MX

I started working on Dreamweaver MX 2004 with some basic experience from earlier Dreamweaver versions. I was completely lost and unable to understand what I was doing. Garo Green's book laid it all out very clearly and simply. I keep it by my right-hand side all the time now.
His writing sytle is relaxed and personable. There's no wordy descriptions or explanations. It won't put you to sleep like the other books did.

Full of examples, the author literally takes you by the hand to show you every aspect of designing a web page. Examples, movie presentations, clear explanations, lot of practice, this is the book that easily replaces a much more expensive on-class training worth close to a a thousand dollars.

The book states that is not necessary to know XHTML coding to start reading this book. I disagree! The readings are much more faster if you already know a bit of XHTML programming.

I started learning about web design and developing one year ago as an absolute novice. I read quite a few other books regarding Dreamweaver Mx and Flash Mx. Most of them are quite tedious but I forced myself through because I didn¡¯t know better. I wasn¡¯t able to put a web site together till I found the Hands-on Training series. I got acquainted with Garo Green¡¯ book and followed every step illustrated in the book to build a model site bansaihut.com. Within 3 months I was able to put together a sophisticated site (with the help of using Flash MX as well). Garo Green¡¯s humorous style makes a daunting task of learning web building from scratch simply a fun enjoyable process. Matter of fact, his book is so effective that I easily adapted to using Dreamweaver MX 2004. Out of curiosity, I purchased this 2004 book just for reference even though it¡¯s too easy for me now. Now I am a certified Macromedia Dreamweaver developer, I found Marc Campbell¡¯s Developer Certification Study Guide a must read for my current level.
I don¡¯t regret spending time reading other books. In fact, it¡¯s best to read a few books regarding the same subject and learn something new from different authors.
I¡¯m not saying other books are of lesser value but it¡¯s this very book ¨C the Hands-on Training that gave me the ability to create a live functional web site.

This book is full of uninspiring projects and poor editing. Tons of typos, and writing that just doesn't make sense in the least. I'm very surprised someone edited this at all.

It was up for sale again not long after I got it.

Adam Phillip's chapter stands out in this valuable book. Finally, advice from a real professional(Disney) animator. Well respected as a character, special effects and Flash animator, Adam's advice is invaluable to anyone seeking to animate in Flash.

i fenk tihs bok is so kool 4 sk00l i giv fiev starz cos it iz good.

i aelso fink flash iz fuhn + awsum x 9

<3 (osupsons)

- mucks

These "Magic" books are very hit and miss and this one does more missing than hitting. While there are a few good sections, this book is more of a portfolio for a few selected graphic designers than a useful instructional guide.

Fireworks Magic is divided into sections which deal with certain tasks, or techniques. In many of the "Magic" books this works because the techniques are useful, timesaving, or at least provide motivation and inspiration to create. That is not the case here. The problem with this particualr book is two fold:

The techniques illustrated are, in many cases, elementary in comparison to the book's focus. If you do not know how to blend a background together (a web technique used sparingly in modern design anyway) or proper exporting formats (jpg vs. gif), why would you spend hundreds of dollars on Fireworks which is almost exclusively a web design tool? This book has almost no instructional value so even if you were a designer and your firm was switching over to fireworks (something we did several years ago) this in no way reflects the type of book your boss would put on your desk to bring you up to speed. In other words, if you were reading this book, you probably already have fireworks experience but they want to show you how to blend a background or export a .gif? Not very well thought out.

Secondly, the work presented in this book is, with a couple of exceptions, poor. If one of my designers presented something similar to the work shown in most sections of this book, we would be having a serious talk about their need for retraining. In fact, there are many techniques used in this book which I truly question.

In the very least, this book could have been a source of design inspiration. It the best case it could have been both a inspirational design book and have some good instructional content. In reality it has neither. With the exception of two sections, this book is a proverbial show and tell for mediocre designers.

This expensive book on Fireworks MX has a little over 200 pages covering 15 projects. It is assumed that you are a beginner wanting to move to the next level. The projects address important problems you will encounter on a daily basis and explain solutions in a simple step by step fashion.

To give a preview of what to expect when you work through this book - you will learn how to create flashy buttons, understand the concepts behind large-scale link management, building the ultimate navigational bar, creating perfect pop-up menus, etc. There are a few advanced topics like using Fireworks extensions and collaborative workflow. All in all, this is an excellent book deriving its value from the project based approach (one project per chapter) written and reviewed by experts in the industry.

The entire book is in black and white so the only color you will see is the little yellowish orange on the cover. The book doesn't sit like a normal book on a bookshelf because of its unique dimensions (8x10 instead of 10x8). I personally didn't care too much for this format but it isn't bothersome either. The project files are on the accompanying CD-ROM. The book uses a two column format throughout whereby the text is aligned with the associated images. This provides faster understanding of the topic being discussed.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the chapters on how to build a very cool navigational bar and how to design a dynamic interface using rollovers etc. The chapter on flashy buttons was fun also. Beginners will not be confused by the writing style which is very direct and simple. I didn't find anything magical about this book as hinted in the title but it is a very practical book and useful to almost any Fireworks designer.

Considering the tremendous background that the authors possess, they could have provided more tips and covered another 10-15 projects for the price of the book. But other than that, this is an excellent book on the path to becoming an Intermediate user if you don't mind the price. Enjoy!

If your looking for the basics on getting started there are many others that will do the job. This book step right into the heart of Fireworks and bends and stretches the tool we know as Fireworks.

Excellent projects and if you don't have a need for the project, there are so many great tips and tricks buried in these books, that alone is worth the price.

Excellent desk book to keep around.

I bought this book because its fine printing and attractive title. As I brought it home and read the details of this book, I found out I was wrong. The whole book seems to designed for those who have excellent logical thinkings. The author try make his own graphic charts to explain the deep side of the Flash usability. The problem is, it makes the flash even complicate after reading it. If you are a person with strong Logical thinking you may enjoy this book, and if you think you are not, just don't waste your money.

Skip Intro is a must read for the serious web designer, whether a seasoned and experienced veteran, or an excited, inexperienced novice. Interface design is the most important element in creating a website that is easy to navigate, enjoyable, entertaining,, and keeps users coming back making it "Sticky". Poor interface design can bounce the user straight off your site and into your competition's.

Correctly used, Macromedia Flash is the most powerful authoring tool for efficient and effective web design. Skip Into comprehensively covers the philosophy of effective design (the why) and the specific graphic and scripting required to implement (the how).

Expect a well-worn copy of Skip Intro at the desk of leading web designers, and take note fellow educators--this is a must read and know for our graphic design majors.

A great plus - developers will create reusable tools that will simplify your life and improve your users' navigation experience.

Instead of just showing how to do super cool tricks, the authors teach functional techniques that lead to ease of use for the end-user.

If you buy this book and have no previous knowledge of Dreamweaver MX, you are a dummy. The authors may be nice persons, but they are not teachers. You'd be better served using the small manual that comes with Dreamweaver than this book, which is so disorganized it should come with a machete.
Everyone knows the best way to learn is "by doing." Early on in Dreamweaver MX for Dummies, you will make a blank web page, put a title on it - and never see that page again. Conversely, the DW MX manual starts off with you building a static three page web page. Do it a couple of times, and you are on your way.
I suggest that if you need a reference book (which you do) spend your money on Dreamweaver MX Unleashed by Pizzi and Ruvalcaba - much better organized with everything you ever wanted to know about Dreamweaver MX.

Overall, this is a good book if you're new to Dreamweaver, the current version of Dreamweaver MX, or web design with a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor.

The For Dummies series of computer help books has always been my choice for picking up information on a technique or computer program that I'm not familiar with. They're written in a humorous, laid-back style that's easy to read and hard to be intimidated by.

Dreamweaver MX for Dummies is no exception to this rule. It's simple, straightforward, and written with an ease and humor that's fun to read. Authors Janine Warner and Ivonne Berkowitz apply their considerable talent and proficiency with Dreamweaver MX to this highly readable "basics" book about my favorite web site editor.

Don't let that last sentence fool you; there was plenty in this volume to make me want to read some sections more thoroughly. The content ranges from the basics of web site planning to the more advanced topics of DHTML, data-driven web sites, and using forms to manage your website. The depth of the information is minimal, but these topics are introduced.

If you are a beginner web designer, and have the ability to run Dreamweaver MX on your Mac, this could be the right beginning book for you. Plan to spend some time with the opening chapters, as they explain the metaphors that form the foundation of Dreamweaver, as well as the ways to plan and set up your first web site.

The CD ROM included with this book was a bit sparse, however. It doesn't have a Dreamweaver MX demo, only Flash MX, Photoshop, and Illustrator demos, which I found a little odd for a book about Dreamweaver. Other than that, it has a couple of code and database files from the end of the book, some scripts to rename and change your html files, and links to the authors' websites. Rather skimpy for a CD these days, if you ask me.

For an in-depth discussion of all that Dreamweaver has to offer, you might want to look into a more comprehensive reference book. All in all, though, this book is a pleasant read and a great way to start learning about Dreamweaver MX. Even you old Dreamweaver gurus might find a thing or two explained in a way that makes more sense to you.

When I lost my job a few months ago, I decided I wanted to learn how to design Web pages, but I wasn't sure where to start. A friend told me Dreamweaver was the program professionals use, but that only intimidated me more. So I picked up your Dummies book, figuring it would be at my level -- and I was so relieved when I discovered it was.

Thank you for writing this easy-to-use guide and getting me started on my new path. Your words were really reassuring and your explanations easy to follow and understand. I've created a few Web sites for friends now and am on my way to doing it professionally. I can't thank you enough and I highly recommend this book to anyone trying to get started with this program.

I am not a beginner in Dreamweaver by any means, and I don't understand why the author insists on making you do everything by writing code. If I could write in code, I wouldn't need Dreamweaver. I think his reasoning is that entering the code in by hand will save you time, but I think this is a big mistake on his part. That's the whole point: to let Dreamweaver write the code for you.

You have to do things in hand code when there are perfectly easy features that do all of this for you. That's not necessary to learn Dreamweaver, and the author does not even teach you the features while you are entering in all this code.

It's too hard to make sure the code is written correctly when you do it yourself, leading to all kinds of errors that confused me while I was learning. I had to continually go back and forth between my case study and the example that was provided. And then their code does not match what they are telling me to put into my own case study. It turns out that the book is not written correctly, telling you to write in code that is in the wrong syntax. The only way I figured out the problem was to constantly check against the example, and I realized there was an error in the instructions. Also, on the web site there is no list of errata, so I don't know if they even know they've made mistakes.

If this is supposed to save you time, guess what: it doesn't. I would not recommend this book to anyone, especially if you are truly a beginner in Dreamweaver. Go to the H.O.T. book instead--it's much better than this.

This book is a MUST for those wanting to learn the first steps in how to truly use Dreamweaver to create a quality basic site. From layout and images, to CSS tutorials, right up to PHP and MySQL lessons. It's right on.

Experienced developers or programmers may want to pass on this book since it really is a beginner title... hence the Foundation premise. ;-)

This book is an excellent starting point for anyone who has only just got to grips with other dreamweaver versions. It gives clear but creative information in a way that is easy to follow. It's very well written and gives some good examples

I bought this book on the recommendation of a so-called guru. Apparently, that person doesn't know enough about Flash or hasn't really read the book. This book is poorly written, the authors using language like "Firstly,...", and I found it hard to keep my interest while reading through its lengthy and unwarranted discussion of object-oriented programming concepts. I don't know why some authors feel the need to re-explain OOP no matter what subject their book is supposed to dwell on.

This book's title is "Flash MX Applications", but it only deals with one application. It is also somewhat disorganized and you'd have to look hard to find the useful Flash techniques that you could apply in the real world.

I am a programmer and needed to get into the programming side of Flash MX, rather than the design side. I bought a few books, which have been useful; but this is the one I would recommend if you wish to be a knowledgeable user of Flash. Yes, it starts out to be a basic guide and by the end of the book you have been introduced to how and where Flash should be used, and as a bonus, you get an intro into using XML, PHP and MySQL. This is a true thumbs up, 5 stars from me. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a start in Flash programming.

I found Foundation Flash Applications to be a fantastic book. It covers a wide range of material along the way to building a central application. I found the code layout and thorough explanation really helped. In regard to rdavenport14's post, it's not just a book about a blog. What you learn while building the FlashBlog application give's you a solid grounding in building flash applications - the essentials that you can use to build upon in future applications.

As a Flash MX newbie, I was looking for actionscript for a hierarchical menu that can be moved around the stage. I was lucky to find one working in one of the lessons on the CD. However, I had to go to another of his books (0-7645-1637-X) in order to see what is in the custom component!

The QuickTime lessons are about 5 min long and are well produced and suitable for the topics for quick learning; watching the video clips is often faster and more lucid than reading the text. If you have them playing in the background, you probably can pickup some tips by osmosis ;-). I read this book at the local library. The author is well organized and a pleasure to read and watch his videos.

This is an excellent book and CD. I run my own web business and have created dozens of static sites for my customers. I've read some Flash books - they didn't help get me up to the same level of understanding and confidence like I have with Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Photoshop. This book is the best I've come across for Flash for the new user. The author's comments show he has an understanding of a working web developer i.e. customers always changing their minds etc and what this means for getting up to speed with a new application. After reading this book and viewing the CD (which is worth the money for the book alone) my confidence level in getting Flash to do what I want it to has really increased. I'm impressed and looking at getting the CD extra by the same author.

I thought the layout of the book quite logical for a beginner. I'm glad the author doesn't speak fast otherwise it would be difficult to follow for a beginner. I worked through the books tutorials then used the CD. The movies really did help me actually see how to perform the tasks taught and each of the movies was task oriented. I highly recommend this book to anyone just learning flash and wants to do so in a no nonsense way. Gets right to the point and teaches what you need to begin and understand the basic concepts of Flash.

On and on it goes. Every trifling detail of the boring "real world" projects. If you work in the industry it will remind you of work too much.
It doesn't go into Web Service Connectors with Flash MX 2004 Professional either, so buy something else that does.

This book says that it's meant for experienced senior J2EE developers, it bascially goes on and on about what a typical XP project is like. Too many dialogs explaining what different patterns are, and why we should use it, and why testing is good. Goes over MVC, Business Delegate, etc, but not thorough enough. People working with J2EE would already have that knowledge. And of course being from "Macromedia Press" this book mentions a lot of Macromedia's products, ie JRun. Overall it is a decent book, but don't buy it if you're expecting to learn MX 2004/Actionscript 2.0 code.

You learn from this book are,
* How to integrate the rich-client capabilities of Flash MX, and the real-time
communication capabilities of Flash Communication server MX, with an enterprise
Java application.
* A book covers an examles to understand the integration of Flash and J2EE, unit
testing ASUnit and JUnit and architectural refactoring, featuring validation and
real-time data integration using Flash Remoting.
* It gives you the best practice of J2EE design pattern in Flash and J2EE integration.
* It's account management module exploring the integration of Flash MX with EJB using
both Macromedia JRun 4.0 and JBoss.
* If you are a Flash developer,I expect you will learn a great deal that will improve
your ActionScript skills. You will learn about pattern-driven architecture,OOD,
refactoring and unit testing.
* Rich client technology can be deployed on mobile phone, handheld device,
Sony Play Station 2 or interactive digital TV.

Maybe YOU ASK ME WHY JUST ONE STAR FOR THIS BOOK...!!!THIS IS FOR ME,BECAUSE I BOUGHT A BOOK CALLED TEACH YOURSELF VISUALLY HTML WHICH IT HAS THE MOST CHAPTERS OF THIS BOOK WITH SIMPLE DIFFRENTS.ACTUALLY I DIDN'T SEE BIG DIFFRENTS BETWEEN THIS 2 BOOKS,BUT THE BOOK IS VERY VERY GOOD.

This is certainly a visually beautiful book. And, for many people new to Dreamweaver, it might be exactly what they're looking for. Unfortunately, it's not what I am looking for. For example, there are beautiful illustrations of website home pages throughout the book. What I would have liked to have seen is how to create THOSE websites step-by-step. How do you create those attractive banners? How do you create those entire-page-backgrounds? What I want is a book that visually shows me beautiful websites, then shows me how to create them...from basic index.html page and interesting graphics incorporated onto the page, to linked pages, animations (flash) etc. This book just doesn't do it.

Well planned and executed. For visual learners this book is a must. Also Mac Friendly!! ++++

Buy it!