About Dynamic Web Templates
Article ID: KB101134
Dynamic Web Templates (DWTs) are a feature of FrontPage 2003, Expression Web,
and SharePoint Designer. Dreamweaver has the same feature, called Templates within Dreamweaver.
You
can only use Dynamic Web Templates if you have Dreamweaver, FrontPage 2003, Expression Web, or
SharePoint Designer.
Some products are compatible with all of the above; however, some products
will only work in Dreamweaver or the Microsoft products, not both.
What they are and why they're great:
A "base template" for your site:
Dynamic web templates are like the "web version of a PowerPoint master
slide." The basic idea is that you have a few "base templates" (in .dwt
format) that define the underlying design of a site. Here are some
screenshot examples of what the DWTs might look like within FrontPage 2003
(click to see
larger version):
Layout-protection: Within the DWTs, the Developers have
designated "editable
regions." These are regions that can contain different content from page to page.
You, as the
end-user, will create HTML pages based on these DWTs. When the HTML
pages* are open in FrontPage or Dreamweaver, you may only
edit the content within the editable regions. (Click on the screenshots above to see
what the editable regions look like in FrontPage 2003.) Outside of the
defined editable regions, the underlying design is "non-editable"--
on the HTML pages, anyway. This protects you from inadvertently
messing up the layout!
Like Include Pages or Libraries in Reverse:
The phrase "non-editable" is a bit misleading. Actually,
you may open the actual .dwt file, make a change to the
underlying design (such as inserting your logo, tagline, or
modifying the copyright statement), and all HTML pages based on that DWT will be automatically updated. It's like an include page in FrontPage, Expression Web, and SharePoint Designer or a
Library item in Dreamweaver -- or a
PowerPoint Master Slide -- one change, and all associated pages are
updated.
Apply a New Look - in Seconds!
What's even more remarkable about using DWTs is that it makes it
easy to apply a whole new look to a web site by attaching a new
DWT to the pages. If a user has a DWT-based web site, attaching a
new DWT to a page will simply replace that base layout. You no longer
have to rebuild your site page-by-page if you want a different site design!
*"HTML pages" may refer to any pages with the .htm, .html, .shtml,
.asp, .aspx etc. extensions.
What We Offer:
Our store offers two types of packages. Both types are usually included
with a Dynamic Web Template product.
- DWT Package - This format is best for users who have
an existing site and want to apply the design to their site.
- DWT Web Package - This format includes a starter web template
where the pages already have the
DWT already attached. This is best
for users who are going to build a web site from scratch.
Within the packages are different types of features and
options. Here is a short list of the DWT-specific features
that you may find in our products:
- DWTIG-Compliant - This feature means that the product
conforms to the Dynamic Web Template Interchange Guidelines,
defined at www.dwtig.com.
It also means that if you choose to apply a new design later, it
will literally take seconds if the new design is also DWTIG-Compliant.
- DWT Browser - This feature means that the product is
packaged to install into the default directories for use with
the the Dynamic Web Template Manager/Browser.
There may be other features and options marked for products, such
as "Flash files (.fla)," "CSS," etc., that are standard
for our web templates in general.
Please see our other tutorials on using DWTs.
Authors and Contributors:
Corrie Haffly
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