I am new to dreamweaver and want to set the colors on a web page in a user friendly mode. I am using the two column hybrid template, and can set the background color with the page properties, but cannot find the way to set the footer, header, side column, main column without putting hex codes into the html code - there has to be a better way - any help?

thanks - gred

You can use page properties to set the page's background color and such. Let me know if you need any other help!

Hi Gred and welcome to the DaniWeb Community. I am going to list every possible way I know of to fix your problem. Solution 1.
In DreamWeavercs3 there are three buttons on the top left hand corner.
this is the name of each button Code,split,design.

All you have to do is click on code and change the CSS that Dreamweaver has set as default for that template. You can change the CSS to your hearts delight. You can easily figure out what CSS is used for the footer,header,side column, and main column by either reading the HTML (or XHTML) and see the CSS class each section uses.
Solution 2.

You can also edit the CSS simply by clicking on the area you want to change which should bring up the CSS used in that section. Now you can bring up the CSS Properties box windows by pushing shift+f11 on a pc. Then you will see a box that says css styles and there will be a button that says all and current. You would want to choose current then you just edit the css via right clicking hit edit and change what you want then hit apply and ok.

Solution 3 ( a bit advanced but it is a solution)
If you want to make 50 pages with the same colors and you plan on using that template just delete the css that was written and create an external css file either by (1. writing your own CSS external Sheet in DreamWeaver and then importing it or (2. the easiest way just right click on any CSS area hit new then a box will pop up and you have the choice of choosing new style sheet or in this document only. Hit new style sheet and you can tell DreamWeaver exactly what you want that new external style sheet to do.

I hope I didn't overload you with info and I hope I helped!

You were very kind and also very helpful - I see I need to learn more about CSS. Thanks for taking the time to share several different ways to attack the "problem". I assume I rate your response by rating the thread, or is there something else I can do?

I started another string on hover / pop up text, but do you know a simple way in dreamweaver to have a box of text pop up on mouse hover, like the additional subjects links at the bottom of this daniweb page?

- gred

Well I have experimented with the solutions and I thought maybe working with the CSS after I had changed the color codes in the HTML would work for duplicating other pages with the same colors, but when I go to the various sections (header, body, footer, side column, etc) - in the CSS properties they show the color as the original color from the template, not the color I have inserted. How can I set up CSS with MY colors for other pages? thanks - gred

Hey Gred, Sounds like a CSS via HTMl conflict which is common. Now a days the W3 wants people to use css for assigning color and much more. all you have to do is go to the css property you want to change hit shift+11 and that will open the css property window there you can easily just click the tiny picture of color and a whole color pallette will appear and you can change the color that easily! If you want them all the same color and you don't want to re-do it on every page I would say you would have to do an external css sheet.

Well, I click in a part of the web page I want to change the color of, then press shift F11 and the CSS styles box opens, and lists font, color - hex code, and text-align. But I don't see a tiny picture of color to click on to get the palette. Well, I found that if I click the edit style button I can go to background and click the color to get the selection palette - partially resolved.

Is there an easy way to set the page as I want it then save the CSS as an external sheet that I can load with other pages?

Thanks again for your assistance - gred

Hey Gred, if you want it to be the background color you would need to edit the body css code that would say You just need to right click in the css style box and click new then click new style sheet and name it whatever you want; from there you can pick the background color and just refer to that external style sheet in the future.