Dreamweaver MX: The Complete Reference

I don't understand where some of these reviews are coming from. I've looked at probably a dozen different Dreamweaver MX books, and this one is by far the most comprehensive examination of building web sites that you'll find. They really cover everything in here, in an easy-to-read style that makes you want to read the book from cover to cover. The chapters that introduce ASP, JSP, CF, PHP, and ASP.NET would make a great book on their own -- they are classic. The chapters on CSS, Javascript, and server-side Flash programming in DW are also top-notch.

The shift from Dreamweaver or even Dreamweaver UltraDev to MX is and astonishing leap. MM has thouroughly redesigned the work method to allow for true rapid development of dynamic web envirionments.And then they didn't publish a manual that documented all that they did.This doorstop of a referance guide and its affiliated online code provide a concise roadmap through the features and their use. Necessarily, this means guiding the user through an overview of database design, SQL, and scripting for over 3/4's of the book.Foe example, one of the new integrations of DW MX is "remoting", the ability to utilize web services technology in Coldfusion.To a serious developer this is heaven sent. Needless to say the explanation is somewhat arcane.The real bottom line is that if this kind of material isn't your cup of tea, then DW MX probably isn't either.In fact you may want to invest in the book before you venture into the software. Not upgradung or GoLive may be a better product choice for some.

I never knew there was so much to learn to build a dynamic Web site. This book really does a great job laying out all of the different technologies that are needed. I've been using DW 4, but all of this application server stuff has my head spinning. This book has chapters about each application server that really helped me decide which direction to go. Those chapters alone make the book a worthwhile purchase, but there's also a chapter on database design. I never knew what I was doing wrong before with my databases, but it is clearly spelled out in this book. Also, SQL is clearly explained in a chapter. These are great topics for a Web developer, because it is stuff that I didn't know before, but also stuff that I needed to learn. This is like 8 books in one. Really a great deal. I'm only 1/4 of the way through it! The CSS chapter was also exceptional. All of the techniques I've seen in the book are up-to-date with the latest trends in Web design. The best part of it is that it doesn't read like some dry reference manual. The writing is easy to follow.

At first when I heard the book had all the server languages,(ASP/vb/jscript, ASP.net, PHP, JSP & CF) I thought it was going to be adiluted down version of the old book "Ultradev complete reference" Becausehow can you put all that "STUFF" into one book, well they did a great job. Iespecially like Chapter 23, which is a great over-view of the SQL"structured query language" Chapter 28 is pretty cool, it talks aboutserver-side flash integration, which is a topic I have been wanting to learnmore about. In closing, this book has a lot of bang for the buck, so if youin the market for a DWMX reference manual, check out "The CompleteReference, Dreamweaver MX"cheersWayne Lambright

All I can say is "wow". I've been using Dreamweaver for a while now building html pages, but Dreamweaver MX is a little overwhelming. There are different server models and databases to choose from, and so much to learn. This book addresses all of those areas that I was unfamiliar with using a readable style that made me want to read it from cover to cover. It's more than just a reference -- it has a tutorial approach that covers all the topics yet is useful as a teaching guide as well. This book will never make it to my shelf. It will be on my desk where I can refer to it while I work.