DFM2HTML Community Hub
This community hub collects the questions, troubleshooting scenarios, and practical tips that come up most often when working with DFM2HTML. Rather than hosting a live discussion board, this hub provides a structured reference format that covers the same ground: common install questions, template decisions, JavaScript menu issues, export and publishing problems, and guidance on getting the most out of the editor for different site types. The support page outlines paths to direct help when you need more than a reference answer.
Common Questions by Category
Getting the Editor Set Up
SmartScreen flags software from publishers without a high-volume EV code signing certificate. Click "More info" then "Run anyway" to proceed. Verify the download checksum if you want to confirm the file's integrity before running it. Full install notes on the download page.
Use the 64-bit installer on any modern Windows 10 or Windows 11 system. The 32-bit installer is for legacy hardware or older Windows configurations. Both packages are available from download.
The DFM2HTML installer includes the required Visual C++ Redistributable. If an error appears during setup, download and install the latest Visual C++ Redistributable from Microsoft's download center directly, then rerun the DFM2HTML installer.
Keys are case-sensitive and must be entered exactly as provided. Paste rather than type to avoid errors. If the key has already been activated on another machine and you are migrating to a new computer, contact support to reset the activation. See the registration page for details.
Working with Templates
Single column pages: Template 1. Two column with sidebar: Template 2. Persistent sidebar navigation: Template 4 or Template 7. Compact brochure: Template 5. Multi-section: Template 8. The template library has full layout details for each.
Template changes require rebuilding the page structure. The template defines the layout skeleton, so switching templates means starting the layout from the new template and re-placing your content. For complex projects, commit to the template before adding significant content.
Frame-based templates use HTML framesets. Modern browsers support framesets but apply different default sizing and overflow behavior than older browsers. Test frame template output across browsers before publishing. The frame template pages include browser compatibility notes.
The editor preview and browser rendering use different rendering contexts. Set explicit width and height values on all image elements in the editor to prevent layout shift on export. The browser's developer tools will show which elements are missing dimensions.
JavaScript Menu Issues
Increase the closeDelay setting in the menu initialization to 150ms or higher. The cursor needs time to travel from the navigation bar to the submenu without the submenu closing underneath it. Full configuration on the JavaScript menus page.
Hover events do not fire on touch screens. Verify the touch event handling in the menu script is loading and that the tap-to-toggle behavior is active. If the script was customized after export, check that the touch detection block was not accidentally removed.
The ARIA attributes (aria-expanded, aria-haspopup) and keyboard event bindings must be present in the exported HTML. If these attributes were removed during editing, the keyboard behavior will fail. See the JavaScript menus page for the required markup structure.
A z-index conflict is the usual cause. The .dfm-sub submenu element needs a higher z-index than the content elements positioned below the navigation bar. Check the generated CSS and add a z-index rule if it is missing.
Publishing and Hosting
Always upload the complete exported folder structure. Path references in the HTML are relative, so the folder hierarchy must match exactly on the server. Linux hosting is case-sensitive, so file names must match the HTML references precisely.
Browser caching and CDN edge caching both serve stale versions after updates. Hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R) clears the local browser cache. CDN caching requires a cache purge through your hosting provider. See the FAQ for specific steps.
Verify the stylesheet path in the exported HTML matches the actual location of the CSS file on the server. Check the browser developer tools Network tab to see if the CSS request is returning a 404, then compare the URL in the error against the file location on your server.
Configure your web server to send Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 headers. On Apache, this can be set in an .htaccess file. On Cloudflare Pages, use the _headers file. See the FAQ encoding entry for specifics.