WS4 structure/ before design ??

Ok- Now that I have had the pleasure of creating and now totally screwing up my first major project - I have this question - hopefully someone can tell me which way is best.

Create any web page from any of the templates in WS4
Save that as the index.html file.

Now here is the question:

1) If I am going to use that same template design for each of the website pages - should I copy that page from (I use DW8) inside my editor(duplicate page) - OR - should I re-open WS4 and then when I save it call it "page2 or about us" or whatever the page name is going to be.

I want to be able to go back into WS4 - and if I add or change a menu item or link for one - then ALL of my page templates I created from that WS4 design in WS4 should change inside my DW8-

I seem to be getting weird little problems - and I don't know which way is smartest.

2) Maybe this will help answer #1 - If I then save that template - and then use a different page template in WS4- and I say yes to copy colors and such - then if I do change something (in a menu link for example) - in my index(original) template - will DW8 and WS understand this and change that menu link in both templates automatically and hence the pages created in DW from that template? Or do i need to re-open each of the WS4 templates i have created for the site and say YES to the copy question to make that link update each time I make a simple link change in -let's just say the menu structure.

I know it is all java - I just don't know how far and deep the Java looks through the diff page designs - once it is opened and edited in DW8 (or any editor for that matter)

I guess I just don't know whether to do once in WS4 - then let DW control the realm -(be the parent)- or if I need to let WS4 control - (and let DW be the child)

Or a combo of both - and if there is a tutorial on this and I have not found it - please let me know too- since those seem to be sooo helpful.

So I hope that you can follow me on this give a shout if you know.

Thanks

JM

Well Since a lot have read the last post and no responses I guess I can just ask another question and add to this post in the hopes someone catches my drift.

When you create a site in WS4- should you name that page index.html and use that as your "base"

Then if you want a page called "contact" should you go back into WS4 and open the index.html page - copy everything - and then save that as "contact us"???


I seem to be having major DW problems when i need to change a link in one of my menus - say i want to add a FAQ page - then I go back to the index page in WS4 and make that change - and then wham - All my formatting and pages start going crazy in DW8 and I start getting menus disapearing and script errors in WS4 -

So maybe someone else that uses WS4 web page- for just there design/base layout - and uses DW8 for editing/adding pics etc.. can help me figure this out- I love this software - and it seems to be doing everything - i really think it is the way i am approaching it - can anyone even give me a little advice??

Thanks for the input

JM

Hello Jimmy,

Welcome to Talkgraphics.

I think an answer to your question my be in the thread http://www.talkgraphics.com/showthread.php?t=22235

Webstyle isn't actually a web site design tool but you can use it's tool set to create elements for use on your website. If you edit a nav-bar or menu in Webstyle you would have to insert the new changes into Dreamweaver to replace any existing nav-bar/menu. Object linking and embedding is not supported in Webstyle.

Bill- did you just get my quick reply ? if you did could you post that too? I did the reply - but it did not seem to take?

Thanks

JM

Here is an example and maybe you or someone could look at the code and see

www.baytechauto.com/paul4

inside my DW i do not see the vertical nav bar on left - but
I can see the horizontal one

On the web you can see the vert one - but not the horiz nav bar

You can see the logo on the web as welll on the left - but in my DW design screen that is not showing - \

I have saved this to 4 diff sites in DW - and each time I get so may screwy results

Maybe some one can look at the source and see why the DW would see in its design screen the one nav - and then when uploaded it displays the other

Thanks

JM

Jimmy looking at the source for your page the navbar files (javascript and gif images) should be in a folder named index_files on your site. When I try to access one of the gif images from that folder on your site I get a 404 Page Not Found error.

Do you have a folder named index_files? If not you should create one and put the files for your Webstyle4 navbar in that folder.

Hi and thanks for the post.

I uploaded the entire site at www.baytechauto.com/paul4

Now here is where i am having problems:

Inside DW- on all of my pages - my vertical nav and my logo do not appear on the left as it should - and this only happenned AFTER I uploaded the site - I just do not know what i am doing when all I am doing is simply "putting" my site after i have saved it - and then once the "put" is complete - I go back to a page and the left nav items and logo dissapears-

So - again I think it goes back to the beginning with how I am creating these pages.

I assume you have used ws4 and DW8 -

do you create the page in WS4 - save as index and then in DW8 - do you duplicate the page or save as the page, or do you go back into WS4- repopen that index and then save as the page in another name>??-

I really believe that whatever way it is intended to occur I have been doing wrong and hence these issues - so do you have an opinion on this function.

Once again - thank you for your insight- I really do appreciate it.

JM

Jimmy I looked at your site again and it appears the menus are working on all pages. I click on a link then use the Home button to return to the main page then follow the other navbar buttons. All have the same horizontal and vertical menus and the logo.

Webstyle4 is good to create a template for use within Dreamweaver.

Once you have your template with menus, navbars, color scheme, etc created in Webstyle you import/insert it into your Dreamweaver project. Then you should use Dreamweaver to create the other pages in the project using your Webstyle4 created template.

Yep - You are right - it looks okay on the website i gave you -
but... inside dreamweaver the left nav button is now not showing..hmmmm.

let me just clarify what you just said at the end of your last post

Use WS4 to create the "template"

then save to HD- - This is the step that seems to be throwing curves at me

Should I save inside WS4 to the file name "index"?

and then when i want to create a page called "contact us" -
should I
1) duplicate the "index" file in DW
2) open index file and do a "save as" in DW
3) OR go back to WS4 - open the index file - then save as "contact us"


If I dup the page or save as- then if I then want to go back into WS4 and
add that page to the menu structure- do i open the index- copy all the attributes - change the menu(add the new button- change the link file) - and then save that file back over top of the index file?

It seems like I am making the js look in the wrong places and when i am creating new pages - and i go back into ws4- then for some reason all the pages that were created from the ws4 template (in this case index) - are not automatically updating - and now sometimes the nav bars are disapearing

I really do appreciate your help- and I keep trying and trying so many ways - All i want is one template page to control all of my menus in all my pages- that's why i bought the WS4- but this is getting so so complicated- +

Thanks

JM

Jimmy you can save the Webstyle4 file as any name you want it to be. It does not need to be index. You then use the Webstyle4 file within Dreamweaver to create the files (pages) for your website, including your index page.

It is best to plan out the entire site before creating your navbars/menus in Webstyle.

If you add pages to the site so you need to make changes to the Webstyle navbars/menus and save the changes. You then need to copy the additional image files for the buttons and the javascript files to their Dreamweaver locations. You would need to upload (publish?) to your website so the new files replace the older versions.

Thanks for your help - I will keep trying and saving the files in WS4 to the different pages and see if that is the solution.

Maybe it is just a whcky thing on my computer -

I am going to try a few new templates - and mark down my process and once i get them complete i will re-post for everyone to see-

so if I catch the problem - then I and all can know what way not to do it.

Thanks again for your help

JM

I figured out most of these problems I posted and figured i would post my findings.

1) I have found it much easier to use the pieces of a webstyle theme and insert each of the pieces into my DW design- This way i can control things like width and heighth - i was never able to figure out how xara created/managed their divs and it was causing me major headaches

2) Still have not been able to get the DWT template file to work correctly with xara menus - so I do it the hard way and duplicate my index for any new page - I have to make darn sure the structure is how I want it before doing this or if I want to chaneg something on the front page - i have to then change all the pages

3) The menus disapearing after a upload to my host - Well for some weird weird reason - when I am using a xara template and then do the upload - the nav bars would disapear - after reading my code a billion times- i found that the process actually places one exta /div in my code right after the horiz nav barr js - so i remove that /div and my menus reappear - however see # 1 - this is what i now do, and this is no longer an issue

I hope that those that read this can get some insight into my findings, and if others would like to correct me or throw in your two cents then that would be great - especially on the DWT problem - boy that is a drag not being able to get working

Thanks

See post #19 in this thread