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Dynamic Web Templates: Intro

Dynamic Web Templates (DWTs) are a new feature of FrontPage 2003. You can only use Dynamic Web Templates if you have FrontPage 2003+. Some products may also be compatible with Dreamweaver.

What they are and why they're great:

A "base template" for your site: Dynamic web templates are like "themes on steroids," "include pages in reverse," or 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 (click to see larger version):

Layout-protection: Within the DWTs, the Developers have designated "editable regions." These are regions that will change 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 "editable regions." (Click on the screenshots above to see what the editable regions look like in FrontPage.) Outside of the defined editable regions, the underlying design is "non-editable" -- on the HTML pages, anyway. This protects you from inadvertently dragging on a table line and messing up the layout!

Like Include-Pages 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 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." It's like a FrontPage Theme -- on steroids!

*"HTML pages" may refer to any pages with the .htm, .html, .shtml, .asp, .aspx etc. extensions.

What We Offer:

We offer two types of packages:

• 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 DWT Package, but also includes a "FrontPage Web Template" with the typical html you've seen in past templates, with the DWT already attached. This is best for users who are going to build a web site from scratch. *Note - some features, such as certain types of Flash animations or "info boxes," may be available only in the web template.

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)," "FP Theme," "CSS," etc., that are standard for FrontPage templates in general.

Hint: To figure out what your product comes with, read the "see in action" content carefully.

Please see our other tutorials on using DWTs.