Controlling Page Layout with Templates
Suppose you want to give a template driven sites content editor(s) (using Contribute or Dreamweaver MX+) a little layout control while retaining the lock facility of the main site images, the navigation system and the footer content. By providing the content editors with some layout control (through provision of several Optional regions), you build in the capacity to allow the content editor a little stylistic freedom for the content that they are responsible for.
Below are 5 screenshots, showing the different available layouts of the finished project. The 4th screenshot shows how it'll look if no layout is selected when the page is created from the template, and the 5th screenshot shows more than one layout being enabled on the page. As you can see from the screenshots, there is quite a bit of flexibility for the content configuration of each unique page.
In this 27 page tutorial, Brad teaches you how to achieve these templated designs to allow content editors the leeway over content and layout that they need, while ensuring that branding or navigation can't get accidentally broken. All the source files, templates and images are provided for download.
Overview
Table of Content:
- Technique 1: Multiple templates
- Technique 2: Nested templates (A solution to the cons of Method 1?)
- Technique 3: Complex template (A solution to the cons of Method 1 & 2?)
- Recommended Reading:
- FREE Template Snippets Extension
- Creating the Site Definition:
- Project Preface
- The existing parameters are:
- Tutorial Project
- Add the Content Layout and Contained Sample Content
- Add the Optional Regions
- Adding the Repeating Region
- Adding the Editable Regions
- The Final Parameter List:
- Turning On the Optional Regions
- What did you learn?
- Conclusion
Brad Halstead (www.dreamweavermx-templates.com) is a computer software engineering technologist by trade, but deviated from that dream to join the Canadian military as an air weapons systems technician where he learned all about various computerized aircraft weapons systems as well as loading the munitions. Brad has dabbled in the web in various capacities since 1989 and left the military to become a fulltime computer technician. Brad tries to play an active roll in the support forums for Dreamweaver, Contribute and Project Seven, as time permits him to. Brad is HTML 4.01 Certified, and has contributed content to Dreamweaver MX Magic and Inside Dreamweaver MX, in addition to being a technical editor for both publications. Recently, Brad co-authored Dreamweaver MX Templates and has been accepted as a Team Macromedia Member for Contribute.
He lives in London, Ontario with his cherished partner Brenda and their daughters Megan and Amanda, son Aaron, a Yorkshire Terrier, and their newest addition, a Sheltie.
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