DREAMWEAVER TUTORIALS: Library Items

The advantage Library Items give is site wide management. When you change a Library Item all web pages using that given Library Item will update to the new changes. Whereas a Template manages the entire page, a Library Item manages a section of the page.

Difficulty: Average

Time Required: 5 minutes

Create a Library Item:

1. Open Dreamweaver and navigate to the site you wish to make Library Items for. In the Files Panel open the Library folder.

2. Click on the New Library Item icon at the bottom of the Assets Panel. (It looks like a file with a plus sign.)

3. A file name will appear in the Library Items Panel. Name this item.

4. Double-click the new Library Item . It will open in the document window.

5. This will look like a blank web page. Enter the text, images, etc. that you want in the Library Item. You can also create a Library Item from a selection:

In the Document window, select a portion of a document to save as a library item. Do one of the following:

• Drag the selection into the Library category of the Assets panel (Window > Assets).
• Click the New Library Item icon at the bottom.
• Select Modify > Library > Add Object to Library.

6. Type a Name for the new Library Item.

7. Save the Library Item (Control S).

To Insert a Library Item:

1. Open Dreamweaver and navigate to the page you wish to place a Library Item in.

2. In the Files Panel open the Library folder.

3. Click and Drag the Library Item into the page, placing it where you want it.

4. The Library Item will appear in the page highlighted in yellow.

5. That's it!

Updating a Library Item:

1. In the Files Panel open the Library folder.

2. Double-click the Library Item you wish to edit.

3. The Library Item will open in the document window.

4. Modify as necessary. Do not attempt to edit the fonts or colors, these things are controlled by your site's Stylesheet.

5. Save the Library Item (Control S).

6. Dreamweaver will now ask if you want to update all of the pages that use this Library Item.

7. Click Update.

8. Update Pages dialog box will appear. It displays the progress of the changes. When finished click Close.

9. The Library Item is now updated and can now be closed.

Library Items Tips:

• Library items can't be modified within the pages they occur in other than moving them around or deleting them.

• Font properties should not be set for Library Items because when inserted into a page it takes on the properties already defined for that page).

• Dreamweaver saves each library item as a separate file (with the file extension .lbi) in the Library folder of the site’s local root folder.