Skip to main content
Inspiring
May 22, 2017
Answered

[CC2017] How to create custom starter templates ?

  • May 22, 2017
  • 4 replies
  • 3193 views

Hi,

Does anyone know how to create custom starter templates for dreamweaver  CC 2017 ?

How do I add existing files to the starter templates list ?

Thanks

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Jon Fritz

To add files to the actual Starter Templates list appearing in the New Document dialogue in DW 2017 and lower (this no longer works in CC2018+)...

1. Create a folder to hold your custom template's html, css and images (if any) on your Desktop. For example: My Custom Starters, this will be used to store all files associated with your custom templates.


2. Save your .html starter page into that folder with whatever name you like. Be descriptive, everything before the .html is what will appear in DW's menu system. You can have multiple pages, for example Light Custom.html and Dark Custom.html.

3. If your page has any external css file, images or other assets, create an assets folder inside Custom Starters. For example, MyCustomAssets. You can use one css file for all pages you make if you like. Make sure to use Document Relative links to the assets in this folder on your .html pages.


4. Once everything is set, close Dreamweaver and copy the My Custom Starters folder into DW at the following location (admin rights are necessary, as always, make a back-up in case something goes haywire)...

     C: > Program Files > Adobe > Dreamweaver CC2017 > configuration > BuiltIn

Using the above example names, the BuiltIn folder's contents would then look like this when you're done...

     BuiltIn

          Basic Layouts

          Bootstrap Layouts

          BootstrapNewDocs

          Email Templates

          Layouts

          My Custom Starters

               MyCustomAssets

                    styles.css

               Light Custom.html

               Dark Custom.html

          Responsive Starters

When you open DW, you will now have the following list when you choose File > New... > Starter Templates

Basic Templates
Basic Layouts
Bootstrap Templates
Email Templates
My Custom Starters >

                                        Light Custom.html

                                        Dark Custom.html
Responsive Starters

4 replies

joshuac27474495
Participant
October 16, 2018

A few people are asking about 2018+.

I originally followed these instructions a year or so ago to add custom templates to Dreamweaver 2018. I forget exactly what I did, since it was so long ago; however, I just updated to Dreamweaver 2019, so I revisited this page to refresh my memory.

I found my custom files in my CC 2018 installation. All that was under %Dreamweaver_Install%\configuration\BuiltIn\ were the default template folders and one custom folder of mine called "JavaScript Templates". All that was in that custom folder were just two custom template files. There was no "_notes" folder (I seem to vaguely remember having some trouble concerning that folder, I guess I just ended up getting rid of it).

The above setup worked fine for me in Dreamweaver CC 2018. I just copied my custom templates folder to the same place in my Dreamweaver CC 2019 install, and it still works the same.

Known Participant
August 20, 2018

I know this has been idle for a while and considered answered, but I'm unable to get this to work properly in DW CC2018. I followed the instructions, but this thread apparently left out the required "notes" file without which it won't work at all (and DW isn't creating). Once I create the assets folder, screen cap and page, then the notes folder and file that wasn't mentioned, I move it into the Builtin folder, in my own folder. Reopen DW, and there it is, only there's no "Section - Template name" like with the default ones, just a blank line where the text should be. Clicking it shows the correct screen cap, and creating based on it brings it all into the site I'm working on...but it has the assets folder as expected, along with pulling all those assets out into the main directory as well (so two copies), and linking to *those* in the document.

Builtin

  -My Folder

    -My Template.html

    -My TemplateAssets

      -css and so on

The site files shows all the assets on the same level as the html file, with a second copy in the assets folder.

Clearly I'm doing something wrong.

If I move an existing starter template into my custom folder, notes folder/file and all, it works correctly, which is baffling.

Any help would be appreciated.

Legend
September 28, 2018

I don't think it works in Dreamweaver CC 2018 ... I would like to know if it possible though, I haven't been able to work it out a way to do it thus far.....

Paul-M - Community Expert
Jon Fritz
Community Expert
Community Expert
September 28, 2018

Correct, the method above only works in CC2017 and earlier (I modified the answer to show that).

Jon Fritz
Community Expert
Jon FritzCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
May 22, 2017

To add files to the actual Starter Templates list appearing in the New Document dialogue in DW 2017 and lower (this no longer works in CC2018+)...

1. Create a folder to hold your custom template's html, css and images (if any) on your Desktop. For example: My Custom Starters, this will be used to store all files associated with your custom templates.


2. Save your .html starter page into that folder with whatever name you like. Be descriptive, everything before the .html is what will appear in DW's menu system. You can have multiple pages, for example Light Custom.html and Dark Custom.html.

3. If your page has any external css file, images or other assets, create an assets folder inside Custom Starters. For example, MyCustomAssets. You can use one css file for all pages you make if you like. Make sure to use Document Relative links to the assets in this folder on your .html pages.


4. Once everything is set, close Dreamweaver and copy the My Custom Starters folder into DW at the following location (admin rights are necessary, as always, make a back-up in case something goes haywire)...

     C: > Program Files > Adobe > Dreamweaver CC2017 > configuration > BuiltIn

Using the above example names, the BuiltIn folder's contents would then look like this when you're done...

     BuiltIn

          Basic Layouts

          Bootstrap Layouts

          BootstrapNewDocs

          Email Templates

          Layouts

          My Custom Starters

               MyCustomAssets

                    styles.css

               Light Custom.html

               Dark Custom.html

          Responsive Starters

When you open DW, you will now have the following list when you choose File > New... > Starter Templates

Basic Templates
Basic Layouts
Bootstrap Templates
Email Templates
My Custom Starters >

                                        Light Custom.html

                                        Dark Custom.html
Responsive Starters

tmmlsAuthor
Inspiring
May 23, 2017

Hi Jon,

The provided solution seems to work and are visible in the file menu. But on the new "start screen" of the CC 2017 version, the templates are not visible. Is this something that can be fixed ?

Thanx

Jon Fritz
Community Expert
Community Expert
May 23, 2017

Yup.

Create a screenshot of the template from within your browser.
Cut out the browser chrome (buttons and window frame) in Photoshop

Look in the other folders under BuiltIn, for example, the Responsive Starters folder.
     You'll see .PNG files with the same names as the individual pages, open one, for example Blogpost.png

Paste your screen shot into the PNG and resize it accordingly
Save the new png using the same name as your template .html file, in the same folder

The BuiltIn folder should then look like...

BuiltIn

          Basic Layouts

          Bootstrap Layouts

          BootstrapNewDocs

          Email Templates

          Layouts

          My Custom Starters

               MyCustomAssets

                    styles.css

               Dark_Custom.html

               Dark_Custom.png

               Light_Custom.html

               Light_Custom.png

          Responsive Starters

Jon Fritz
Community Expert
Community Expert
May 22, 2017

Are you talking specifically about ".DWT Templates", or just plain old design templates?