Previewing pages – Adobe Dreamweaver CC 2014 v.13 User Manual
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Previewing pages
Previewing pages in Dreamweaver
Previewing pages in browsers
Note: The user interface has been simplified in Dreamweaver CC and later. As a result, you may not find some of the options described in this
article in Dreamweaver CC and later. For more information, see
.
Design view gives you an idea of how your page will look on the web but does not render pages exactly as browsers do. Live view presents a
more accurate depiction, and lets you work in Code view so that you can see changes to the design. The Preview in Browser feature lets you see
how your pages will look in specific browsers.
Previewing pages in Dreamweaver
About Live view
Live view differs from the traditional Dreamweaver design view in that it provides a non-editable, more realistic rendering of what your page will
look like in a browser. Live view does not replace the Preview in Browser command, but rather provides another way of seeing what your page
looks like “live” without having to leave the Dreamweaver workspace.
You can switch to Live view any time you are in Design view. Switching to Live view, however, is not related to switching between any of the other
traditional views in Dreamweaver (Code/Split/Design). When you switch to Live view from Design view, you are simply toggling the Design view
between editable and “live”.
While Design view remains frozen once you enter Live view, Code view remains editable, so you can change your code, and then refresh Live
view to see your changes take effect. When you’re in Live view, you have the additional option of viewing live code. Live Code view is like Live
view in that it displays a version of the code that the browser is executing in order to render the page. Like Live view, Live Code view is a non-
editable view.
An additional advantage of Live view is the ability to freeze JavaScript. For example, you can switch to Live view and hover over Spry-based table
rows that change color as the result of user interaction. When you freeze JavaScript, Live view freezes the page in its current state. You can then
edit your CSS or JavaScript and refresh the page to see the changes take effect. Freezing JavaScript in Live view is useful if you want to see and
change properties for the different states of pop-up menus or other interactive elements that you can’t see in traditional Design view.
For a video overview from the Dreamweaver engineering team about working with Live View, see
For a video overview from the Dreamweaver engineering team about working with Live view navigation, see
.
For a video tutorial on working with Live View, related files, and the Code Navigator, see
Preview pages in Live view
1. Make sure that you are in Design view (View > Design) or Code and Design views (View > Code and Design).
2. Click the Live view button.
3. (Optional) Make your changes in Code view, in the CSS Styles panel, in an external CSS style sheet, or in another related file.
Even though you can’t edit in Live view, your options for making edits in other areas (for example, in the CSS Styles panel or in Code view)
change as you click in Live view.
You can work with related files (such as CSS style sheets) while keeping Live view in focus by opening the related file from the Related
Files toolbar at the top of the document.
4. If you’ve made changes in Code view or in a related file, refresh Live view by clicking the Refresh button in the Document tool bar, or by
pressing F5.
5. To return to the editable Design view, click the Live view button again.
Preview Live Code
The code displayed in Live Code view is similar to what you would see if you viewed the page source from a browser. While such page sources
are static, providing you with only the source of the page from the browser, Live Code view is dynamic, and updates as you interact with the page
in Live view.
1. Make sure that you are in Live view.
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