Expression Web Tips » Expression Web Training http://www.expression-web-tips.com Expression Web Tips & Help Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:45:59 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Prerequisites for Using Microsoft Expression Web http://www.expression-web-tips.com/prerequisites-for-using-microsoft-expression-web/ http://www.expression-web-tips.com/prerequisites-for-using-microsoft-expression-web/#comments Wed, 23 Feb 2011 13:40:46 +0000 Patricia Geary http://www.expression-web-tips.com/?p=939 Microsoft Expression Web is a professional Web design tool that is designed for creating standards-based Web sites. In order for Web designers to be productive with Expression Web, the capabilities of the product must be understood and specific skills must be acquired.

For those of you who are moving from FrontPage to using Expression [...]]]>

Microsoft Expression Web is a professional Web design tool that is designed for creating standards-based Web sites. In order for Web designers to be productive with Expression Web, the capabilities of the product must be understood and specific skills must be acquired.

For those of you who are moving from FrontPage to using Expression Web this is a MUST READ article from Microsoft. If you are just thinking about moving to using Expression Web or have just started new with the program this is a MUST READ article.

Prerequisites for Using Microsoft Expression Web answers the following questions:

  • Is Expression Web a What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get (WYSIWYG) tool?
  • Is Expression Web the same as Microsoft FrontPage? Is it a replacement for FrontPage?
  • Can I use FrontPage Server Extensions and still get point-and-click design elements without learning new design technologies?
  • What skills do I need in order to use Expression Web? Do I need to be a professional Web designer?
  • How can I acquire the skills I need to use Expression Web?

Pay particular attention to the resources listed as the answer to the last question. They will say you a world of frustration in trying to work with the program.  Read Prerequisites for Using Microsoft Expression Web.

Additional HTML Resources:

Additional CSS Resources:

Additional Expression Web Resources:

]]> http://www.expression-web-tips.com/prerequisites-for-using-microsoft-expression-web/feed/ 0 Review: Expression Web 4 LiveLessons by Morten Rand-Hendriksen http://www.expression-web-tips.com/review-expression-web-4-livelessons-by-morten-rand-hendriksen/ http://www.expression-web-tips.com/review-expression-web-4-livelessons-by-morten-rand-hendriksen/#comments Tue, 07 Dec 2010 21:14:51 +0000 Patricia Geary http://www.expression-web-tips.com/?p=859 I’ve just spent a part of the last three days watching Morten Rand-Henriksen’s latest offering on Expression Web 4, his LiveLessons Video Training. The video is shipped on one DVD with over six hours of materials. I preordered  Microsoft Expression Web 4 LiveLessons (Video Training) when it was first offered. The price then and [...]]]> I’ve just spent a part of the last three days watching Morten Rand-Henriksen’s latest offering on Expression Web 4, his LiveLessons Video Training. The video is shipped on one DVD with over six hours of materials. I preordered  Microsoft Expression Web 4 LiveLessons (Video Training) when it was first offered. The price then and now (on sale) is $20.00 and is well worth every penny.

Morten presents each section and lesson so that it is clear and understandable. There is sample code included for some of the lessons. He does not cover setting up the program before you start to use Expression Web 4 so you may wish to download Tina Clarke’s FREE Setting Up Expression Web 4 EBook for instructions on how to do that first.

NOTE: You can easily pause the video and go back and repeat something if you do not understand it the first time around. I would encourage you to watch the entire series of lessons before you start working on your site.

The beginning of each part gives an overview of the Learning Objectives and then proceeds to a series of Lessons.

Part One: Microsoft Expression Web 4 Basics consists of six separate lessons and covers the layout and customization of the program itself, panel and toolbars, using the folder list and site view as well as how Expression Web interacts with the “outside world.” Morten takes you on a brief tour of the final project he will be using in the lessons and show you some of the other sites he has built in Expression Web. He discusses the five browsers you MUST have installed on your computer to thoroughly test your site before making it available for the entire world to see and how to download those browsers and get them working with Expression Web. Next he covers how to create a new site and how Expression Web handles site management and the whys and wherefores of working inside Expression Web versus working in Windows. Finally you will create and preview your first web page(s). You will learn how to work with text in Design View, how to style and format the text, and how to import text from MS Word and other sources. Pay particular attention here as Word can add quite a bit of unnecessary code to your web pages. Next you will learn how to import pages into your site, how to work with hyperlinks bother within your site and the outside world. The last lesson in Part One covers Page Properties and Meta Tags which you will use on all of your pages. Remember, if you do not understand something, you can rewind and watch that section again.

Part 2: Working with Images in Microsoft Expression Web 4 consists of three separate lessons and will teach you how to import your images into Expression Web the correct way, how to place the images on your page and how to use the Picture Properties tool bar. While I normally work with images using a graphic editor so they are ready to use on my pages, Morten gives some good tips for you to use. Throughout the tutorials, also he gives some good tips on best practices on working with and organizing your site. You will also learn how to work with external images – those not actually located within your website. Also covered is how to use the Pictures Toolbar, creating thumbnails and adding image hotspots. Hotspots are not s feature I have really worked with but I want to give it a try on a couple of my sites.

Part 3: HTML and Code View in Microsoft Expression Web 4 consists of two lessons and covers the basics of HTML code – HTML tags and syntax and how Expression Web can help you learn HTML by working in Split View. His explanation was easy to understand but is not an in-depth discussion of HTML code. For this you will need to do some research on your own using the resources available And finally, you will learn how to use the Code View Toolbar which is one tool I have not done much with but will certainly be doing more with it in the future after the tricks Morten shows you. And lastly, understanding the Quick Tag Selector, Intellisense, and a brief look at the Tag Properties panel.

Part 4: Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) Basics in Microsoft Expression Web 4 consists of four lessons and is just the beginning of Morten’s discussion and tutorials on CSS. Here you will get an introduction to using CSS as part of your website and some tips on best practices you can follow. He also covers using the CSS tools within Expression Web and gives you practical examples for using CSS. One lesson is an excellent discussion of the CSS Reset, what it is and how to use it. Wish I had this when I first started. Another lesson is an excellent discussion on the CSS box model including padding, margins, borders and floats. You really need to understand this to work with CSS. The last lesson in this section allows you to work with practical examples to style your project.

Part 5: Advanced Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) in Microsoft Expression Web 4 consists of three lessons and covers creating actual layouts using the boxes model and then adding the styling for the layouts. Morten also covers positioning and CSS inheritance in this series of lessons. You really need to understand these concepts to create your layouts.

Part 6: Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) Menus in Microsoft Expression Web 4 consists of three lessons and covers adding menus to your layouts, both vertical, horizontal, and horizontal with dropdowns. He also touches on using some of the enhancements offered with CSS3 but allows them to gracefully degrade for older browsers. For both the horizontal menus he demonstrates, he uses absolute positioning which to me is more advanced and if not understood, can break the menu.

Part 7: Dynamic Web Templates and Microsoft Expression Web 4 consists of two lessons and covers the creation and use of Dynamic Web Templates. He also discusses using a DWT for site management. When I watched this section fo the video, I thought he had left something out which he did and I even fired off an email to tell him so. Alas, as I watched the final part of the video series, I realized why it was not included. You will see to if you watch the series.

Part 8: Beyond the Basics of Microsoft Expression Web 4 consists of four lessons and covers inserting Flash and other media content into your pages. He also answered my question on why I could not get me pages to validate when using Flash so that I will no longer worry so much about it. He cover browser testing your site and using both Snapshot and SuperPreview. Finally, he covers using the Search Engine Optimization features of Expression Web 4 and publishing your site to the Web. I picked up some good tips here.

All in all I found it an excellent resource in learning Expression Web even though I had been using the program from when it was first released as a Beta product. I would highly recommend Microsoft Expression Web 4 LiveLessons (Video Training). I just checked (12-07-2010) and it is still available for $20. with free shipping.

Great job Morten!!

]]> http://www.expression-web-tips.com/review-expression-web-4-livelessons-by-morten-rand-hendriksen/feed/ 1 Expression Web Classes http://www.expression-web-tips.com/expression-web-classes/ http://www.expression-web-tips.com/expression-web-classes/#comments Mon, 04 Oct 2010 18:39:19 +0000 Patricia Geary http://www.expression-web-tips.com/?p=791 Have you been waiting for the instructor led classes on Expression Web at Start to Web to begin again? Would you be interested in signing up to participate in a class on Expression Web?

Yes, you say. BUT once you sign up for the class, will you take the time to actually participate in [...]]]> Have you been waiting for the instructor led classes on Expression Web at Start to Web to begin again? Would you be interested in signing up to participate in a class on Expression Web?

Yes, you say. BUT once you sign up for the class, will you take the time to actually participate in the class? finish the assignments? and join in the discussions? Need a little encouragement?

It is frustrating for both the instructors and the participants to have a class scheduled with students who then do not participate beyond the first few days or the first week. What if there was an INCENTIVE to actually do the exercises & assignments, then discuss what you did and ask questions about any problems you encountered?

Classes currently are $60-80 per class at Start to Web. Cheryl’s idea is to charge $130 for the four week classes. Then for every week that a student turns in their assignments and participates in the online classroom forum/live meetings/discussion they would get a credit for that week’s tuition. At the end of class, IF YOU ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE  in the class by doing all the assignments and discussion topics you would get a refund of $80.  So the net cost of your class would less than the current fee but if you just sign up and don’t do anything else then it costs you the full tuition.

What do you think of this sort of pricing structure for a web design class? You can read Cheryl’s full post Expression Web Classes.

]]> http://www.expression-web-tips.com/expression-web-classes/feed/ 2 Last Chance – Migrating from FrontPage to Expression Web Ebook on Sale http://www.expression-web-tips.com/end-of-summer-sale/ http://www.expression-web-tips.com/end-of-summer-sale/#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:24:12 +0000 Patricia Geary http://www.expression-web-tips.com/?p=328 Monday, November 2nd will bring an end to our Summer Sale of the Migrating from FrontPage to Expression Web EBook priced at only $22. Regular price for the EBook is $29. Purchasing the book entitles you to F REE upgrades when the book is revised. You can receive the notifications by signing up for [...]]]> Monday, November 2nd will bring an end to our Summer Sale of the Migrating from FrontPage to Expression Web EBook priced at only $22. Regular price for the EBook is $29. Purchasing the book entitles you to F REE upgrades when the book is revised. You can receive the notifications by signing up for the Yahoo group which notifies all EBook owners (who register) that the newest revision has been posted.

Tina and I are in the process of revising the EBook to include more information on how to do things with the newly released Expression Web 3.0. Purchasing the EBook also gives you access to the F REE template packages. The newest template package, Misty Morn, includes not one but three separate layouts which make use of the maximum width property AND the javascript file that allows Internet Explorer 6 and below to recognize the property. The package also includes a working form, based on James Huggins’ Email Form Script that you can customize with your own information.

Take advantage of this sale to obtain your copy of the Migrating from FrontPage to Expression Web EBook priced at only $22 AND the F REE revision coming out Monday.

Remember, the SALE ENDS Monday, November 2nd so hurry over now and get your copy of Migrating from FrontPage to Expression Web EBook for the low price of $22.

]]> http://www.expression-web-tips.com/end-of-summer-sale/feed/ 1 Expression Web Classes at Start to Web http://www.expression-web-tips.com/expression-web-classes-at-start-to-web/ http://www.expression-web-tips.com/expression-web-classes-at-start-to-web/#comments Sat, 14 Mar 2009 12:56:58 +0000 Patricia Geary http://www.expression-web-tips.com/?p=55 Cheryl Wise a Microsoft MVP Expression Web and author of Foundations of Expression Web: The Basics and Beyond, has been conducting classes on Expression Web since the program was first released. The next session of classes begins on April 5th and lasts 4 weeks. Classes offered this session include:

Introduction to Expression Web – [...]]]> Cheryl Wise a Microsoft MVP Expression Web and author of Foundations of Expression
Web: The Basics and Beyond, has been conducting classes on Expression Web since
the program was first released. The next session of classes begins on April 5th
and lasts 4 weeks. Classes offered this session include:

  • Introduction to Expression Web – This class will get you up and running
    with Expression Web in just 4 weeks. While you will not be an expert on Expression
    Web or a professional web designer you will be able to create and manage small
    websites and, with practice, be able to expand on the skills you learn to create
    more complex websites using Expression Web.By the end of the 4 week course you
    will have a simple multi-page website that will work on all modern browsers.
    You will have an understanding of the underlying principles of effective web
    design that will look good. You can read more about the class and register at

    Start to Web    .
  • Migrating from FrontPage to Expression Web Class – Perhaps you are using
    FrontPage 1998, one of the earliest versions of FrontPage to design your websites.
    Maybe you are using a later version 2000 or 2002. Are you still using Themes,
    Shared Borders, and the Navigation Bots? Have you upgraded to FrontPage 2003
    but still using the formatting toolbar which adds all of those <font> tags?
    Is your site accessible to those visitors who cannot "see" you site?Do you already
    have Expression Web or maybe you are thinking of getting it? Perhaps you have
    it but have decided the process of cleaning up your site is just "too much."
    In the class we teach you to use many of Expression Web's clean up tools and
    EW does help where FrontPage simply cannot. Some of cleanup can just as easily
    be done with other third party tools or using FrontPage 2003 in particular.
    You can read more about the class and register at

    Migrating from FrontPage to Expression Web    .

Readers of this blog may obtain a 10% discount by using the coupon code
PGfriends.

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