5.2 DOWNLOADING THE GACC TEMPLATE OR BUILDING THE SITE 

FROM SCRATCH 

As stated, the GACC has the choice of downloading the current template files or building 

their site from scratch.  Either way, it is important that you adhere to guidelines 

established by the NGWC and listed in sections A through D below, whether 

downloading the current files or building your site from scratch. 

Downloading: The current downloadable template was built using Macromedia 

Dreamweaver.  In designing the template, a baseline layout template (i.e., .dwt file in 

the Template folder) was initially designed, along with development of Cascading 

Style Sheets (i.e., .css file in CSS folder) and Library items (i.e., .lib files in Library 

folder).  The template was built using Tables in order to distinguish the layout of the 

site, however, there is no requirement that states you must use the Tables format.  If 

so desired, re building the site using layers and/or CSS formatting is welcomed.  The 

only requirement is the Tier One and Tier Two levels on the site must maintain the 

standardized look established by the NGWC. 

There are a number of graphics in the images folder.  The two primary graphics you'll 

need to work on are located across the top banner (i.e. banner1 and banner2).  

These two files were initially created using PaintShop Pro 8.0, which uses a layering 

format so items on the graphic can be individually moved, and saved as a .gif files.  

We've included .png files that can be opened using Macromedia Fireworks to 

manipulate the layers and insert information for your GACC. 

Instructions for downloading the current template files and setting up a Macromedia 

Web on your PC or local server are included in Appendix 5.  You will need to 

download all of the files from the FTP site, including the TEMPLATE, CSS, and 

LIBRARY folders. 

Building from Scratch: If you are building the site from scratch, you might want to 

start by designing your own general template page.  The purpose behind this is to 

allow you the opportunity to make changes on the template page rather than each 

individual page.  When building the template page, you might also consider 

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and Library items.  CSS will allow font faces, sizes, 

etc, to be the same throughout the site, and Library items are designed for those 

places where the information is the same on each page. 

The following section describes the specific requirements for the GACC site.  The first 

section (Section A) describes the site requirements, top and bottom banners, the left 

side menu bar, and the content area. The second section (Section B) describes the 

overall purpose for each page on the site and types of information or links that may be 

inserted on each page.  The third section (Section C) details GACC maintenance 

requirements for the website, and the fourth section (Section D) refers to Federal 

Government Accessibility Requirements for websites. 

National GACC Website and GACC Website Template  

12

  Implementation Guidelines