Creating a Layouts Website folder for use in Expression Web

Expression Web comes with a number templates and css layouts you can use. I prefer to start with a basic layout and style it as I want.  One of my favorite places to start my template design was Inknoise Lay-o-Matic. Unfortunately this site no longer appears to exist. CSSEasy also has basic layouts that validate. I created a website where I can store each of the layouts I use most often.

File | New | Web Site | General | One Page Web Site

Choose a name for the new web - layout-templates - click OK

I go to the Inknoise Lay-o-Matic or the CSSeasy site and save each of the layouts I want to the newly created web site.  Choose names that you will easily remember: fixed-fullpage-layout.html; liquid-full-page-layout.htm; two-column-fixed.html; two-column-liquid.html. Each of these layouts use an embedded style sheet so I leave them in the root directory.

Expression names the initial page it creates default.htm. I rename it index.html and use it as a table of contents for the templates. If I find out templates that I use on a regular basis, I will add them to this site. Each of these is saved to a folder within the main website with the name of the template. You could also save a page for any restrictions or credits required for the use of that template.

I could also add menus that I like to use as a section on this site. When I was finished, my folders within that site might look like this.

First I will set each of these up with basic styles and makes sure the html code and style sheet validates. Whenever I want to use any of these templates, I copy them to a new web folder and I am ready to start work on the new site.

Start your own library of layouts that you can use to base your websites on.