Using CSS instead of or with library item

Question

I built my site using Dreamweaver 8. I used the design view
exclusively. I made a navigation bar as a library item. Utilizing
rollovers, etc. Now I have learned I should build my site utilizing
CSS and as was pointed out on this forum to me, to learn CSS and
HTML.
I am having a brain freeze. The logic escapes me as to how I
would build a navigation bar and put it on each page as I did
utilizing the library function before.
I am sure for all you pro's this is a really dumb and obvious
thing but I just don't seem to figure out the logic how to do it. I
am not talking about the CSS for the behaviors such as hover,
visited, active. This I know how to do. It is just the ability to
have a properly designed navbar and be able to put it on every page
I make.
Murry "ACE" told me not to use AP and the dreaded mm_menus so
I am trying to figure this out and build a better more code
efficient site. Mine works but is quite trashy in the code.

Answer 1

It can be a bit daunting.
Try going through this tutorial completely. It's a bit out of
date (using
an older version of DW), and still covers the use of tables,
but it's worth
reinforcing your basic understandings -
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/dreamweaver/articles/first_website_pt1.html
Then I would suggest you do this tutorial -
Taking a Fireworks comp to a CSS-based layout in Dreamweaver
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/fireworks/articles/web_standards_layouts_pt1.html
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/fireworks/articles/web_standards_layouts_pt2.html
Finally, to get a grip on how to manage menus across an
entire site, use
DW's F1 help about how to use Templates, and server-side
includes.
Templates do make your life much easier. I use the following
scheme....
First, I mentally separate the page layout into three
sections:
1. Stuff that will not change for the life of the site (i.e.,
the basic
structural elements)
2. Stuff that *could* change from time to time (e.g.,
navigation elements,
burst advertisements, section-specific navigation, etc.)
3. Stuff that *will* change from one page to the next
Then I create a template containing all class1 elements. Next
I create
server-side include files containing all class 2 elements and
place them on
the template as needed. Note - some of the class 2 elements
may be
"section-specific elements", and their placement on the
template will be
subject to the next item. Finally, I insert editable regions
to cover the
class 3 items, INCLUDING the section-specific navigation.
This allows me to just cookie-cut the rest of the site. I
estimate that
even for fairly large sites, about 80% of my work goes into
planning and
creating this template file.
Murray --- ICQ 71997575
Adobe Community Expert
(If you *MUST* email me, don't LAUGH when you do so!)
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"craigmini" <[email protected]> wrote in
message
news:[email protected]...
>I built my site using Dreamweaver 8. I used the design
view exclusively. I
> made a navigation bar as a library item. Utilizing
rollovers, etc. Now I
> have
> learned I should build my site utilizing CSS and as was
pointed out on
> this
> forum to me, to learn CSS and HTML.
>
> I am having a brain freeze. The logic escapes me as to
how I would build a
> navigation bar and put it on each page as I did
utilizing the library
> function
> before.
>
> I am sure for all you pro's this is a really dumb and
obvious thing but I
> just
> don't seem to figure out the logic how to do it. I am
not talking about
> the CSS
> for the behaviors such as hover, visited, active. This I
know how to do.
> It is
> just the ability to have a properly designed navbar and
be able to put it
> on
> every page I make.
>
> Murry "ACE" told me not to use AP and the dreaded
mm_menus so I am trying
> to
> figure this out and build a better more code efficient
site. Mine works
> but is
> quite trashy in the code.
>