Quick Reminder
With page open, select areas that you want to make editable: Insert → Template Objects → Editable Region. Save as Template
To use template: Assets → templates → choose one. Files icon → New from Template
Details
Templates have locked areas of a page so you can repeat them on other pages and editable areas to add different things. Changes made to a template will also appear on the pages made from it.
Note that DW provides ready-made templates. See DW Help Creating and Managing Templates
To make a template:
First start with a DW page that you are happy with and want to keep the layout and styles for further use. This will become your template. It will already have your formatting, styles, etc.
Decide which bits you want to be able to edit - eg the heading, the main content, etc. DW calls these regions. Highlight one region and choose Insert (from top menu) → Template Objects → Editable region, then give it a name. Do the same for any other region, eg the main text, etc.
Delete any text that is not needed on the template - but put a word or two into each region (such as heading, and Start writing here) this holds the text formatting and reminds you what each region is for.
Leave in text such as the footer that will be the same on every page. Note if you make links they will be set up as the same links on every page.
Choose file → Save as Template, name your template so you know what it is. DW puts your region names in the top left corner of each editable region.
The first time you make a template DW will create a sub-folder in your root folder to contain the template, and any subsequent ones. DW also puts it into the Assets section of Files
When you edit a template all the changes appear on the files made from that template. DW updates them automatically when the template is saved.
To use a template:
To open a new file using a template: Choose the Assets tab from the Files section (right of DW screen). Choose the templates icon from the ones on the left border (it looks like a landscape page with green bars on it). This brings up the list of your saved templates. Highlight the one you want to use. On the right hand end of the blue Files panel choose the icon that looks like a bulleted list (there is only one icon) - click there and choose New from Template. A new page opens.
This is important: Do not just open the template and change it and try to save as a .html; this does not work as DW will go on treating it as a template.
Note that links you make on a template in a non-editable area will be links on all pages made from that template.
Example: the links at the bottom of these pages were made once on the page template but work on each page.
To detach a document from a template:
With the document you want to detach open, Modify (top menu) → Templates (not Template Properties) → detach template
You then have the template page layout but you will be able to edit any part of the page. Remember that any new changes made to the template will not register on the detached page.