[Dano2]

Hi all...and happy 4th...

Here is my website I am developing. <removed by Mod at user request> What I want to do is to add another side bar on the right hand side. I can't yet figure out how to do that...I have only been able to copy the table but not the gray background that you see on the left side.

Also, how can I stretch out the left and right margins of the page when I do this? any help is appreciated...thanks again....dano

[colinsp]

Dano, This page is using a DW template as the basis for the site, it is a two column fixed width template. To do this easily you should have used the 3 column template. To do what you want you will have to rewrite some of the css rules. You will need to resize the container div to allow for an extra sidebar, you will need to add a new definition for a right sidebar which will be similar to the definition for the sidebar1. A bigger problem is your absolute positioning of apdiv1 and 2, they may be fine at your screen resolution but they aren't on mine. Also they are outside the container div when they should be inside it.

[Dano2]

Hey thanks for looking into this for me. Yes if you are referring to the paypal and 100% satisfaction logos, I saw that they were not displaying correctly which kinda led to me wanting to re-design a couple things.
So is it a 'bad thing' that I used a DW template? Would it be easier for me to just start over with a 3 column template?
At this point in time I really have not gone too far with the site, so starting over might be easier for me. I'm still kinda a rookie at using DW.
Also, when choosing a template, how do I make sure I am using CSS with it? I don't know much about CSS but know the importance of using it...thanks for any input/help....regards, Dano

[colinsp]

Hi, no using a DW template is not a bad thing IMHO. They work which is half the challenge when you start making sites with CSS. For a learning experience you ought to modify what you have done but it may be easier to start again using a 3 column template. When using CSS across a multi page site you should really have a separate CSS file rather than embedding it in the page. I'll reply again later with a few screen shots to show you how to do this in DW,

[colinsp]

Here you go a couple of screen shots



Notice how the Layout CSS option on the lower right is set to 'create new file' for subsequent pages you change this to 'link to existing file' and you point to the location of the file used in the first page that you created.

This is the result on the DW screen of the template



It would be worth looking on YouTube for some DW and CSS tutorials to help you with your use of DW.

[Dano2]

Cool thanks for this information. As it happens I was up late last night after deciding it would be best to just start over being I really have not gone too far with my old site anyway...
I actually picked the 3 column one you have in your example. However I probably left the Layout CSS to "Create new file". Was that not good to do? or should I have changed it to "link to existing file"? And if so, can I change it to "link to existing file"?
Sorry for being new to this but I'm still trying to get the hang of the CSS part of DW.

[colinsp]

You did the right thing

The three column layout is a different CSS file to your old 2 column page. The url you have in the first post has the css embedded in the page rather than as a separate file and that is what I was encouraging you to have in the future.

Once you have the main index page completed then any future pages should link to the same CSS file as for the index page so that you only have one CSS file so it makes the users browsing experience faster.

There are loads of videos on DW and CSS here so it may be worth spending an hour or so watching some of them.

[Dano2]

Thanks again for all the helpful information. One other question. Should I have selected the CSS layout to 'link to existing file' ?
If so, can I change that? So far I have only created my main index page but want to make sure I set it up correct.


Thanks again.

[Dano2]

Ok I uploaded the start of my new 3 column site. Just another quick question if thats ok when you get a chance...
I'm not sure what happened, I may have fat fingered something, but the columns down at the bottom of the screen don't seem to go all the way down to the bottom on each side. That is (the gray text column areas) only go down so far...is there a way to connect them so they go all the way down to the bottom of the page to the footer? thanks again, much appreciated..dano

[colinsp]

Originally Posted by Dano2

One other question. Should I have selected the CSS layout to 'link to existing file' ?
If so, can I change that? So far I have only created my main index page but want to make sure I set it up correct.


Thanks again.

No you only do that for any other pages that you create, leave it as it is for your index page.

As to your problem with the grey area you will need to make some modifications to your CSS. This is the best tutorial that I know that explains one way of how to do it.

[Dano2]

"No you only do that for any other pages that you create, leave it as it is for your index page."
Question on your comment, how do I do that for the other pages that I created?

[Dano2]

As for the column height issue. This doesn't sound good. I am pretty much a rookie on CSS. Dumb question. Did I originally need to create a CSS for this site when I first started it or did the template already have a CSS for it? As I don't know where to really look for it in DW.
The solution never the less looks pretty ugly, and so much to do to just fix that column height problem...I have my doubts at this point in time whether I can do this or not....I'm at work but will take a look tonite...Maybe I need to start over again....it seemed to me that it didn't have a column height problem when I first started the website using that template.

[colinsp]

Dano

Question on your comment, how do I do that for the other pages that I created?

This is covered above in post 5 with the screen shots 'link to file'.

DW creates a file called thrColFixHdr.css if you created the page the way I showed above. This file is editable in DW and will be stored with your html pages and linked to it in the head section of your code.

DW is an exceptionally powerful programme that needs an investment in time learning how it works and how to use it. You need to get yourself a book on it and/or have a look at the tutorials that I linked before. The W3C schools site has some very good tutorials on css and html too.