Need Help with missing Navigation buttons

Ok this is whats happening to me. I upload a template to dreamweaver. I
deleted the website name, tite and article. I type in the name of my site and
title. I click on "code tap" copy and past the html code from my new article
from the<p> into the code page. Click Design tap and the list item buttons for
navigating the website on the left are missing. I can't see them. All i see on
the template is my article, website name and title. Navigation buttons on the
left are not showing. I delete the code that i entered and click design and the
website template shows fine again except with know article. Can anybody tell me
what i am doing wrong or not doing?

Thanks, NatChar :confused;

For your template file, I am assuming that you are pasting the content into an editable region and that the menu is not inside an editable region because otherwise it would cause it not to show up.