Migrate Existing File Definitions to Expression Web 4

Screenshot sitedata folder in Expression Web 3.Each time I install a new version of Expression Web, I always have to re-enter all of the publishing information for each site. Wouldn’t it be nice if I could just copy them for one version to another. Now you can migrate existing file definitions  from version 3 to version 4. You will need  to copy  the SiteData directory (or just certain folders from that directory)

C:\Users\UserName\APPDATA\Microsoft\Expression\Web 3\SiteData

to the equivalent Web 4 location which for me is

%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Expression\Web 4\SiteData

I just copied the folder for one of my Expression Web 3 sites that I had not yet set up in Expression Web 4 and it works perfectly. Quite a time saver!

Setting Language Options for UK Spelling

In Expression Web 4.0, if you need to change the options for spelling to cover UK spellings, you will need to make the change in two places:

Tools > Page Editor Options > General tab – Spelling:- Set Spelling language from the drop-down

Screenshot language setting under page editor options.

and

Tools > Spelling Options > Custom Dictionaries > Set this to English (UK) as well from the drop-down.

Screenshot Spelling options.

Expression Web 4.0

Expression Studio Web ProfessionalExpression Studio 4.0 was launched at Internet Week in NYC on June 7th. If you have already purchased Expression Studio 3.0 or Expression Web 3.0 you are entitled to a FREE upgrade.

How does the free upgrade work?

The Expression Web 4 free upgrade is only available for users who have purchased the retail version of Expression Web 3 (e.g., from DigitalRiver, from the Microsoft Store, a retail box copy, etc.). In that case, you can download and install the  trial of the version 4 product and the version 4 setup should handle the licensing for you, as it should retrieve the license from the Windows license store.

If you have any other version (e.g., a volume license copy, MSDN, DreamSpark, etc.), the free upgrade is NOT available. You will either need to either buy a copy of version 4 or will need to acquire version 4  through your original source as it becomes available there. It is already posted at MSDN.

How to tell which version I have

If you need to check  whether your copy of Expression Web 3 is eligible for the free upgrade, choose Help > About Microsoft Expression Web and look at the product ID number. It should be form of a 5-digit number, a dash, a 3-digit number, a dash, etc. If that 3-digit number is 617, you are eligible for the free upgrade. Otherwise, you are not.

Once you have installed and activated upgrade version, you can check to see that is is a fully licensed version by again selecting Help > About Microsoft Expression Web. You should see about the Product Code “This is a fully licensed copy.”

Screenshot licensed copy Expression Web 4.

Licensing

Expression Web 4 can be licensed and activated on, at the most, two systems, e.g., a laptop and a desktop. If you need to reinstall on one of those systems, e.g., because you reinstalled Windows, you should be able to reinstall Expression Web 4 and reactivate at that time.

Reinstalling Expression Web 4

If you took advantage of the free upgrade from version 3 to version 4, save your copy of version 3! If you need to reinstall version 4, after you have reformatted your computer, for example, you will need to first install and license version 3, then install version 4. If you have not reformatted  your computer but just need to reinstall version 4, you should not have any problem, as the version 3 license will still be in the Windows license store even if you had previously uninstalled version 3.

What’s new in Expression Web

  • The Microsoft Expression Web SuperPreview online service is a beta service that extends the capability of SuperPreview to include support for additional browsers and operating systems.
  • The SEO Checker feature of Expression Web analyzes your site against the best practices for getting the highest possible search-engine rankings for your site.

Release Notes

Download Expression Web 4.0 Trial

Watch for upcoming tutorials and more information on this new release.


WebAssist is BACK!

As many of you know, I have been a fan of WebAssist since they first released Eric Meyer’s CSS Sculptor for Expression Web quite some time ago. As Microsoft made changes to the program and dropped the ability to customize Expression Web with the release of version 3.0, WebAssist stopped selling CSS Sculptor while still supporting its current users. Well, WebAssist is BACK and will again be supporting Expression Web users with the release of Version 4.  Expression Studio 4.0 was launched this morning at Internet Week in NYC. You can download a trial version of Expression Web 4

The announcement on the WebAssist site says:

Welcome Expression Web Users.

Experience Matters! For over ten years, WebAssist has been creating the leading design and development extensions on the market that help Dreamweaver users build better websites, faster. We are now excited to take the tools that have helped tens of thousands of developers and make them available for the Expression Web community.

WebAssist has a lot in store for Expression Web and we look forward to providing you the tools you need to help you achieve your goals!

What is an Expression Web Add-in?

An Expression Web Add-in is an external software package that provides additional or enhanced functionality within Expression Web 4.

The first offering is a add-in to help you add PayPal buttons to your site and it is offered FREE!  Payment Buttons for PayPal quickly and easily add eCommerce to your websites without any coding knowledge.

Future Offerings for Expression Web Users

Watch for the next add-ins which will be coming soon CSS Site Building Tools which will include:

  • CSS Page Generator
  • CSS Forms
  • CSS Menu Navigation
  • Additional Commerce Ad-ons

Additional Solutions for EW Users

WebAssist also offers a a variety of complete pre-built PHP solutions to help users overcome common obstacles encountered with PHP web development. They include:

  • Solution Suite includes all five of the php solutions listed below.
  • PowerStore a complete pre-built online store.
  • PowerCMS is an easy to use content management system.
  • PowerGallery displays images with a photo gallery.
  • Contact Form which will make it easy to add a contact form to your site.
  • User Registration adds a pre-built user registration to your site.

So head on over to WebAssist and check out what they have to say about their commitment to Expression Web users.

SUMMER SALE - Migrating from FrontPage to Expression Web Ebook

SUMMER SALE

With the launch of Expression Web 4.0 scheduled for June 7th at Internet Week in New York, what better time to think about migrating your website from Frontpage to Expression Web. To celebrate the summer season, the Migrating from FrontPage to Expression Web Ebook is now on sale. Usually priced at $29 you can now obtain it for $22. The book’s authors, Tina Clarke and Pat Geary are both Microsoft MVP’s for Expression Web.

If you are thinking about updating your site or moving from FrontPage to Expression Web this is the ebook to help you figure out just how to do that with the least work possible.

Obtain your ebook at http://frontpage-to-expression.com/ and save some credit crunch monies just in time for the summer holidays.Your purchase also gives you access to additional lessons and templates in the owners/students section of the site.
You can obtain other f ree ebooks and f ree templates at the following sites
http://any-expression.com/

http://expression-web-tutorials.com/

http://www.frontpage-to-expression.com/site-templates/

http://www.genealogy-web-creations.com/

Remember that if you are a licensed owner of Expression Web 3.0, you will be entitled to a FREE upgrade to Expression Web 4.0 once it is released. So get a head start on getting your site up to current web standards. Buy the Migrating from FrontPage to Expression Web, save some money, and start the migration process.

Happy Summer Holidays!!