Others say...

"Full Expression - Diving Into Expression Web"
Learning Expression web has been an ordeal for me and I would not recommend Jim Cheshires book for those new to the field who want an easy introductory 'how to' guide to build a simple website. But if you want to get engaged in the remarkable possibilities that Expression Web offers then this is the book for you.

Cheshire introduces you to a multitude of complex subjects in just the manner I wish - he introduces them, gives me a sense of whats possible and usually give a few examples. That's what I need to get my toes wet - what I need to get past my fear factor.

Cheshire really focuses on ASP.NET and deservedly so. After reading this book I'm very interested in taking advantage of that technology and building an ASP.NET site but I had absolute no clue of the possibilities ASP.NET presents from the other books I read on Expression web. If you want to take full advantage of Expression Web this is the book for you. There's nothing else like it on the market.

"Provides Technical Nuts and Bolts"
I bought this book based on the customer reviews. I've previously developed web sites using FrontPage then Dreamweaver. I learn best by getting a conceptual overview of the software then delving into the details of how to use it. Then I need a step by step process, in this case building a simple web site. Later chapters would expand on the simpler original site with more complex features like dynamic data being added. This book doesn't do any of the above. It describes what features are available e.g. Quick Tags and then details the options associated with the features. I'm at Chapter 13 and I still haven't read about design using CSS, templates, or master pages.

I prefer a book to teach me "best programming practices" and keep me out of the ones that get you in trouble or create a maintenance nightmare. I'll keep looking.

"Web Expressions as front end for Visual Studio"
Expression Web is a website building tool that integrates with Visual Studio 2008 and, perhaps, 2005. This makes it quite an addition for those who are involved with full-featured server/e-commerce applications in .Net. The addition of complementary packages such as Web Expressions Blend enhance its reach for the web designer. Though not well versed with other high end products such as Dreamweaver, Web Expressions appears to cover the terrain with items that are interest to most with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), more generalized Master Pages, and ASP.NET connections for the design and implementation of web content. It's a step up from FrontPage, a product that is much more painful to deal with, at least to me.

"Another Technical Manual For Expression Web - Not a Site Design Book"
Once again another overburdened technical manual for Microsoft's Expression Web that was released to replace Frontpage. If you're looking for a book to help you design websites using Expression Web then look somewhere else... if you need technical answers to the nuts and bolts of how Expression Web works then this will probably do it for you.

If you're a site designer and need a book to help you design an actual attractive website using Microsoft's Expression Web... keep looking.

"An okay introduction, though poorly structured"
Microsoft Expression Web replaces the company's venerable FrontPage product. Expression Web is an entirely new product which means you have to learn it from the ground up. As with all "how-to" books on new products, they run the gamut from awful (Microsoft Expression Web (Visual QuickStart Guide)) to pretty good like this book.

Author Jim Cheshire covers a lot of ground here and he covers it reasonably thoroughly. In fact, it might be reasonably argued that he covers too much ground, which in turn led to a rather convoluted structure.

For example, Cheshire spends 20 pages on "A Tour of Expression Web", which isn't particularly detailed or helpful. For instance, he somes up layers in two general sentences that will probably mean nothing to beginners while the experienced user already knows what layers are.

This tour is really nothing more than a table of contents with a few screenshots. It is, frankly, a little odd. I get the impression that it is something the editors insisted on and Cheshire simply agreed.

The balance of the book deals with actually using Expression Web and Cheshire, on the whole, does a good job. Lots of screenshots to illustrate his points. Some of the chapters are merely introductions to complex Microsoft technologies, such as ASP.NET. There is a lot of introductory material in the book on ASP.NET, which in a way makes Expression Web seem more intimidating than it actually may be. Arguably, the ASP.NET material could have been omitted, making for a shorter, friendlier book. On the other hand, Cheshire does demonstrate the Dreamweaver rivaling power of Expression Web. On balance, the inclusion is probably a good thing. No one will force you to read it if you don't think you need it.

Cheshire devotes space as well to VBA progamming of Expression Web, something few web site developers will use. Again, even though the material is there, you don't have to read it. The same can be said for sections on behaviors, uding interactive buttons and so on.

Overall, this is a solid introduction to Expression Web. There is probably more here than the average user wants to know, but better that than the frothy emptiness of some of the other books out there. In sum, the cover claim that this is "The Only Expression Web Book You Need" is more true than not.

Jerry