Managing Sites

• After going through the installation process for Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 on your PC or Mac computer and activating the software license, you are ready to run the program for the first time. To launch Dreamweaver, use the Start menu on a PC or click on the Dock icon on a Mac. When the application finishes loading, click on the "Manage Sites" link on the right side of the screen and then hit "New." This will open the site creation wizard, which will walk you through how to connect to your website through Dreamweaver. Enter the name and address of the website you want to edit and then click "Next." In the next window, select your remote server configuration and click "Done." Dreamweaver will build the structure of your new site display all active files in the toolbar on the right side of the application.
  
  

Creating a New Page

• Once you have successfully configured your website to work with Dreamweaver, you can begin building new webpages to add to your site's content. In the Dreamweaver welcome window, you will see a variety of options under the "Create New" section. If you intend to create a webpage with standard content, including text, images and hyperlinks, then it is best to select the "HTML" option. However, if you plan to include scripting language or code in your page, you can choose the "PHP" or "Javascript" option to add a file specially designed for coding purposes. Dreamweaver CS3 also contains a large number of template files that you can modify and then implement on your site. To create a new page using a Dreamweaver template, click on the "More" button in the welcome window and choose from one of the available layouts in the pop-up window.
  
  

Code and Design Views

• One of the most useful features of Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 is the multiple viewing modes that users can edit webpages in. When you create a new file in Dreamweaver, you will see tabs at the top of the window labeled "Code," "Split" and "Design." You can switch between viewing modes at any time while working in Dreamweaver CS3. In Code View, which is intended for users who are comfortable with HTML programming, you will see a simple coding window where you can enter any basic HTML tags. Users with less technical experience may be more comfortable with Design View, which allows them to design their webpages in a graphical layout. When in Design View, Dreamweaver will automatically generate the HTML code based on the elements you add to your layout. Split View combines the features of both of the other modes, as it displays a coding window and a design window on top of each other.
  
  

Uploading a Page

• After you have finished editing a new webpage in Dreamweaver CS3, you can use the application to upload your work to your active web server. First, with your new page open, go to the "File" menu at the top of the screen and select "Save." It is smart to save a copy of your webpage on your computer's hard drive before uploading it to your web server. Then expand the "Files" section of the toolbar on the right side of the window and find the name of the file you were just editing. Highlight it, right-click on it and choose the "Put" option. After confirming this action, Dreamweaver will upload the content to the web server you originally configured when you first opened Dreamweaver.