Dreamweaver: Working with Text
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Now that you have set your page properties, you are ready to start writing. Here is a quick index of questions that arise when working with text:
- Headings
- Fonts, Sizes, and Colors
- Styles: Bold, Italics, and Underline
- Lists: Bullet and Numbered
- Indenting Text
- Alignments (i.e. Centering, Left Justified, etc.)
- Spell Check
One way of modifying text is to use the Properties palette.
Now that you are ready to start typing, the first thing you will probably need to do is type in a heading. There are 6 pre-set headings for you to choose from.
Heading 1
Heading 2
Heading 3
Heading 4
Heading 5
Heading 6
The
first step is to type in the heading as regular text. Next, highlight
the words that you wish to turn into a heading. In the Properties palette,
click on the format button and select the appropriate heading size.
In the Properties palette, you will see various options to change the type of font, size, and its color.
To
change the type of font:
Click on 
that appears between the Format box and the Size box. In the picture below,
it is the arrow box next to Default Font.
Next, choose your choice of fonts. The reason you will see more than one font named in a row is because if a person viewing your web page does not have the first font listed available, their computer will try the second font you have listed. If that font is not available, it will try the third one listed, and so forth.
Alternative: Click the Text menu and choose Font.
To
change the size of the text: Click
on the
next to the size box and choose the appropriate size. Note: The standard
size for writing is 3.
Alternative: Click the Text menu and choose Size.
To change the color of the text: Click on the colored square next to the size box and a color palette will appear. If you have not modified the color before, the square will be gray. In the picture above, the black square indicates that the text is black.
Styles: Bold, Italics, and Underline
Highlight the words you wish to change, and then pick the appropriate style:
To make your selection
bold, click on the 
in the Properties palette.
To make your selection
italicized, click on the 
in the Properties palette.
To make your selection underlined, go to the Text menu --> Style --> Underline.
Alternative: Click the Text menu and choose Style to find additional styles.
Making Lists: Bullet and Numbered
There are two types of lists you can easily make with Dreamweaver:
| Bullet Lists | Numbered Lists |
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Use
this icon:
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Use
this icon: |
When you are ready to make a list in Dreamweaver, click on the appropriate list icon and begin typing. A new bullet or number will automatically appear when you hit the Return or Enter key.
To stop or turn off the list, hit the Return/Enter key twice. If this does not work, click on the list icon again to turn off the feature.
To
indent your text, highlight the body of text you wish to indent and hit
the indent icon in the Properties palette. You can indent left or right
by clicking on the corresponding icon.
This text is indented once to the right.
This text is indented right by clicking on the indent icon twice.
This text is indented to theright by clicking on the ident icon three times.
To change the alignment of your text, highlight the text and click on the alignment icons in the Properties palette.
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The
left icon will left-justify. The middle icon will center. The right-side icon will right-justify. |
In the top menu bar, click on Text --> Check Spelling.