TechNote

How to find the Expanded view of the Files panel

When working in Macromedia Dreamweaver, it can be helpful to use the Expanded view of the Files panel. The Expanded view lets you see both the remote and local files at the same time, in a user interface that is similar to many FTP clients. The Expanded view also lets you see additional information about your files and folders that you can't see when in the Collapsed view of the Files panel, including:

File Size
File Type
Modified Date/Time
Checked Out By
Design Notes

The Expanded view also lets you sort the file/folder list by any of these columns, if you click on the column header. Using the Expanded view is a good way to double-check that you are in fact working on the most recent version of a file, since you can compare timestamps.

How to go into Expanded view

From the Dreamweaver menu, select Window > Files, if you do not already have the Files panel visible.
In the Files panel (Window > Files), click the Expand/Collapse button in the toolbar. It's the button that looks like a 2-column table with an arrow in the middle.
You should now be in the Expanded view of the Files panel, which should look similar to the screenshot below. To go back into the Collapsed view, click the same button in the toolbar:

Note: You can set the Expanded view so it displays the local or remote view on either the right or left side. This can be set in the Site category of the Dreamweaver preferences (Edit > Preferences).