Hello,

 

Just after a few answers please. I have learnt the basics of Web Design in my own time without any help but now I am at the point where I need it. I can create basic information Websites but as I am hoping to become a Freelancer within the next year I need to be able to take it to the next step and provide the goods for my clients. What I am wondering is, If I want to add a 'Search' bar or a 'Shopping Cart' for example to my website do I have to add this to my template that I create in Fireworks or do I simply add the code to Dreamweaver once I have exported my site template from Fireworks to Dreamweaver?

 

The method I use is, create template in fireworks, all the graphics buttons and Logo, Export to Dreamweaver and then add all the text and links in that but like I said above I am now stuck and I'm sure my future clients will want websites that you can buy things online or search within the website to find an item.

 

Help would be appreciated as I am still a noob,

Thanks!

Yes you simply add the shopping cart and search bar codes in dreamweaver. To do this: You simply switch to CODE-VIEW in Dreamweaver and then paste the code in there.

 

Hope this helps.

Hi Josh,

 

I am moving house at the moment so don't have much time to help you at the minute. I will get in contact with you sometime next week and explain some things to you.

 

Unfortunately it’s not as easy/quick as it may seem to you right now, but that’s all part of learning.

 

I will mail you my mobile number as I don't have yours any more, I have had a new phone since we last spoke about 3 years ago ha-ha.

 

Take care mate, Dan.

Hi Josh, Hope you're enjoying the steep learning curve you're on!

 

When it comes to shopping carts, if you're building a static website, then the most straight forward way is to set your client up with a paypal account and use their code pasted straight into dreamweaver. That is fine for very basic product payment.

 

However, if you are going to get clients who want to sell a larger range of products and want some control over adding, removing and ammending products then a cms/ecommerce platform will serve you better in the long run.

 

It may be a pain to have to learn a new package but you get infinitely more functionality and flexibility and because it's all part of the same package it is more likely to work smoothly. There are plenty of basic ones that are free to experiment with and get started. I tried to do what you're talking about and found myself getting into some complicated territory once a client started to expand what they wanted from the shopping cart. In the end, learning an all in one offering saved me time and money and produced great results.