Creating layers

Create layers using the insertion, drag and drop, or drawing technique. Once a layer is created, use the Layer palette to select it, nest it inside another layer, or change its stacking order. See About theLayer palette.

Default layer properties (tag, visibility, height and width, and so on) are specified in Layer preferences. To change the default settings, choose Edit > Preferences and select Layers. See Layer preferences.

By default, Dreamweaver creates layers with the DIV tag and inserts layer code at the insertion point, or when drawing layers, at the top of the page, just after the BODY tag. If you create a nested layer, Dreamweaver inserts the code inside the tag that defines the parent layer.

When creating layers, to prevent them from overlapping each other, turn on the Prevent Overlaps option in the Layer palette or choose View > Prevent Layer Overlaps. See Preventing layer overlaps.

To create a layer, do one of the following:

	To insert a layer, place the insertion point in the Document window where you want to position the layer and then choose Insert > Layer.
	To drag and drop a layer, drag the Layer button from the Object palette to the Document window.
	To draw a layer, click the Layer button in the Object palette; in the Document window, drag to draw a layer.
	To draw a number of layers, click the Layer button in the Object palette, hold down the Shift key, and draw a layer in the Document window. You can continue to draw new layers as long as you do not release the Shift key.
	For each layer you create, a layer marker appears at the top left of the page, in the Document window. Layer markers will appear in other positions on the page if you add layers after adding paragraph returns in the Document window.
	If layer markers aren't visible, choose View > Invisible Elements. See Invisible Elements preferences. When you're viewing invisible elements, other elements on a page may appear to shift position. Invisible elements are visible only in the Document window; when the page is viewed through a browser, the other elements will appear in their proper position.