Site Management

A Web site is a set of linked documents, usually on the same topic. They should share a similar design. It's generally a good idea to plan your web site before you begin working with an Web Authoring tool such as Dreamweaver.

We will be creating a site on Influenza. We'll have a starting page (or homepage for the site). From this homepage we will create links to additional web pages that we will also create.

Before you start creating your pages, consider:

• what are your goals for the site?

• who comprises your target audience?

• how many web pages do you need?

• how will the pages be linked together? (structure considerations)

• what images do you need?

• do you have the image files, or will you need to create them?

Also, attempt to create a framework. Do you want all of your web files in one folder/directory? Or should create several subdirectories to keep things neat and in order. Consider setting up a file structure. It can be fairly simple. The more web pages and supporting documents you need, the more complex the structure may need to be.

Defining your site using Dreamweaver

Before creating your first web page, consider setting up the site management feature in Dreamweaver. It should be the first thing you do before starting a new web project. Part of this set up is to designate your work area or "site". This allows Dreamweaver to keep track of all your files and images. It makes management of your site much easier in the long run.

• To designate your new site select Site > New Site. Select the Advanced tab in the Site Definition window

• Under Site Name, type a name for your site.

• Under Local Root Folder, click the folder on your computer where you want your site to reside.

• Don't worry about the other options just yet. We will cover these later in the Tutorial.

• Click OK in the Site Definition window.

  Now Dreamweaver knows where your Web Site is located and your are ready to create your first web page..

Next session: Constructing simple pages