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Dreamweaver sites are defined in 3 parts;

Local Info is where you define the site name and working directories on your machine.

Remote Info is where your define the web server - where files will be uploaded for testing, production, collaboration, and publication purposes - depending on your setup this might simply be on your machine or your web host.

Testing Server is where Dreamweaver will test dynamic pages i.e. server side scripts. Unless specified otherwise, this is the same as the Remote folder defined above. If however you are developing a large scale web application which involves heavy server requests, and/ or a large number of contributors it is better to setup a web server locally.

Getting started…

1. If you have started a project already, close any open files and move them into one common directory on your local hard drive something like My Docoments/local_sites/my_site

2. Define a site in Dreamweaver: Site > Manage Sites > New. If the Wizard comes up (Basic tab) click the Advanced tab and select the first Category “Local Info” - which should be selected by default anyway.

3. Enter your Site name and choose the my_site folder you created before for the Local root folder. You can also define a Default images folder.

4. Now proceed to the “Remote Info” Category and select your Access option for the web server. If you are uploading to a hosted account choose ‘FTP’. If your web server is local, choose Local/ Network.
5. For FTP access simply enter your FTP details as provided by your web host (note: most FTP requires a Passive connection unless otherwise specified). For Local/Network simply browse and select the Remote folder. Finalise by clicking ‘Test’ to test the connection.
6. Another nice option we will enable is the “Enable file check in and checkout” followed by “Check files when opening”. By enabling this feature you will ensure only 1 user can only work on any given file at a time (once opened), essentially preventing users from overwriting each others work - It also helps you track what your working on too

7. Next proceed to the Testing Server. You may choose to use the same settings as Remote Info. If you are working on a large web application, and prefer to keep the Remote host separate from your testing environment this is your opportunity to set a separate web server. For PHP and MySQL I recommend setting up something like XAMP’s on your machine (See Cams post on XAMP).

8. You have now completed the base setup of your site. OK > Done
Note: There are more options in the setup screen however or the purpose of introduction I have only covered the main necessary section

Working with files…

1. To create a new file make sure you are in Remote View in the file tree (left of screen) and select File > New File from the menu.

2. Now right-click your new file and open. With the “Check files when opening” option enabled you should see a green tick appear beside the filename which means the file is “checked out” - You are now the sole owner of that file until you check it in.

3. After entering your source code you may save - and update - the file whilst you still have it checked out, preventing other users from accessing that file while you test it for instance. To do this right-click on the filename and select “Put” - you should see an upload progress bar appear to indicate the file is being uploaded to the remote host.

4. When you have finished working on the file simply save, then right-click the filename and select “Check in” - The file is now available for checkout by any user.

Testing…

1. If you have setup a Testing Server you can use the preview button (globe icon in top bar) to test your page.

Note: you must have permission to the parent directory to preview the file

For more information on setting up projects in Dreamweaver please visit the official Tech Notes

How to define a site in Dreamweaver tn 1048