Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 Web Application Recipes

I normally don't write reviews (just read a bunch) but I had to take the time to say that I love this book! I am a beginner developer using ASP and have learned a lot in a short period of time with this book. It goes beyond your normal "step-by-step" tutorial book and explains at each step in the process what you are doing any why you are doing it. If you are like me, and have found yourself at the end of one of those "Build Our Ficticous Site" tutorial books, saying to yourself "Ok, what did I just learn?" than this book is for you. I had no trouble at all downloading the support files, so I imagine they have fixed any problems other reviewers mentioned.

Finally, a book with tutorials that lays it all out and what you should expect to get done in a step-by-step process. From the beginning of each tutorial (recipe) it lays out how many pages you will create and how many database/tables you'll need so you can easily understand what your getting into. Each recipe describes the scenario it conquers in detail. Interesting enough this book can handle supplying instructions for four different languages (Coldfusion, asp vb script, asp JavaScript & php) without getting confusing to the reader. I use Coldfusion and had no problem following those set of directions. The instructions are clearly delineated. This book was able to help me complete four processes my I knew could be done, but did not know how to even begin to accomplish them. User Login, which is critical to my business. Employee Lookup, which became a nice little tool we added recently. Survey builder, which I can envision having a nice impact for my customers and finally, Mail Merge, which has made my management happy. If you have wanted to take that plunge into interactive sites, this book is the answer. I can't wait to see what they come up for the next recipe book.

The book covers a broad spectrum of data-driven Web applications and is a good base for the aspiring Web Designers, who have been creating Static websites with Dreamweaver for the past few years and now want to take a straight dive into developing Dynamic Websites. This book is like having a coach on your side motivating you through step-by-step instructions. An excellent book using recipe metaphor! Easy to read and understand, got eight rich, scalable example Applications with professional quality codes, with an online companion website, www.webassist.com/recipes. The book is divided into three parts: First is Starters, having the basics of Databases and Dreamweaver Workspace, so that a newbie can very easily understand everything by just reading through the pages and get the complete understanding before actually involving themselves in developing.Second and third parts have Main Course-Intranet Web Applications and Main Course-Workgroup Web Applications. Both have four main modules as four recipes. All the recipes have Ingredients, which tells what all you need to have for developing that module. Then you have Prep work list which will enable you to know what all you need to complete before you actually begin to build the Application. After this the actual development starts and the support is given in four variations : ASP-VB Script, ASP-Javascript, Coldfusion and PHP. Useful `Warnings' and special `Notes' are found in all the sections of the book in separate boxes. All the Applications are well researched, planned and written in an easy to follow format. Every step in the development process is explained well so that `you understand not just what you do, but why you are doing it'. This aim of the book is followed right from the start to the end of the book.

Just beginning to use ASP/PHP/Coldfusion? Then get this book. It works like a turtorial with each lession getting ever more technical. However, unlike a classroom course the end results are useful, practical systems. You will not learn everything there is to learn about the various server models, but that's not the point. In fact, you would be best advised to have a reference book next to you when using it, but it will get you on the road to writing good applications quickly.It's also not a 'drop in' book, or 'learn this in 24 hours', it's much better than that. Set aside a few hours, get yourself a coffee and learn. It'll take time, but it's worth the effort.

This book will save you a lot of time, and if you have purchased New Riders books before, you know the quality. Just get it. No, I'm not the author, or anyone associated with the book, and I normally dont review books anyway. I thought, since no one had yet reviewed it, I would get the ball rolling. Just get the book.