Define your site:

Choose Site > Define Sites then choose New and name your site in the new box that appears.

Now browse for your 'web' folder by clicking on the little folder icon.

Go to your Desktop to find the 'web' folder. Just "Select" it by clicking the Select button after you touch that folder with your cursor. (Do not "Open" it.)

There it is. Hit the Open button then hit the Create button when it asks you then the Done button when that box appears.

Now you have defined your site. This allows Dreamweaver to keep an idea of your whole site in its memory so you can make site-wide changes easily.

You will see your Site Map and Site Files list appear on your screen. (See image on right.)

Now you may create all the web pages in your Web site using the following method:

Click once on the last file in your Site Files list. Then Create a new file by choosing Site > Site Files View > New File.

The new page will appear in your Site Files List. It will be called "untitled.htm" but you may rename it now by typing into the page's name field. After you are done with the name add a ".htm" and hit Return. Now you can select Site > Site Files View > New File to create another page in your site.

Create and name each page in your site using this method. Your names should only contain alphanumeric characters. (In other words: Never put anything but a letter or number in your page (or "file") name. Do not include "-" or "/" or "#" or "&" or empty spaces either or anything that is not alphanumeric For example: "paintings&drawings.htm" is not a correct page (or "file") name. You should name this page: "paintingsDrawings.htm")

When you are finished creating and naming all the pages in your site you are ready to link them to your "index.htm" file or "home page." To begin, pull the lower right corner of your Site Window and make the whole window as small as you can while still keeping all your site's files in view. Then move the Site Window to the right side of your screen. Now double click on the "index.htm" file in the Site Map side of your site window.

It looks like this =>

Now set up your work area on your screen so you have the Properties Palette beneath your home page and Site Window.

Highlight, with your cursor, the word that represents one of the parts of your Web site. While the word is selected move your cursor to the Properties Palette and pull the wire from the spool icon (found to the right of the "Link" field) to the page in your File List that that word should link to. (Click and drag the wire from the spool)

You have just created a link from your home page (index.htm) to another page in your Web site. Now proceed in this same fashion and create links to all the other pages in your Web site. When you are done you will have created a "navigation footer" or menu. Center the footer by highlighting the footer and at the top of your screen select Text > Alignment > Center.

Choose File > Preview In Browser.

This will open up your computer's browser so you can see what your page will look like when it is posted on the Web. When the browser opens up you should click on each link to make sure they all work correctly. (Hit your k back button to get back to your home page after testing each link so you can test the next link.)

When you copy the footer to this page you should add a link to your "Home" page (which is the "index.htm" page) by highlighting the word and using the spool as you did in step 20. Now copy this new version of your footer to all your pages except for the index page (so your users can get to your index page from all the other pages in your site).

At the same time you copy the footer to each page you can select Modify > Page Properties and type in a title for each page. (The title will appear at the top of the browser window when viewed by a visitor. Your title should written this way: "Your Web Site's Name: The Page's Topic".) Make sure to create a title for your home (index) page also.

Note:
As you create links from your home page to all the other pages in your web folder, you will notice that your Site Map (on the left side of your Site Window) is showing each link. You are building a site map as you proceed with your linking.=>

Tips:
When you pull the spool wire to your File List touch the page icon to make the link (not the name of the page).

Be careful that you only highlight the word or words that represent a part of your Web site. You don't want to make a link out of the " | " that separates the parts of your Web site in the navigation footer.

Next you will add content to each page.

Continue