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Screen Layout

One look on opening Dreamweaver finds a collection of buttons, toolbars, and menus that help Web authors enter page elements such as text, images, and links. You will see the following four items: Menu bar, Tool Options bar, Property inspector, and Launcher bar. You will learn how to use these tools in this teaching reference.

Menu Bar - Click on any of the words on this bar to see a menu of options in that category. Some categories such as File and Edit, used for saving files and to copy and paste text, are found in most programs. Other categories offer options more specific to Dreamweaver.

Tool Options Bar - Most Dreamweaver tools have options that are displayed on the Tool Options bar. These options change as different tools are selected.

Properties Inspector - The Properties inspector frees Web authors from the tedium and drudgery of having to create pages in raw HTML code. The Properties inspector allows you to examine and edit properties for the currently selected page element, either an object or text.

Objects panel - Many of the commonly used tools can be found here. These same functions can also be found on the menu bar, however, you will likely find it more convenient to use these shortcuts.

Inserts a picture

Inserts a rollover image

Inserts a table

Inserts a horizontal line

Inserts an email link

Inserts current date

Launcher bar - The launcher bar, found at the bottom of the document window, provides easy navigation among Dreamweaver venues.

Note: We will frequently refer to the toolbars and the menu bar. Each button has one function while each word on the menu bar offers a host of options. If you are not sure what a button does, point at it and a balloon will reveal its function. As always when all else fails, read the directions. You will find a guide online under Help on the menu bar.