How to Use Dreamweaver

Quickly learn how to use Dreamweaver to design your web page

Adobe Dreamweaver is one of the most popular web design and coding programs. Even if you are a complete web beginner, Dreamweaver provides an extensive array of powerful tools to help you easily create your first web page. By using the application's design mode, you can quickly assemble your web page and Dreamweaver will automatically generate the correct coding to make your website work online.

Instructions

1. Open Adobe Dreamweaver. On the initial "Welcome" screen, navigate to the "Create New" section and click "HTML."

2. If you are a complete novice at building a web page, make sure the "Design" tab is selected on the upper left corner of the HTML file that opens. If you know basic CSS or HTML coding, click the "Split" tab and Dreamweaver will show both the web page's coding and the actual design simultaneously. If you prefer to work purely with coding, select the "Code" tab.

3. Enter text for your web page. Select the text you just typed. Go to the "Properties" panel on the bottom of the Dreamweaver screen and format your text. Under the "Format" drop-down menu, you can select Dreamweaver's default formatting, such as headers and paragraph text. Use the "Text Indent" and "Text Outdent" buttons to move your text on the page.

4. Insert any special properties for your page by using Dreamweaver's "Insert" panel. Go to the "Insert" panel located on the upper right corner of your file. To insert a link to another page or website, select the text you wish to use for the link. Then click "Hyperlink" on the "Insert" panel. To place an image on your web page, navigate the flashing cursor to the place where you want the image. Go to the "Insert" panel and select "Image." Locate the image you wish to use on your computer and click "Choose." Click "OK" on the pop-up window confirming that a relative path will be used for the image file.

5. Go to "File" on the top navigation menu and select "Save." Once your web page has been saved onto your computer, go back to "File" and select "Preview in Browser." Click your preferred browser and you can now see what your HTML web page will look like online.

Tips & Warnings

• Although Dreamweaver automatically can generate your web page coding for you, it would be useful for you to learn basic HTML and CSS coding if you want to create more complex web pages.

Resources

• Dreamweaver support and tutorials