Checking for broken, external, and orphaned links

Use the Check Links feature to search for broken links and unreferenced--also known as orphaned--files (files that still exist in the site but no other files in the site link to) in an open file, a portion of a local site, or an entire local site.

The only links that Dreamweaver verifies are links to documents within the site; Dreamweaver compiles a list of external links that appear in the selected document or documents, but does not verify them.

You can also identify and delete files that are no longer used by other files in your site. For more information, see Identifying and deleting unused files.

To check links within the current document:

1. Save the file to a location within your local Dreamweaver site.
2. Select File > Check Page > Check Links.

   The Broken Links report appears in the Link Checker panel (in the Results panel group).

3. In the Link Checker panel, select External Links from the Show pop-up menu to view another report.

   The External Links report appears in the Link Checker panel (in the Results panel group).

   TIP

   You can check for orphaned files when you check links across an entire site.

4. To save the report, click the Save Report button in the Link Checker panel.

   NOTE

   The target browser report is a temporary file--it will be lost if you don’t save it.

To check links within a portion of a local site:

1. In the Files panel, select a site from the Current Sites pop-up menu.
2. In Local view, select the files or folders to check.
3. Initiate the check by doing one of the following:
   • Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) one of the selected files, and then select Check Links > Selected Files/Folders from the context menu.
   • Select File > Check Page > Check Links.

   The Broken Links report appears in the Link Checker panel (in the Results panel group).

4. In the Link Checker panel, select External Links from the Show pop-up menu to view another report.

   The External Links report appears in the Link Checker panel (in the Results panel group).

   TIP

   You can check for orphaned files when you check links across an entire site (see the next procedure).

5. To save a report, click the Save Report button in the Link Checker panel.

To check links in the entire site:

1. In the Files panel, select a site from the Current Sites pop-up menu.
2. Select Site > Check Links Sitewide.

   The Broken Links report appears in the Link Checker panel (in the Results panel group).

3. In the Link Checker panel, select External Links or Orphaned Files from the Show pop-up menu to view another report.

   A list of files that fit the report type you selected appears in the Link Checker panel.

   NOTE

   If you select Orphaned Files as your report type, you can delete orphaned files from the Link Checker panel directly by selecting a file from the list and pressing the Delete key.

4. To save a report, click the Save Report button in the Link Checker panel.