To add text to a Dreamweaver document, you can type text directly in the Document window, or you can cut and paste text. You can also import text from other documents.
When you paste text into a Dreamweaver document, you can use either the Paste or the Paste Special command. The Paste Special command lets you specify the format of pasted text in different ways. For example, if you wanted to paste text from a formatted Microsoft Word document into your Dreamweaver document, but wanted to strip out all of the formatting so that you could apply your own CSS style sheet to the pasted text, you could select the text in Word, copy it to your Clipboard, and use the Paste Special command to select the option that lets you paste text only.
When using the Paste command to paste text from other applications, you can set paste preferences as default options.
Note:
Control+V (Windows) and Command+V (Macintosh) always paste text only (no formatting) in Code view.
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- Extract text from your PSD compositions using the Extract panel. For detailed information, see Copy text from PSD files.
- Type text directly into the Document window.
- Copy text from another application, switch to Dreamweaver, position the insertion point in the Design view of the Document window, and select Edit > Paste or Edit > Paste Special.
When you select Edit > Paste Special, you can select several paste formatting options.
You can also paste text using the following keyboard shortcuts:
Paste option
Keyboard shortcut
Paste
Control+V (Windows)
Command+V (Macintosh)
Paste Special
Control+Shift+V (Windows)
Command+Shift+V (Macintosh)
Certain special characters are represented in HTML by a name or a number, referred to as an entity. HTML includes entity names for characters such as the copyright symbol (©), the ampersand (&), and the registered-trademark symbol (®). Each entity has both a name (such as —) and a numeric equivalent (such as —).
Note:
HTML uses the angle brackets <> in its code, but you may need to express the special characters for greater than or less than without Dreamweaver interpreting them as code. In this case, use > for greater than (>) and < for less than (<).
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Select the name of the character from the Insert > HTML > Character.
In the HTML category of the Insert panel, click the Characters option and select the character from the pop-up menu.
Note:
There are many other special characters available; to select one of them, select Insert > HTML > Character > Other..., or click the Characters button in the HTML category of the Insert panel and select the Other Characters option. Select a character from the Insert Other Character dialog box, and click OK.
HTML only allows for one space between characters; to add additional space in a document you must insert a non-breaking space. You can set a preference to automatically add non-breaking spaces in a document.
Dreamweaver works similarly to many word processing application: you press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh) to create a new paragraph. Web browsers automatically insert a blank line of space between paragraphs. You can add a single line of space between paragraphs by inserting a line break.
You can create numbered (ordered) lists, bulleted (unordered) lists, and definition lists from existing text or from new text as you type in the Document window.
Definition lists do not use leading characters like bullet points or numbers and are often used in glossaries or descriptions. Lists can also be nested. Nested lists are lists that contain other lists. For example, you might want an ordered or bulleted list nested within another numbered or ordered list.
You use the List Properties dialog box to set the appearance of an entire list or for an individual list item. You can set number style, reset numbering, or set bullet style options for individual list items or for the entire list.
For information on finding and replacing text, see Find and Replace text.
HTML provides tags that let you define the abbreviations and acronyms you use in your page for search engines, spell checkers, language translation programs, or speech synthesizers. For example, you might want to specify that the abbreviation ME in your page stands for mechanical engineer, or the acronym WHO stands for World Health Organization.
You can set special paste preferences as default options when using Edit > Paste to paste text from other applications. For example, if you always want to paste text as text only, or text with basic formatting, you can set the default option in the Copy/Paste Preferences dialog box.
Note:
When you paste text into a Dreamweaver document, you can use either the Paste or the Paste Special command. The Paste Special command lets you specify the format of pasted text in different ways. For example, if you wanted to paste text from a formatted Microsoft Word document into your Dreamweaver document, but wanted to strip out all of the formatting so that you could apply your own CSS style sheet to the pasted text, you could select the text in Word, copy it to your Clipboard, and use the Paste Special command to select the option that lets you paste text only.
Note:
Preferences set in the Copy/Paste Preferences dialog box apply only to material pasted into Design view.
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Text Only
Lets you paste unformatted text. If the original text is formatted, all formatting, including line breaks and paragraphs, will be removed.
Text With Structure
Lets you paste text that retains structure, but does not retain basic formatting. For example, you can paste text and retain the structure of paragraphs, lists, and tables, without retaining bold, italics, and other formatting.
Text With Structure Plus Basic Formatting
Lets you paste both structured and simple HTML-formatted text (e.g., paragraphs and tables, as well as text formatted with the b, i, u, strong, em, hr, abbr, or acronym tag).
Text With Structure Plus Full Formatting
Lets you paste text that retains all structure, HTML formatting, and CSS styles.
Note:
The Full Formatting option cannot retain CSS styles that come from an external style sheet, nor can it retain styles if the application from which you are pasting does not retain styles upon pasting to the Clipboard.
Retain Line Breaks
Lets you keep line breaks in pasted text. This option is disabled if you have selected Text Only.
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