Editing Themes in Dreamweaver changes layout

[Peter_AUS]

Is it not advisable to edit theme templates in Dreamweaver.  I have found that it always onloading, says it has been modified without doing anything but opening it up and the layout changes (well for me it has).  I opened the Digital Flow Template and the middle seciton that is the admin menu and gallery area, move over the the far right and leaves a big blank hole in the middle.

Any suggestions.

Regards,

Peter

[Joachim Müller]

only edit themes with a plain text editor, not a WYSIWYG editor. Notepad.exe is fine!

GauGau

[Peter_AUS]

That's a bugger.  I like to see what happens when I do something like in Dreamweaver.  I do have NoteTab Pro.

Thanks for the reply.

[Casper]

I use 1st page 2000.  It is free, and you can preview the effects of your changes.

[Burpee]

I use 1st page 2000.  It is free, and you can preview the effects of your changes.

*cough*

Scan type:  Realtime Protection Scan
Event:  Virus Found!
Virus name: Js.Trojan.WindowBomb
File:  C:\Program Files\1st Page 2000\IScripts\Buttons\Six buttons from hell.izs
Location:  Quarantine
Computer:  T18
User:  Burpee
Action taken:  Clean failed : Quarantine succeeded : Access denied
Date found: Sat Jul 03 20:14:00 2004

Nice software... haven't tried it's functionality though... we'll see

[DaMysterious]

Is it not advisable to edit theme templates in Dreamweaver.  I have found that it always onloading, says it has been modified without doing anything but opening it up and the layout changes (well for me it has).  I opened the Digital Flow Template and the middle seciton that is the admin menu and gallery area, move over the the far right and leaves a big blank hole in the middle.

Any suggestions.

Regards,

Peter

That is my copyright protection . If that happend your Dreamweaver possible is'nt wel configured or the file is not healthy. Telling my very own secret to the group now, yes I use Dreamweaver MX for all my themes. Sometimes I wil use Frontpage XP, but only very sometimes. Sorry guys .

[Casper]

I use 1st page 2000.  It is free, and you can preview the effects of your changes.

*cough*

Scan type:  Realtime Protection Scan
Event:  Virus Found!
Virus name: Js.Trojan.WindowBomb
File:  C:\Program Files\1st Page 2000\IScripts\Buttons\Six buttons from hell.izs
Location:  Quarantine
Computer:  T18
User:  Burpee
Action taken:  Clean failed : Quarantine succeeded : Access denied
Date found: Sat Jul 03 20:14:00 2004

Nice software... haven't tried it's functionality though... we'll see

He he, it's not actualy a virus, but it is one of those annoying things idiots like to put on their pages to make their visitors vow never to return.  I don't know why it was included in the package.

I just deleted it.

[Joachim Müller]

This thread might be confusing for newbies who look for support, so let me point this out once more: although you can edit coppermine files with Dreamweaver (if you know what you're doing and have configured Dreamweaver properly), it is recommended to use a plain text editor. There are nice free tools/editors available that won't mess with the code while providing some sort of page preview; but: you will miss all the fun learning html, css etc., so in my opinion it's justified to use WYSIWYG editors if you already know your way around and what those editors will do to your code when used improperly.
Newbies should imo always use text editors...

GauGau

[Peter_AUS]

What is it that Dreamweaver does or how should it be configured so this doesn't happen.  The point of WYSIWYG editors is so people don't have to totally learn text editing the hardway, because there have been so many changes along the way with HTML over the past few years.

The point of a forum like this, as I see it, is to help others move along with problems, not try and sound superior than others.

It is great that others make themes/skins/templates and are happy to share them with other people, but why make things so difficult for people with simple questions.

I have found so far some that are straight up and point people in the right direction and others that just put up blockers, like saying that Dreamweaver isn't configured correctly.  If you think it isn't, then why not point out what you think the problem is and therefore help probably many others that have similar issues.  I'm sure I'm not the only one in the dark on this point.

I think if you help people first and they will then learn much quicker than trying to second guess what might solve the problem.

I have tried solving the issue in Dreamweaver but had to go to NoteTabPro to edit in Text view only to just do the changes I wanted to do, which was including links in the area that was setup to be used in the theme.

[Joachim Müller]

can't tell you details on dreamweaver, as I don't have this piece of software installed on my PC. I've been working with WYSIWYG editors in the past, and I'm convinced there is a point in those programs: you can easily create a page that looks good without having in-detail knowledge of html and css, but things are different if you use pre-made scripts like coppermine and try to edit files that contain html mark-up as well as php (or any other scripting language) that does the logic: nearly all WYSIWYG editors will fail. As a rule of thumb: it's OK to work with dreamwaver on template.html and style.css, as those two files don't contain php logic at all, but you mustn't use dreamweaver to edit theme.php.

I'm not sure if your posting was meant as a flame into my direction, but anyway: you're welcome to visit the coppermine forum often and help others, doing support is not only meant to be done by the dev team; in fact we appreciate users coming to this board not only to ask questions, but to answer them as well. Please keep this in mind before complaining about support staff: if you stick around long enough you will find out that questions tend to repeat themselves, and you will get reluctant to gladly answer them over and over again.

GauGau

GauGau

[DaMysterious]

What is it that Dreamweaver does or how should it be configured so this doesn't happen.  The point of WYSIWYG editors is so people don't have to totally learn text editing the hardway, because there have been so many changes along the way with HTML over the past few years.

The point of a forum like this, as I see it, is to help others move along with problems, not try and sound superior than others.

It is great that others make themes/skins/templates and are happy to share them with other people, but why make things so difficult for people with simple questions.

I have found so far some that are straight up and point people in the right direction and others that just put up blockers, like saying that Dreamweaver isn't configured correctly.  If you think it isn't, then why not point out what you think the problem is and therefore help probably many others that have similar issues.  I'm sure I'm not the only one in the dark on this point.

I think if you help people first and they will then learn much quicker than trying to second guess what might solve the problem.

I have tried solving the issue in Dreamweaver but had to go to NoteTabPro to edit in Text view only to just do the changes I wanted to do, which was including links in the area that was setup to be used in the theme.

Sorry that I gave you the feelling that I whas not clearly enough in this point, my message did'nt have any intention to be offensief. I did point you to a possible solution as I never running into such a problem with my dreamweaver. Support for dreamweaver can't given by me or anyone else as this is related to different experiences and routine. If support for dreamweaver is needed everyone using this software have to search on the site of dreamweaver for a solution.

[Peter_AUS]

Hi guys,

And thanks for the support and efforts to help.

I wasn't directing anything at anyone just making some points of what I think is a more proper way to help within forums.

I actually help out in some photography forums and computer forums and I know the fustrations that can start to wear a little thin with continued questions of the samething poping up over and over.

The problem I am having, is just opening the html document in dreamweaver which is the template.html, the area where the Admin Menu and gallery menues are pushed over the right hand side of the window and the little * appears on the file name as though it has been edited, without doing anything except opening it up.

Hopefully I have attached a screen shot of the window from within dreamwaver as an example of this.





[attachment deleted by admin]

[Joachim Müller]

ah ok, I see. The paths to the embedded pics contained in the template.tml have a relative path to the "images" folder in the coppermine root, where as your template file itself is nested two folders deeper in the themes folder, that's why all reference to the image folder look like broken links. This will be cured when the template file is actually parsed by coppermine. As a workaround, you could copy the content of your coppermine images folder to your theme's images folder (but remember not to upload the pics, it's just for visualization).

GauGau

[Tarique Sani]

OK your screenshot has really convinced me that this is more of a DW question than Coppermine - so if you manage to find an answer for why DW acts the way it does with the said file please post and answer here....
@gaugau - I don't think that broken images were the problem

[DaMysterious]

Ahhh, a pic does clarifying so much.

The 'broken' pictures are related to the fact that we are both not working life on a server site. This will be solved when the template file is actually parsed by coppermine. I attached a screenshot to show you my layout in browser preview wich shows different indeed. This could be to the fact that I does'nt work in Dreamweavers coders mode. This produced screenshot is identical to both downloadarchives at Coppermine as at DaMysterious. I know and saw that this theme is used very often by others without any problem. That's why I could'nt understand and trace your problems.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Burpee]

Hmm... I opened my theme without it being edited on open in Dreamweaver MX 2004 (fresh install). There is one thing with dreamweaver though, it tends to put  's in every empty table no matter what. (VERY annoying)
Maybe your template has some sort of code that dreamweaver considers to be bad and corrects it but I doubt that although it usually just gives the annoying 'yellow text that screws up your layout completely' warning for that. Perhaps I could try some more if I actually had the template.html to see somewhere.

[DaMysterious]

Hmm... I opened my theme without it being edited on open in Dreamweaver MX 2004 (fresh install). There is one thing with dreamweaver though, it tends to put  's in every empty table no matter what. (VERY annoying)
Maybe your template has some sort of code that dreamweaver considers to be bad and corrects it but I doubt that although it usually just gives the annoying 'yellow text that screws up your layout completely' warning for that. Perhaps I could try some more if I actually had the template.html to see somewhere.

U need to disabable automatic coding correction an control via the preferences -> code rewriting -> fix invalid nested and unclosed tags even turn off remove extra closing tags in the same section I though.

[Peter_AUS]

The broken images aren't the problem.  The problem is, if you open the file up in dreamweave and then try and view the file in the browser it asks you to save the file, even though nothing has been done to it.  When you do that, the Admin and Picture Menu are displayed right over on the far right side, not where they are supposed to be shown which is in the middle to the right of the left hand menu.

Pictures aren't an issue at all.

If you say don't save, it displays properly, even though in split view, where you can see the code and the actual design, the {Admin Menu} and {Gallery Menu} are over to the far right.

When I change the preference in Dreamweaver to not fix invalid and unnested closed tags, you can't see anything other than some table outlines all pictures and words etc are completely hidden.

There has to be something within the template that is incorrectly coded, that is causing it.  I even tried it again on the vanilla template.html page as well and get the same thing.

[DaMysterious]

The broken images aren't the problem.  The problem is, if you open the file up in dreamweave and then try and view the file in the browser it asks you to save the file, even though nothing has been done to it.  When you do that, the Admin and Picture Menu are displayed right over on the far right side, not where they are supposed to be shown which is in the middle to the right of the left hand menu.

Pictures aren't an issue at all.

If you say don't save, it displays properly, even though in split view, where you can see the code and the actual design, the {Admin Menu} and {Gallery Menu} are over to the far right.

When I change the preference in Dreamweaver to not fix invalid and unnested closed tags, you can't see anything other than some table outlines all pictures and words etc are completely hidden.

There has to be something within the template that is incorrectly coded, that is causing it.  I even tried it again on the vanilla template.html page as well and get the same thing.

Sorry but this is magic and I like to stop this tread as I don't have any solution for it. Nobody ever had this problem with this theme exept you. Even in Frontpage XP with standard settings the described behave is'nt reproducable as you could see.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Peter_AUS]

Just seems strange that if I turn off the correct errors, I see no text, no picture place holders, nothing except table outline boxes, the scolling is about 1/3 of the template in dreamweaver, turn on the correction and it moves the table block over to the right.

If I don't save the template, just view in browser it moves back into place, if the template is saved it moves over to the right.

Hey I haven't changed anything in Dreamweaver settings at all, bar the one that was mentioned in the threads above.

Seems to be oblivous to anyone else but me.

Never mind.

Thanks anyway for the time.