« Return to Part 1: Dreamweaver Overview
Part 2: Site Management
Dreamweaver includes several panels and tools that allow you to manage files within Dreamweaver itself. You do not have to open a separate Explorer or Finder window to delete or rename files, or a separate FTP application to upload them. Additionally, there are tools that allow you to make changes to your entire site at once (such as updating a link) and manage the workflow among multiple page designers.
This section covers:
- Setting up a Dreamweaver Site
- Using the Files Panel to Manage Files
- Global Find and Replace
- The Check-Out and Check-In System
- Using the Files Panel to Upload and Download Files
To take advantage of these tools, you must first define a site in Dreamweaver. Follow these steps to define a new site:
- On the Menu , click Site > Manage Sites. . . .
- Click New. . . > Site. The Site Definition Screen opens. If the Basic tab isn't selected, click on it.
- Type a name for the site (like "English Fall 05 Site") and click Next.
- Choose, "No, I do not want to use a server technology" and click Next. (You can always change this later if you are using a server technology.)
- Choose "Edit local copies on my machine, then upload to server when ready"; for where to store your files, click on the little folder next to the box and navigate to the folder on your computer where you want to keep the files; click Open, then Select, then Next.
- For "How do you connect to your remote server?" choose None if you won't be using Dreamweaver to upload files. If you will be (and we recommend it if you can) choose FTP:
- Hostname: enter webserver host name (example: www.humnet.ucla.edu )
- Folder to store files: if the files will go in a subfolder on the server, enter the name of the folder here
- FTP login: enter your username
- Password: enter your password
- Don't check the box for Secure FTP, unless your server requires it
- Test the connection; if it works, click Next . If not, adjust the settings and/or contact your server administrator.
- Choose "Yes, enable check in and check out" and "Dreamweaver should check it out"; enter your name and email address and click Next. (The check in and check out system will be explained below.)
The site should now appear in the Files Panel (usually to the left or right of the workspace). Click the Files tab if it's not selected.
To change these settings later, go to Site > Manage Sites. . . , select the site name, and click Edit. You can also create and edit sites from the dropdown box in the Files Panel. Click the down arrow and choose Manage Sites. . . from the bottom of the list.
Using the Files Panel to Manage Files
Once you have defined the site in Dreamweaver, your files will appear in the Files Panel.
Choose which site to view in the left-hand dropdown box (see Figure 10).
Figure 10: Files Panel left-hand dropdown box
Switch between Local view (showing the files on your computer) and Remote view (showing the files on the server) in the right-hand dropdown box (see Figure 11).
Figure 11: Files Panel right-hand dropdown box
Use the buttons across the top to connect to your remote server (blue plugs), refresh the file list (circular arrow), download files (down green arrow), upload files (up blue arrow), check-out files (down green arrow with check mark), check in files (up blue arrow with lock), and expand the files view (small box) (see Figure 12).
Figure 12: Files Panel toolbar buttons
View your site's files in the main Files Panel window. Click the plus and minus signs to expand or collapse folders (see or hide their contents) (see Figure 13).
Figure 13: Files panel window showing contents of folders
You can drag-and-drop files in the Files Panel window. To open a file in the Document Window, double-click on it. To delete a file, select it and press the delete key.
To create new folders and files, right-click (Windows) or control-click (Mac) within the Files Panel window and select the desired action from the contextual menu that appears. To delete, rename, copy, or move files, right-click or control-click and look under Edit on the contextual menu. (see Figure 14). There are also several other options on the contextual menu.
Figure 14: Files Panel contextual menu
As you can see, you won't have to leave Dreamweaver at all to manage your site's files. And you can make changes to both the local and remote file collections.
Dreamweaver makes it easy to make changes to your entire site using the Find and Replace tool. For instance, if you need to update a link, email address, or contact person's name, you won't have to open each file and change it individually. Just a few clicks, and the changes can be made on multiple pages.
- Make sure your site is defined within Dreamweaver, and that you have downloaded copies of all files to be searched and changed into the local folder.
- On the Menu , go to Edit > Find and Replace. . . .
- In the Find and Replace dialog box, choose your settings:
- Find in: set to "Entire current local site" (notice there are several other options you can choose too).
- Search: set to "Text" or "Source Code" as appropriate (notice you can find and replace tags).
- Find: enter the text/code you wish to find.
- Replace: enter the text/code you want to replace the old text/code.
- Options: check if appropriate.
- To make the change globally, click Replace All. All the site's local files will be searched and updated if the matching text/code is found.
- The Results Panel will show a list of the places where the change was made.
- Spot check a few files to make sure the search went as you desired. Then upload them to your server (if you have a remote site).
Figure 14: The Find and Replace dialog box
You can also go to Site > Change Link Sitewide. . . to change a link in the entire local site. However, using the Find and Replace tool often gives you better control.
The Check-Out and Check-In System
This system is very useful for managing the workflow when you have multiple page designers working on the same site. It is also useful if you are working on a single site from multiple computers and need to make sure you are working on the latest version of the files.
The "Check Out" system in Dreamweaver is analogous to a check-out system you might use in a library:
- When someone wants to work on a file, they check it out from the server . This downloads the remote copy into the local folder (overwriting whatever version was there with the latest version from the server) and marks the file as "out" by leaving a small file filename.lck on the server. Another user who views the site in Dreamweaver will see that someone else is editing the file and won't be able to check it out (similar to a library user who finds that the book they want is checked out to someone else).
- When the editing user is finished, they check the file back "in." This uploads the new version to the server and makes the local copy read-only. Now other users can check the file out. If they try to edit the local copy without checking it out, they should receive a warning in Dreamweaver when they go to save the changes.
A note of caution : This system works to indicate whether someone is currently working on the file, but it doesn't actually prevent you from opening or editing a file that is "checked out." So proceed with caution.
Benefits of the Check-Out/Check-In System |
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Figure 15: Checkmarks and locks indicating status of files
A file that is checked out by another user will appear with a little red check-mark.
If you have checked out the file, it will appear with a little green check-mark.
A file that is checked in to the server will appear with a little lock next to the name. This indicates that it is a read-only file and must be checked out to edit (see Figure 15).
Using the Files Panel to Upload and Download Files
You can upload and download files to and from a server within the Dreamweaver Files Panel. A separate FTP client is not required. You can upload/download files with or without the using the Check-Out and Check-In system. All the buttons you will need can be found in the Files Panel toolbar (see Figure 16).
Figure 16: Files Panel toolbar buttons for uploading and downloading
- Connecting to the site: In the Files Panel , choose the site from the dropdown box and click the Blue Plugs button on the toolbar. This will connect you to the remote host. You can choose whether to see the local files or remote files in the dropdown box to the right of the site name. You must connect to the server to see which files are checked in/out.
- "Get" and "Put" vs. "Check-Out" and "Check-In" : You can use the plain blue and green arrows to Get (download) and Put (upload) files on the server. If you are working on a collaborative site, avoid using these, because they circumvent the check-out system. Use the Check-Out and Check-In buttons instead. The instructions below assume you are using the check-out system.
- Checking out a file: In the Files window, select (click on) the file you wish to edit. Click the Check-Out button (the green down-arrow with a check mark next to it) on the Files toolbar. Dreamweaver will download the server copy, place it in your local folder, and put a small green checkmark next to the file name. Other Dreamweaver users who have correctly configured the site will see a red checkmark, indicating to them that someone is working on the file and they shouldn't try to edit it.
If Dreamweaver asks if you want to download dependent files, check the box for "don't ask me again" and answer "No" (you only need the html file, not the attached images and webpages; copies of these are often in the local folder anyway). - Editing and saving the file: After checking it out, double-click on the file name to open it. Edit the file as desired in the workspace. Save your work when finished.
- Checking in a file: When you are finished editing the file, you must check it back in to the server. Select the file in the Files Panel and click the Check-In button (the blue up-arrow with the small lock next to it). Dreamweaver will prompt you to save the changes (if you haven't already) and upload the file to the server. The green checkmark will disappear and turn into a lock (in local view), indicating you must check out the file again to make further changes. The file will be available for other users to check out.
If Dreamweaver asks if you want to include dependent files, check the box for "don't ask me again" and answer "No." These files are already on the server and shouldn't be overwritten.
How to see who has checked out a file: On the Menu, choose Site > Reports. Next to Report on: choose "Entire Current Local Site"; under Workflow, check the box for "Checked Out By"; click Run. The results will display in the Results Panel.
Continue to Part 3: Using Templates»
Last updated August 31, 2005 by haw