Recommended books about Dreamweaver

Tired of reading HTML books that only make sense after you're an expert? Then it's about time you picked up Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML and really learned HTML. You want to learn HTML so you can finally create those web pages you've always wanted, so you can communicate more effectively with friends, family, fans, and fanatic customers. You also want to do it right so you can actually maintain and expand your Web pages over time, and so your web pages work in all the browsers and mobile devices out there. Oh, and if you've never heard of CSS, that's okay - we won't tell anyone you're still partying like it's 1999 - but if you're going to create Web pages in the 21st century then you'll want to know and understand CSS.

Learn the real secrets of creating Web pages, and why everything your boss told you about HTML tables is probably wrong (and what to do instead). Most importantly, hold your own with your co-worker (and impress cocktail party guests) when he casually mentions how his HTML is now strict, and his CSS is in an external style sheet.

With Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML, you'll avoid the embarrassment of thinking web-safe colors still matter, and the foolishness of slipping a font tag into your pages. Best of all, you'll learn HTML and CSS in a way that won't put you to sleep. If you've read a Head First book, you know what to expect: a visually-rich format designed for the way your brain works. Using the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science, and learning theory, this book will load HTML, CSS, and XHTML into your brain in a way that sticks.

So what are you waiting for? Leave those other dusty books behind and come join us in Webville. Your tour is about to begin.

"Elegant design is at the core of every chapter here, each concept conveyed with equal doses of pragmatism and wit." --Ken Goldstein, Executive Vice President, Disney Online

"This book is a thoroughly modern introduction to forward-looking practices in web page markup and presentation." --Danny Goodman, author of Dynamic HTML: The Definitive Guide

"What used to be a long trial and error learning process has now been reduced neatly into an engaging paperback." --Mike Davidson, CEO, Newsvine, Inc.

"I love Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML--it teaches you everything you need to learn in a 'fun coated' format!" --Sally Applin, UI Designer and Artist

"I haven't had as much fun reading a book (other than Harry Potter) in years. And your book finally helped me break out of my hapless so-last-century way of creating web pages." --Professor David M. Arnow, Department of Computer and Information Science, Brooklyn College

"If you've ever had a family member who wanted you to design a website for them, buy them Head First HTML with CSS and XHTML. If you've ever asked a family member to design you a web site, buy this book. If you've ever bought an HTML book and ended up using it to level your desk, or for kindling on a cold winter day, buy this book. This is the book you've been waiting for. This is the learning system you've been waiting for." --Warren Kelly, Blogcritics.org

This book turned out to be really really good. It takes you through all the basics without getting boring, and its pretty thorough. At the end they even tell you "where to go from here" instead of leaving you hanging like most books. I found myself regularly keeping up with reading it, and as long as you pace yourself, you can pick up decent working knowledge within a week or two.

i read "head first html" with satisfaction, and it is very effective about learning theoretical good practices in web design (you definitely can't say complete, if you consider - just for example - how funny is the absolute positioning when you get the real mechanism in some third order blog)

i could say that there is no mention about serious advanced techniques to actually do what we all really see and experience in thousands of web pages, but this is not the point

the point is that in real world internet explorer is the pace maker, and the hearth of web is actually suffering from that

that means that this book does not say that (about) none of some serious css and design techniques will not work on internet explorer (you can say absolute positioning, floating, margins, pngs... check sitepoint css reference [...]-alphabetic and enjoy dozens of "red boxes" about internet explorer compatibility with css or run your acid 2 test at [...] or... well, it is a full time job)

what this book should have done THESE days (internet explorer 6 and 7 being still in use for years) is to teach the way to create real world webpages - "practice" (how WE can do it) after "theory" (how THEY at microsoft should do it)

but who cares real world? if you take the absolute positioning example again, you can see that it is one of main way internet explorer breaks your designs, but fortuity wants that there is no serious information about this topic in the book we are talking about (and you will complain that)

being serious, i see there is no critic and educational approach in head first series (you still think that java is the best language in the world? if you only read head first java you could think so)

so, no hope in next "versions" because head first is politically correct

I am a begginner starting from scratch. Currently on page 470 of this 650 pages book. This book is fun and its very hard for me to put it down and let it rest. I am learning so much! I bought this book less then a week ago and I only have 200 pages to go. Amazing!! I thought it would take me forever, and id want to return the book after a day or two. ABSOLUTELY NOT! This is the best text book let alone the best html guide I have ever read. Cant wait for their PHP AND MYSQL book that is coming out only in DEC 08.
I dont know what else to say besides, if you want to learn the core of html and css the right way, this is diffenetly for you!

Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML was a great introduction to writing (x)html/css. The book is written in clear, simple language in a conversational style, and is filled with graphical cues to enhance recognition and comprehension. I particularly loved the focus on context -- it's so helpful to finally understand the *why* behind the rules! The authors are upbeat and practical throughout (although their jokes do get a bit old), and their Q&A sections frequently anticipated my questions with mind-reader accuracy. The exercises in the book were perfectly pitched - demonstrative, useful, and repetitive without being boring. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a solid, practical introduction to html / xhtml & css.

This is the first book in a long time that I read cover-to-cover. It's pure gold! You can hand this book to someone with zero HTML or CSS experience, and when they are finished, they will be producing valid XHTML with CSS. This book doesn't even bother teaching the old HTML tags to avoid confusion. It's also good for experienced HTML programmers wanting to move to XHTML and CSS. A very humorous and fun book! It's well worth every penny.

Welcome to Dreamweaver CS3. This new version of the popular web design software offers a rich environment for building professional sites, with drag-and-drop simplicity, clean HTML code, and dynamic database-driven web site creation tools. Moreover, it's now integrated more tightly with Adobe's other products: Photoshop, InDesign, Flash, and their siblings. But with such sophisticated features, the software isn't simple. So say hello to Dreamweaver CS3: The Missing Manual, the fifth edition of this bestselling book by experienced web site trainer and author David McFarland. This book helps both first-time and experienced web designers bring stunning, interactive web sites to life. With jargon-free language and clear descriptions, this new edition addresses both beginners who need step-by-step guidance as well as long-time Dreamweaver users who need a handy reference to address the inner-workings of the program. Dreamweaver CS3: The Missing Manual teaches designers how to construct and manage web sites by examining web-page components and Dreamweaver's capabilities through "live examples." With a complete A-Z guide to designing, organizing, building and deploying a web site for those with no web design experience, this book: Takes you through the basics to advanced techniques to control the appearance of your web pages with CSS Shows you how to design dynamic database-driven web sites, from blogs to product catalogs, and from shopping carts to newsletter signup forms Teaches you how to master your web site, and manage thousands of pages effortlessly Witty and objective, Dreamweaver CS3: The Missing Manual is a must for anyone who uses this highly popular program, from beginners toprofessionals. Altogether, it's the ultimate atlas for Dreamweaver CS3.

looked in several book stores for a good ref book on Dreamweaver. have several o'reilly ref books already and was glad to find this one at a reasonable price... and received it in 3 days with standard shipping! nice...

This is a great book and helpful in quickly finding information that you need to assist you with building your website/pages using the Dreamweaver CS3 software program. Was able to find the information I needed in a minimum of time. Felt that the price was reasonable for the manual and know that I will be using this for quite sometime.

I can't believe how much I have learned in the past few days just by reading this book. I am already doing some websites and as continue reading I discover more each day. It is a fantastic book. By the way, i went to NYU and the professor was using in class all the excercises from this book. I couldn't belive I paid 500 dollars to school when I could have done it on my own. So, get this book now!

Yes, this is a huge volume - as are most software "how-to" and other reference books - but this is one you'll definitely want to tackle if you're interested in building your skills with Dreamweaver CS3. To say there's a ton of good information goes without saying. Any good manual of this type can dish out the factoids, charts and examples in mass quantities, and "The Missing Manual" for Dreamweaver is no exception. To their credit, the authors still manage to present all that information with a good amount of humor and enough real-world examples to make it easy to digest and understand.

Especially useful are the "hands-on" projects and lessons contained in each chapter. You get a taste of topics such as text formatting, page layout, creating / modifying CSS rules and lots, lots more. Each lesson is simple and direct - click here, type this, etc. Step by step. Many of the lessons build on each other, so you can see a complete web page come together with more and more features and complexity. All of the lesson and example files are downloadable from the book's online companion site, so there's no need to find (and store and protect) a CD that might have been included in the book. The site also gives updated information and provides links to more help... very useful.

You probably won't read this book all at once - not unless you're an absolute newcomer to web design and Dreamweaver. If that's the case, you can work through all of the lessons, and come away with a very good understanding of the program's main functions and features. The discussion (and lessons) on CSS alone are well worth the read. Even though the authors say this book is not intended to provide a complete reference for CSS, the material presented greatly increased my knowledge and confidence in using this particularly useful bit of web-design magic.

In short: a very useful, very reader-friendly book that can help any new- to moderately-skilled Dreamweaver user. Advanced users probably know all this stuff already, but for the rest of us, "The Missing Manual" is a great addition to a personal software reference library. Highly recommended.

Bill Sklodowski
Author of the forthcoming book: "PC Smarts for Small Business"
Personal & Small Business Coaching
Digital Marketing / Creative Services
www.PcTechandTraining.com

This book provides a clear index, which makes it the go to place for any Dreamweaver questions.

Web site design has grown up. Unlike the old days, when designers cobbled together chunky HTML, bandwidth-hogging graphics, and a prayer to make their sites look good, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) now lets your inner designer come out and play. But CSS isn't just a tool to pretty up your site; it's a reliable method for handling all kinds of presentation--from fonts and colors to page layout. "CSS: The Missing Manual" clearly explains this powerful design language and how you can use it to build sparklingly new Web sites or refurbish old sites that are ready for an upgrade.

Like their counterparts in print page-layout programs, style sheets allow designers to apply typographic styles, graphic enhancements, and precise layout instructions to elements on a Web page. Unfortunately, due to CSS's complexity and the many challenges of building pages that work in all Web browsers, most Web authors treat CSS as a kind of window-dressing to spruce up the appearance of their sites. Integrating CSS with a site's underlying HTML is hard work, and often frustratingly complicated. As a result many of the most powerful features of CSS are left untapped. With this book, beginners and Web-building veterans alike can learn how to navigate the ins-and-outs of CSS and take complete control over their Web pages' appearance.

Author David McFarland (the bestselling author of O'Reilly's "Dreamweaver: The Missing Manual") combines crystal-clear explanations, real-world examples, a dash of humor, and dozens of step-by-step tutorials to show you ways to design sites with CSS that work consistently across browsers. You'll learn how to: Create HTML that's simpler, uses less code, is search-engine friendly, and works well with CSS Style text by changing fonts, colors, font sizes, and adding borders Turn simple HTML links into complex and attractive navigation bars-complete with CSS-only rollover effects that add interactivity to your Web pages Style images to create effective photo galleries and special effects like CSS-based drop shadows Make HTML forms look great without a lot of messy HTML Overcome the most hair-pulling browser bugs so your Web pages work consistently from browser to browser Create complex layouts using CSS, including multi-column designs that don't require using old techniques like HTML tables Style Web pages for printing

Unlike competing books, this Missing Manual doesn't assume that everyone in the world only surfs the Web with Microsoft's Internet Explorer; our book provides support for all major Web browsers and is one of the first books to thoroughly document the newly expanded CSS support in IE7, currently in beta release.

Want to learn how to turn humdrum Web sites into destinations that will capture viewers and keep them longer? Pick up "CSS: The Missing Manual" and learn the real magic of this tool.

I purchased this book with the need to learn CSS. Initially I thought that meant simply learning its syntax. This book does that well, but also goes much further to give the reader a deeper understanding of why you want to use CSS and how to apply it.

Mr. McFarland has done an excellent job of explaining the "why" and "how" of using CSS to build effective web sites. He does this with a combination of useful examples, helpful illustrations, pointers to useful resources, and an entertaining writing style. I appreciated the many tips and tricks which have helped me in the real-world application of my new skills. As a matter of fact, this book just helped me to resolve a nasty IE bug that was driving me crazy. Very highly recommended! (The book, not IE bugs.)

Superb textbook! Very readable and easy to understand. Only thing that would make it better is a spiral binder because I'll be referring back to it often.

How is this book excellent?

1. It is well written.

2. Most chapters have 2 styles: descriptive and prescriptive (or read this, do that).

That alone would make it worth quite a bit. But then when you want to get a little deeper, it covers differences between browsers and often gives examples of how to work around those differences.

But wait there is more. It references other web sources if you want to go even deeper.

I agree with one reviewer, this is not the best reference manual. However, it is an excellent book and if you are trying to learn CSS, this is an excellent book to use.

If you need a reference manual, one word: google.

I found this book to be very good. I usually have a hard time reading an entire book on technical subjects like this, but this one kept my interest. The tutorials are very good and give real world examples. I highly recommend downloading and completing the tutorials. Many times I found myself saying, aha, so that how you do that. I went from practically no knowledge of css to being able to create css based web designs like a pro. Highly recommended.

I found this book very helpful. I'm just starting out designing and building web sites, using CSS and Dreamweaver, and this book has been a great help to me.

The fastest, easiest, most comprehensive way to learn Adobe Dreamweaver CS4

Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 Classroom in a Book contains 11 lessons. The book covers the basics of learning Adobe Dreamweaver and provides countless tips and techniques to help you become more productive with the program. You can follow the book from start to finish or choose only those lessons that interest you.

Learn how to create and manage web sites, build rich interactive interfaces, incorporate graphics, text, and video, and use Photoshop Smart Objects.

�gThe Classroom in a Book series is by far the best training material on the market. Everything you need to master the software is included: clear explanations of each lesson, step-by-step instructions, and the project files for the students.�h �|Barbara Binder, Adobe Certified Instructor, Rocky Mountain Training

Classroom in a Book��, the best-selling series of hands-on software training workbooks, helps you learn the features of Adobe software quickly and easily. Classroom in a Book offers what no other book or training program does�|an official training series from Adobe Systems incorporated, developed with the support of Adobe product experts.

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Dreamweaver CS4 Digital Classroom is like having a personal instructor guiding readers through each lesson, while they work at their own pace. This book includes 13 self-paced lessons that let readers discover essential skills and explore new features and capabilities of Adobe Dreamweaver CS4. Each lesson is presented in full color with step-by-step instructions. Learning is reinforced with video tutorials and lesson files on a companion DVD that were developed by the same team of Adobe Certified Instructors and Dreamweaver experts who have created many of the official training titles for Adobe Systems. Each video tutorial is approximately five minutes long and demonstrates and explains the concepts and features covered in the lesson. This training package demonstrates how to design, develop, and maintain a fully functioning Web site. Coverage includes applying style sheets, using dynamic HTML, adding style with images and multimedia, publishing and maintaining a web site, using hyperlinks to navigate throughout a website or link to other sites on the Internet, and using databases to create dynamic websites. Jam-packed with information, this book takes users from the basics through intermediate level topics and helps readers find the information they need in a clear, approachable manner.

"I'm relatively new to web design and I needed to learn how to make a simple website for my small business. I got a copy of Dreamweaver CS4 for my birthday and then bought this book based on the Amazon reviews. It's taken a few days for me to get used to the software but this book has helped immensely. I'm someone who learns well with step-by-step directions and this book provides that, but it also adds some background on *why* we are doing something in a certain way. It fits my learning style to be able to work with real lesson files and I was able to make my own web pages using the steps here.

I do wish the videos were longer but they are helpful to have as a reference, so I'll take 1/2 a star away for that. I also wish there was more information on how to get a site up and running on a service provider (?) but I don't think that's the books fault as apparently there are many different ways to do this. (To be fair, there is a chapter on this but it just didn't apply to my case).

However these criticisms shouldn't take away from the fact that this book made working with Dreamweaver fun. Highly recommended."

An excellent book that is written in a clear and concise manner! I'm very happy with the content. The lessons do an excellent job of explaining web principles and the concept of CSS which is so important in efficiently managing we sites!

Dreamweaver CS4 Digital Classroom really gets to the heart of the matter
in explaining Dreamweaver to users of many levels, as well as explaining the added benefits of CS4. Because the author is also an instructor, he understands and explains the more challenging material. Author's pace, enclosed DVD, and Self study exercises and Review Questions allowed me to reinforce the lessons, and, in my case, revisit the exercises where I still needed a little work. This book has helped me understand Dreamweaver!

After the first chapter (called lessons in this book) I understood what I needed to know to actually use the software. After five lesson, I'm creating web sites and using cascading style sheets. The book has you follow steps and you use the lesson files on the disc that comes with it, but it's more than simply clicking. There is lots of explanation, so you know why you're doing what is instructed, and you can watch videos for each chapter to see someone walk through parts of the lesson. With videos clips, tutorial files, and the book for around $30, it's a good buy, as I felt like a teacher was right there with me. Every time I had a question, it was addressed at just the right time. Good book.

�|Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 Hands-On Training is the latest, updated version of the highly acclaimed publication from the leading trainers on Dreamweaver at lynda.com. In this book, readers will find carefully developed lessons and exercises that teach readers modern Web design techniques and workflow with the latest version, Adobe Dreamweaver CS3. Now that the software is an integral part of the Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium, Web Standard, and Design Premium packages, there is an even greater need for the clear, step-by-step approach this book offers. Readers will learn to define a Web site; lay out pages effectively with Cascading Style Sheets; use tables; create rollovers; work with templates, media objects, and forms; and design for mobile devices. They'll also learn how to use the new features in Adobe Dreamweaver CS3, including the new Spry framework for Ajax, Spry widgets and effects, advanced Photoshop CS3 integration, a new Browser Compatibility Check feature, CSS layouts, a new Manage CSS feature, integration with Adobe Device Control for creating mobile content, and Adobe Bridge CS3. Accompanied by a CD-ROM loaded with classroom-proven exercises and QuickTime training videos, this book ensures you'll master the key features of Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 in no time.

This book was a required text for my class...however, I would have bought it sooner if I had known how helpful it would be. Thanks!

The book I bought from Amazon was just brand new. Surprisingly, I got this was just half price of the price my school sold this book.

A must-have manual for all Web designers who use Dreamweaver at any level. One of the HOT series of hands-on computer books published by Lynda.com. Each chapter is a tutorial covering a separate web design task, such as CSS, typograpjy, tables, etc. If you work your way through all 21 chapters you will have built a very complex web site. I have lots of Dreamweaver books, but this one is by far the best.

I am currently enrolled in a Dreamweaver class and purchasing this book was a requirement. So far, I love the book because you have tutorials to assist you along. The exercises you are recommend to participate are very useful and helpful. Great enhancement for the class.

I bought this book for an Intro to Dreamweaver CS3 type class and found this to be a throughly helpful text. Its examples were great, well thought out and easy to follow. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to start out learning Dreamweaver.

Dreamweaver CS3, now included as part of Adobe's Creative Suite 3, is the leading professional Web design and development application in the market, and is a must-have tool for any Web designer or developer. Dreamweaver CS3 offers new CSS layouts, a unified CSS panel, and CSS visualization tools that let users create interactive Web sites without having to delve into code. Dreamweaver users can now create dynamic interfaces using the Spry framwork for Ajax. (Spry is 99% HTML, so it's accessible to both designers and developers). Spry widgets (pre-built user interface components) let users quickly add common user interface components to Web pages. Each chapter in this full-color book contains a project that builds upon the reader's growing knowledge of Dreamweaver, while review questions at the end of each chapter reinforce the most important skills. Readers will learn how to customize a Dreamweaver workspace, apply cascading style sheets, enter headline and body text, insert graphics and rollovers, and add links to a page. They'll also learn how to add interactive elements to their site, such as behaviors, effects, and Flash video; add new code or code snippets; and publish their finished site to the Web.

SPECIAL NOTE: Before starting the lessons in the book visit www.peachpit.com/dwcs3cib for important lesson and project file updates.

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I bought this book because it says it's from Adobe.

How can a company that makes such great software fall so short on it's books? I remember when I bought my first copy of Adobe Illustrator CS, I didn't go buy a book. Why?

It came with a book! A darn good one, too!

What I like about this book:

1. You can read it start to finish in a coffee shop (not too many pages).
2. It's very lightweight to carry around (not too many pages).
3. You really feel like you got thru it really fast (see above).

What I don't like about this book:

1. It glimpses over EVERYTHING.
2. It leaves me wanting more.
3. It brought me back to Amazon.com to look for a better book on the subject.

I had to buy this book for a class. I have used the CIB series before and have enjoyed them. But, I read the reviews and I felt like why the school would even get this book. But, it is not that bad for just learning the bare minimum basics. There were some errors though. You had to download updateds for a few chapters online, which can be a pain. I have never used Dreamweaver before, so it seemed to help me learn the basics. But the class is now over and we were required to do all of the chapters. I just don't feel like I am extremely comfortable with Dreamweaver. I feel like I just skimmed the surface. Some of the chapters lacked detail (especially the form chapter (Chapter 10) and Publishing to the Web (Chapter 12). I found myself going over and over some things just to find that there may be a book error. Then other chapters were just so simplistic that the lesson was pointless. But, anyway I also bought the Missing Manual for Dreamweaver and since it is 1000 pages, hopefully I will learn more about the program.

If you're new to Dreamweaver CS3 and are looking for a "clear" step by step learning guide, I suggest you pick another book. This book is full of typo's, mistaken steps, wrong instructions and is very short on explanations. I've used many step tutorials and this is by far about the worst I've come across. Returned the book for a refund.

I had written my original webpages (many years ago!) with Adobe PageMill. I finally had to upgrade my computer, and thus the software. Getting Adobe CS3 Design Premium was a no-brainer for my situation, but when I opened Dreamweaver, I found it was terribly foreign to me. Figuring Adobe would be a good place to start my self-training (and seeing that the reviews here on Amazon were all over the map), I purchased Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 Classroom in a Book.

Just like a beginning computer class at your local community college, the book follows a prepared lesson plan for "hands-on experience". Unlike such a class, there's no way to ask for clarification, more examples, or get lesson material errors corrected. Although I started out learning things I definitely needed to know, I soon stalled out when I tried to generalize what I'd just worked through to a real-life creative effort. The book simply is not a resource, but a series of pre-determined exercises to get a person actually doing a few things with the program. It's value is definitely transient, not lasting, and thus not worth the purchase price by any means.

Also rather disturbing were the incorrect keyboard shortcuts and directions in general for Mac users. In fact, I experienced a repeated freeze-up when using a particular set of shortcut instructions (the "normal" command path worked fine).

I ended up browsing other Dreamweaver texts at a local bookstore (where I could see layout and formatting of each book) and selected "Visual Quickstart Guide -- Dreamweaver CS3" as a result. In it, I learned a LOT more about what I could do with Dreamweaver, and it's laid out in a way that promotes its use for reference during my learning curve. I tried to finish off the last lessons in Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 Classroom in a Book after that ... I lasted only a few pages before I closed the book in disgust. Once the toolbar, panels, and workspace became familiar, the rote exercises lost all usefulness.

I'm sure that Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 Classroom in a Book has an audience out there, but it's not me -- someone with no Dreamweaver experience and just a smattering of website design experience. It's definitely not going to suit previous Dreamweaver users, either. Unless you're very certain that your experience level and needs line up exactly with the few folks who gave out 4- and 5-star reviews, you'll be better off finding some other vehicle to learn Dreamweaver.

This is a great book, especially for beginning users of Dreamweaver, but also for those who may have had a class or two in college and feel like they need a little bit more in-depth instruction.

With over 3 million users worldwide, Adobe's Dreamweaver is the most popular web development software in the world, and it just took another step forward with CS3, the new version released in 2007. Having come a long way from its humble beginnings as a simple web design tool, CS3 allows you to rapidly put together standards compliant web sites and dynamic web sites with server-side languages and Ajax, and much more. To complement this great new application, David Powers has written the ultimate guide to itThe Essential Guide to Dreamweaver CS3 teaches you everything you need to know about the application, from setting up your development environment environment to publishing your sites and applications on the web, and everything in between.

• Takes you through your development environment set up
• Covers everything you need to create both standards compliant web sutes, and dynamic web applications
• Teaches several real world techniques using a series of step by step tutorials

What youll learn

• How to set up your ideal development environment, using Mac OSX/Windows, Apache (and IIS on Windows,) Apache, MySQL, and phpMyAdmin
• Creating standards compliant web sites using CS3's XHTML and CSS features
• Creating dynamic web applications using CS3's PHP and Spry Ajax server behaviors
• Building several real world web site functions, such as form validation, random quote generator, search function, user management/login pages, dynamic Ajax gallery, and much more.
• Creating an interface design in Fireworks CS3 and importing it into Dreamweaver CS3.
• How use Dreamweaver CS3's XML functionality, to consume RSS feeds, and create Spry data sets
• Using includes, templates and master detail pages.
• How to publish your site after you've created it

Summary of Contents

• Chapter 1: Dreamweaver CS3Your Creative Partner
• Chapter 2: Building Dynamic Sites with Ajax and PHP
• Chapter 3: Getting the Work Environment Ready
• Chapter 4: Setting Up a PHP Site
• Chapter 5: Adding a Touch of Style
• Chapter 6: Creating a CSS Site Straight Out of the Box
• Chapter 7: Building Site Navigation with the Spry Menu Bar
• Chapter 8: Sprucing Up Content with Spry Widgets
• Chapter 9: Building Online Forms and Validating Input
• Chapter 10: Introducing the Basics of PHP
• Chapter 11: Using PHP to Process a Form
• Chapter 12: Working with PHP Includes and Templates
• Chapter 13: Setting Up MySQL and phpMyAdmin
• Chapter 14: Storing Records in a Database
• Chapter 15: Controlling Access to Your Site
• Chapter 16: Working with Multiple Tables
• Chapter 17: Searching Records and Handling Dates
• Chapter 18: Using XSLT to Display Live News Feeds and XML
• Chapter 19: Using Spry to Display XML
• Chapter 20: Getting the Best of Both Worlds with PHP and Spry

This book is a must for anyone looking to get stuck into PHP, AJAX and Dreamweaver (as in the title). The steps are clearly written and easy to follow with troubleshooting sections at the end of each chapter. The steps for setting up a local server (Apache or IIS) or again well written with good advice that you are able to choose or ignore. I highly recommend this book!!

Mr Powers....write us another book soon pleeeaaasssee!!!

I dont normally review books, but I thought this one was worth reviewing. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who works with dreamweaver and wants to create modern, standards compliant websites and web applications.

The book is well written and thoroughly covers the subjects it claims to cover.

Each chapter is also written in such a way that it could be read independently of the other chapters. This is highly useful if you only want to cover one or two of the three primary subjects covered (css, php and ajax with Dreamweaver cs3).

By the end of this book you will be able to create basic (though useful) web apps, validate user input in forms, use dreamweaver's built in ajax functions (spry) to make content much more interesting and create standards compliant websites that will be viewable in all browsers.

I have a lot of books. I teach this stuff and try to read everything I can. This book is great. Easy to follow and the tasks are a useful way to learn how to use CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). This goes from easy to more advanced in each section so anyone that needs to learn how to use CSS will get value. I highly recommend this book.

I've been through this book hard enough...everytime I think the author got some missed point, no...it was my own mistake. I go back and read over again the part where I encounter the problem and thats it..The author has never left anything incorrect. I encounter a lot of frustrating part (cursing the author!) but when I turn back, again; it was my mistake. I left some paragraph unread. (Sorry.) David had done an excellent job concerning about his readers. He definitely try to delivers as best as could and he succeed. Everything works just fine if you care enough to read thoroughly. I've been through with the Vhost, Vista installation, the relative root link, the PhpMyAdmin and yes, it works just fine. My side of advice, honestly; This book is more suitable if you at least have some basic experience working with Dreamweaver. Otherwise, I can't guarantee you know what you're doing (and not enjoy in doing so). Take a basic Dreamweaver book first (such as Adobe in a Classroom. Although it's there are some negative review about it, just ignore it. If you're really a beginner, you will be comfortable with it). And then take on this book. You are on a path of correct way to learn drive fast and efficiently. The combination to success in Dreamweaver is; The Classroom in a book, This book (Essential Guide) and the Mastering CSS with Dreamweaver by stepahanie and greg. Finishing this three, further on with the PHP. That's all. And for me, again; David Powers has done an excellent job.

I LOVE THIS BOOK. David Powers did a great job on this book. I've been looking for a book to teach me dreamweaver cs3, css, and php and this book delivers. It killed three birds with one stone. The book is wonderfully written, easy to understand, easy to follow, contains no php errors. This book has saved me countless hours of headaches and frustration. This is a sixth book I bought on php and it actually works. Only bad thing about this book is you wished there was more, a part 2. Once you start this book you can't sit it down. Everything goes so smooth. David Powers has me hooked I hope he writes a book for cs4 when it come out.

Packed with the latest Dreamweaver tips and techniques

Get up to speed fast and start creating dynamite Web sites!

Do you want to create a sophisticated Web site that's easy to develop and maintain? Whether you're a beginner or an experienced Web developer, this friendly guide shows you how to utilize Dreamweaver's newest enhancements to build and manage state-of-the-art, professional Web sites quickly and easily.

• Set up your site and create new pages
• Work with text, graphics, and links
• Define and apply styles using CSS
• Add audio, video, and Flash���|files to your site
• Use Dreamweaver's database features

what can i say about it Mrs. Janine Warner is one of the best writers and designers... great book for Beginners and if you already know how to use dreamweaver you will find this an interesting book..

Having purchased Dreamweaver and being new to web design it made perfect sense to me to get a guide book to help me use it. The Dreamweaver CS3 for Dummies is very easy to use, well set out, and much more convenient than the electronic help files and tutorials that come with the software. Dreamweaver CS3 for Dummies is a great resource to turn to again and again as you learn more and more each time you go back to it.

As had another reviewer above, I had used an older version of FrontPage years ago before diving into Dreamweaver CS3 recently. I found this book very helpful. The exercises are clear and map well to what the software actually looks like. The author's web site is very helpful as well. What was most satisfying, however, was when I stubbed my toe trying to solve a problem, finding an answer neither in the book nor on the web site. I emailed the author. To my amazement and delight, she emailed back within several days with a clear solution and pointers to the section of her book that covered what I needed. Now *that" is responsiveness.

I'm no dummy but sometimes felt like one reading this book. The name suggests that it is for someone with no experience setting up a website. That's me. But it sometimes assumes more knowlege than I have. There is a difference between ignorance and stupidity. I'm ignorant of many things - but capable of learning. Perhaps more practical examples would have helped. As a beginners book, there were too many gaps that left me confused, too much use of terminology I didn't know -and should not have been expected to know at various points. This isn't, by any means a bad book. Just not for dummies.

It was my first Dreamweaver book and I have to say that I learn some concepts but I found severals errors in the book.

For example, CSS part is not well explained and you will never know how to include tags inside a container. I read several times and for me It was impossible. I think it is the most important concept in Dreamweaver and it is not well explained.

I also found errors when you try to follow the exercises. The main window is not explained properly and the complex concpets are not explained.

From my point of view, it is a good book to start but there are things that you will reviewed.

Whether you�fre a seasoned pro or a Web design newbie, Dreamweaver CS4 For Dummies shows you the quickest, easiest way to get up to speed on Dreamweaver. You�fll be able to create professional, great-looking, user-friendly websites in no time at all. Take advantage of the new, more customizable interface, improved integration with Flash and Photoshop, a handy new AJAX coding feature, and Live View, which lets you see your work as you create it.

Understand Dreamweaver basics, set up your site and create new pages, and work with text, graphics, and links. You can manage, test, and publish a site, define and apply styles with CSS, coordinate your design work, add audio, video, and Flash files to your site, build a dynamic Web site, and use Dreamweaver�fs database features. Know how to:

• Design, build, and deploy professional-looking Web sites
• Use Dreamweaver�fs new, more versatile preset layouts
• Fine-tune styles with enhanced CSS support
• Keep your pages cutting-edge with SmartObjects
• Take advantage of the new, more customizable interface
• Understand browser differences, make the most of CSS, build dynamic sites
• Create and optimize Web graphics
• Learn to maximize Cascading Style Sheets and Dreamweaver�fs Layers features for creating fluid layouts

Complete with lists of ten resources, ten timesaving tips, and ten great Web sites designed in Dreamweaver, Dreamweaver CS4 For Dummies is your one-stop guide to setting up, working with, and making the most of Dreamweaver.

I had been advised not to purchase Dreamweaver since it would take at least a year to learn it. After reading some of the "helps" on the market, I was ready to give up - until I discovered Janine Warner. She presents it in such a logical and sequential way so that Dreamweaver can be learned in a much shorter time. In addition to having a tremendous insight into how to gain a presence on the Web, she makes it enjoyable to the extent that the phrase "user friendly" takes on a new and different meaning. Not only do her writings have a comfortable flow, she provides free step-by-step tutorials on her website that make learning Dreamweaver even faster. I've had three on-line courses through a local college but never learned as much as I did through her books, videos and website. She's a remarkable lecturer and writer, but more than that she's someone who knows what it takes to get other people up to speed. - Ed Walton