, press the Save button, close the file and you're done. Changing keywords is generally the only time you will change a template file (a file that ends in dwt).

We will familiarise you with any variations of keyword updating that are specific to your business in our on-site training.