Web Matrix Developer's Guide [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by John Paul Mueller (Author)
Key Phrases: login page, code builders, control pad, Web Matrix, Visual Studio, File Edit (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
<p><i>Web Matrix Developer's Guide</i> provides a complete view of what you can accomplish with Web Matrix (Microsoft's free website creation program)&emdash;everything from generating simple web pages to developing Web service applications to building mobile applications. Expert author John Mueller covers all the major features of Web Matrix, including the ASP.NET page designer, SQL and MSDE database management, data-bound UI generation, XML Web services, and FTP workspaces. </p> <p> <i>Web Matrix Developer's Guide</i> shows you how to create a wealth of application types beginning with simple HTML and moving on to XML and ASP.NET. You'll learn how to use CSS and XSLT to separate content from the display of data. A chapter on mobile application development helps you create content for both PDAs and cell phones. Finally, you'll learn about the database management functionality that Web Matrix provides, including a walk-through tutorial that shows you how to use David Selwood's popular freeware, MSDE Query, a tool that tames MSDE and makes it a more functional development environment. </p> <p> One of the most important features of the <i>Web Matrix Developer's Guide</i> is that it demonstrates the flexibility of this free tool. You'll learn how to use every type of control and component in your Toolbox (managed and unmanaged) to create robust Web applications. In addition, you'll learn about IDE modifications, such as the addition of custom tabs to the Toolbox.

About the Author
John Paul Mueller is a hands-on programmer/author who has written 56 books and over 200 articles to date on topics ranging from networking to artificial intelligence and from database management to heads-down programming. His current books include <i>Web Matrix Developer’s Guide</i> from Apress, several C# developer guides, a small business and home office networking guide, a book on SOAP, and Windows XP user guides. John has provided technical-editing services to more than 30 authors, as well as both <i>Database Advisor </i>and <i>Coast Compute</i> magazines. He has additionally contributed articles to <i>SQL Server Professional</i>, <i>Visual C++ Developer</i>, and <i>Visual Basic Developer</i>. He currently edits the .NET electronic newsletter for Pinnacle Publishing. Sign up for John’s free newsletter, <i>.

Product Details

• Paperback: 472 pages
• Publisher: Apress; 1 edition (November 22, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590590929
• ISBN-13: 978-1590590928
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,757,616 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Web Matrix Guide, April 3, 2003

By A Customer

The author obviously saw beyond Microsoft's hype for this product and demonstrated the true range of the Web Matrix features in his book. The fancy pictures on the Web Matrix web site would have you believe that this is a training aid for ASP.NET. In reality, this is a cool tool that you can use for a variety of tasks.

I like the fact that every chapter has something interesting to do. Instead of saying that you can do data reporting, the author shows how to perform this task. Another chapter shows how to create your own controls and components, and then add them to the Web Matrix toolbox. The Web services information was interesting, but it's not something I'm using today. Even so, it was nice to know that it's there.

My favorite chapter has been mobile application development. It's something I hadn't thought you could do with Web Matrix until this book showed me.

The bottom line is that the author chose not to follow Microsoft's lead. This book tells you what you can really do with Web Matrix, which is actually a lot. The author also doesn't pull any punches. If something is broken or doesn't work quite right, he tells you about it and often provides a fix to boot.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Free is the Word!, March 24, 2003

By A Customer

All of the tools in this book are indeed downloadable for free (you should register the shareware). If you're like me and find the high price of Microsoft products a little difficult to swollow, then this book is very much worth looking at. The author has gone to great lengths to show you how to build a complete development system for free.

I found the author's writing very clear and understandable. He covers everything from simple Web pages to Web services. This book is a wealth of information about new and existing technologies including both XML and SOAP. The author also includes tips on how to modify the IDE for your specific needs, such as adding new controls to the Toolbox.

The inclusion of MSDE Query was a big perk because MSDE doesn't include any user interface. Using MSDE Query has saved me considerable time and expense.

The only thing that I don't understand is why you have to download Appendix B from the Apress Web site. This is actually one of the best additions to the book because the author shows how to extend Web Matrix to perform other tasks. The author told me about the appendix when I contacted him for additional information. The bottom line is that this book can save you both time and money.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Depth Than It's Competition!, April 25, 2003

By A Customer

The other Web Matrix titles target rank beginners - including the MS Press web matrix book. WHERE THIS BOOK EXCELS: it quite simply provides more details, and depth, that the other web matrix titles. THe Web Matrix Developer's Guide is appropriate for folks who are beyond the "ASP 101" stage and want to learn more about Web Matrix as a tool (including mobile web development.) This is a book for ideas and insights!