Dreamweaver MX 2004
Web Application Recipes

by Joyce J Evans

This book is really a nice change from most web development type of books. First I must say that it isn't for the absolute beginner. If you can't read and follow directions, like any recipe, it will fail. You begin by reading the introduction of the book where you will get instructions on downloading and installing the extension for this book. It includes the code snippets and design elements as well as sample databases that you'll need for the book.

I really love the fact that the 8 applications are extremely usable in real world projects and they go far beyond the basics. For instance, the registration and login recipes adds cookies and session variables. There are a ton of reusable code snippets that are accessible via Dreamweaver. This makes the code very easy to get at when needed for projects other then what are in the book.

There are also snippets for complete forms and even "wireframes" or pieces of a design.

The instructions cover several different server technologies such a ASP VB Script, ASP JavaScript, ColdFusion and ASP. There are also instructions for various types of databases including Access and MySQL. There are a few errors crept in but whenever I had a problem I always checked the sites errata page and corrections are posted on the WebAssist site.

Eric Ott, one of the authors is from WebAssist (who hosts the books errata page and support) and his line of Web application tools is very impressive. I've used his shopping cart and form validation tools so far. This book, as far as I'm concerned, lives up to the fine reputation of WebAssist.

I have found the authors to be extremely responsive and helpful when I needed help or had a question. If you are familiar with Dreamweaver, can follow instructions, read the impressive help files when needed, you can whip up a tasty recipe in no time. Before you know it, you'll be a gourmet chef. OK, all recipe anaolgies aside, I would recommend this book to anyone who is serious about expanding their knowledge of building web applications with Dreamweaver.

Dreamweaver MX 2004 Web Application Recipes
by Joseph Lowery, Eric Ott
New Riders
ISBN: 0735713200