Implementation Models and Examples

I've seen four types of Dreamweaver/Contribute templating systems. These are grouped based on what types of document Contribute is editing. What you use will probably depend on how much coding you want to invest in your site and what type of features you need in your web pages.

Since the non editable regions of templates can me modified and propagated across all instances of a template, it is easy to move from one model to another. Adding a Server Side Include or line of ASP or Cold Fustion to a template is as simple as editing the template and pushing the changes out to all instances of the template on the site.

1. Static HTML

Easiest to implement.  All development can be done with Dreamweaver and Contribute with no programmers or reliance on server features and coding.  Author sees same HTML in template as public sees on web server.  In the hands-on part we will work with a static html template system.

2. HTML with Static Server Side Includes

Easy to implement, but limited by what SSI and DW/Contribute Templates offer.  In contrast to templates with code, you will sometimes find things that are both too complex for the author to do and can not be automated by SSI and DW/Contribute.  For example, from Stanford's School of Medicine: http://med.stanford.edu/irt/web/training/contribute/breadcrumbs.html

"...Bread crumbs includes files are a weak point in the use of Contribute. With it, you can edit an existing bread crumbs file, i.e. change the text and/or links on an existing file. You could also use Contribute to clone an existing bread crumbs include file.

But what you can't do with Contribute is change what bread crumb include file a page uses. One must use Dreamweaver to create new page-breadcrumb associations. Contact WebHelp with the specifics if you want assistance creating a new page-breadcrumb pairing on your site and only have Contribute. "

They also had to develop a separate menu manager application on their intranet to deal with their menus.

Examples

• Notre Dame: Build a Contribute Friendly Web Site | Macromedia Showcase
• Stanford School of Medicine: Contribue Support | Template Snapshot
• Valencia: Creating a Web Page

3. HTML with Code Embedded in them such as PHP or ASP

Has advantage of being able to have multiple views of the same page based on parameters in url, browser detection etc.  Also code can dynamically generate widgets such as bread crumbs, menu items, rss feeds, etc. 

Example

• University of Virginia Arts and Sciences Template | Web Page | Alternative Web Page

4. XHTML Containing Page Content and Page Configuration Data

Templates are merely containers for (x)html regions or larger web page and other data used to generate a dynamic web page.  Contribute is just an xml editor with templates becoming xml forms. Advantage is separation of code and content where dreamweaver template contains content.  Database driven and other dynamic pages can use the same xml schema for a document and a single xslt can be used to drive all pages on your web site. Contribute is not ideal XML editor though as it has no enumerated lists or data types.

Example

• College of Education at UIUC: Rendered Page | Template | Design

5. What are you using?

 

Sites are more likely to go from 1 to 4 as features are required and development time is available.