How to Save and Name a Page
When you are creating a Web site, the way you name your files when you save them is important. If you don’t follow certain rules, your server might not recognize your files. In this task, you learn some of the necessary tips for naming files in Dreamweaver.
Save for the First Time
It is a good idea to save your file as soon as you have created it. You should continue saving the file regularly as you add new content to the file. To save your work, simply choose File, Save. The Save As dialog box opens—but be careful. The Save As dialog box doesn’t always go to the site folder you expect.
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Name the File
By default, the page is saved with a .htm extension that is generally fine. However, some UNIX and Macintosh servers require the .html extension, so you must check with your server's administrator. In the File name box, type a meaningful name for the file. Don't put spaces in your filenames because browsers struggle to display these names correctly (spaces in filenames are what cause the %20 characters that sometimes appear in Web addresses).
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Save the File Again
When you have saved your work once, the filename is displayed in the title bar across the top of the page. To save the page again, simply select File, Save; the file is updated with the same name to the same location.
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Use Save As
You can save a copy of the file by selecting File, Save As and choosing a different filename and location for the file you are copying. Your original file remains, and you have a copy with a new name.
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Save Multiple Files
If you decide to create a frames-based Web site (as described in Part 9, "Using Frames and Framesets," you will always have more than one page open at a time. The page in this example contains three frames, each of which displays a separate page of information. Dreamweaver enables you to save all the pages in a frameset at once using the File, Save All Frames command.
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Use the Keyboard
As you can with everything else in Dreamweaver, you can save files using the keyboard. Press Ctrl+S to save a file (press Apple+S on a Macintosh); keyboard commands are displayed in the menus to the right of each command name.
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How To Hints
Naming Files
It is very tempting to call your early Web pages Page1, Page2, and so on. Although this naming convention works when you have only half a dozen pages to choose from, you might soon have 40 pages or more will you know which page was about your family if you named it Page3?
Filenames and Cases
Although most Web servers can process filenames of any length and with capital letters, it is always best to stick to no more than eight lowercase characters in the filename. Following this naming convention prevents problems with any server.