A Master Page is a design you make once and attach to your pages. Anything you put on it, such as your logo, navigation menu and footer, appears on every page that uses it. When you change it, every one of those pages changes too.
Make a Master Page
- Click New Master Page at the top of the page list, or choose File > New Master Page.... If you can't see the Master Pages list, drag the bar at the top of the page list down.
- Choose a page style in the Theme Template Chooser. Pick the same kind of page as your website: Responsive or Centered Layout.
- Click Select, then design it like any other page.
A Master Page isn't published as a page of its own. If you made one by mistake, drag it down into your normal page list to turn a copy of it into a page, then delete the Master Page.
What to put on it
Put only what should be the same on every page:
- your logo or business name
- your navigation menu
- your footer: copyright line, address, contact details, social media icons
- your page and browser background colours, and the Page Layout settings
Where to put them:
- Centered Layout pages: put the logo and menu in the header section and the footer items in the footer section. Choose Window > Show Layout to see the lines between the header, content and footer.
- Responsive pages: there's no header section, so put the logo and menu in a Container at the top of the Master Page, and the footer items at the bottom. Then open one of your pages to check how they sit with the page's own content. See Build a responsive page with Containers so it stacks neatly on a phone.
Leave out anything that changes from page to page, such as headings, photos and descriptions. Those go on each page.
Many pages that are nearly the same, such as product pages? Put the shared parts on the Master Page. Build one product page, then right-click it in the page list and choose Duplicate for each new product, and change what's different. See Copy a page, or a whole website, within a project or to another project. You can't change a Master Page object on one page only.
Attach it to your pages
- Select a page in the page list.
- Go to Inspector > Page Settings (the first icon).
- Choose your Master Page from the Master Page menu.
Objects from the Master Page now show on the page, with a small black page icon in their top right corner. Objects that were already on the page may have moved, so check the layout.
- To see which pages use a Master Page, click it in the Master Pages list. Its pages are highlighted.
- To detach a page, set its Master Page menu back to No Selection.
- On a page that uses a Master Page, the Page Layout settings are greyed out. Change them on the Master Page.
Edit it
Click the Master Page in the Master Pages list and make your changes. Or click a Master Page object on any page, and EverWeb asks whether you want to go to the Master Page to edit it.
Every page that uses the Master Page changes, so publish with File > Publish Entire Site. See What's the difference between Publish and Publish Entire Site?
Common mistakes
| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Something that should be on every page is only on one | It's on that page, not on the Master Page | Select it, choose Edit > Cut, open the Master Page and choose Edit > Paste. Then remove any copies from other pages |
| You can't select or change something on one page | It's on the Master Page. EverWeb says it "can only be edited from that page" | Change it on the Master Page (every page changes), or move it off the Master Page and onto the pages that need it |
| The Master Page footer appears halfway down some pages | Objects on those pages sit in the footer section, often because a shape hides the section lines | Choose Window > Show Layout. Hold Command (Mac) or Alt (Windows) and drag those objects up into the content area |
| Drop-down menus open behind photos or text | Page content sits in front of the menu | On the Master Page, select the Container or Responsive Row that holds the menu (right-click and use Pick Layer), then tick Always On Top in Inspector > Metrics |
| A mystery object or "ghost" image on every page | A forgotten or hidden object on the Master Page | Open the Master Page, right-click the spot and use Pick Layer to find and delete it |
| A change shows on some pages but not others | Those pages use a different Master Page, or none | Click each Master Page to see its pages. Change both, or move all pages to one Master Page |
Related articles
- How do I add a navigation menu to every page of my website?
- How do I move or drag objects into the header, a blue line appears that stops me
- What's the difference between Publish and Publish Entire Site?
- Build a responsive page with Containers so it stacks neatly on a phone
- Copy a page, or a whole website, within a project or to another project