Avoiding rewriting third-party tags

Dreamweaver corrects certain kinds of errors in HTML; for information on exactly what it corrects, see HTML Rewriting preferences. By default, Dreamweaver refrains from changing HTML in files with certain file name extensions, including .asp (ASP), .cfm (ColdFusion), and .php (PHP). This default is set so that Dreamweaver won't accidentally modify the code contained in any such third-party tags. You can change Dreamweaver's default rewriting behavior so that it rewrites HTML when it opens such files, and you can add other file types to the list of types that Dreamweaver doesn't rewrite.

Dreamweaver also encodes certain special characters when you enter them in the Property inspector. It's often a good idea to allow Dreamweaver to perform this encoding; it makes special characters more likely to be displayed correctly across platforms and browsers. However, because such encoding may interfere with code contained in third-party tags, or even with the tags themselves, you may want to change Dreamweaver's encoding behavior.

To allow Dreamweaver to rewrite HTML in all files:

1	Choose Edit > Preferences, and select the HTML Rewriting category.
2	Do one of the following:
	Delete one or more extensions from the list of extensions.
	Deselect the Never Rewrite HTML: In Files with Extensions option.

To add file types that Dreamweaver shouldn't rewrite:

1	Choose Edit > Preferences, and select the HTML Rewriting category.
2	Make sure the Never Rewrite HTML: In Files with Extensions option is selected, and add the new file extensions to the list in the text field.

To turn off Dreamweaver's encoding options:

1	Choose Edit > Preferences, and select the HTML Rewriting category.
2	Deselect either or both Special Characters options.

For information on the other HTML Rewriting preferences, see HTML Rewriting preferences.