Product Description

The book covers XSLT and Xpath (as a part of XSLT), as these topics have everything to do with processing XML. It will also cover XML from an XSLT processing and design point of view. Other XML technologies will not be discussed as superset of XSLT, most notably XSL. XSL Formatting Objects alone is enough material for an entire book. Apart from that, XSLT and Xpath form the processing/programming section of the entire XSL specification. This book presents an overview of XSLT and guides readers through transforming their first XML data. In this book you will also learn:

• Selecting Data-Stylesheets and Xpath Basics;
• Inserting text and elements in output;
• Copying elements from the source and inserting text;
• Conditional processing basics and expressions;
• Modularizing stylesheets;
• Understanding, creating, and using templates;
• Controlling output, as well as creating more advanced output;
• Using multi-file stylesheets, variables, and parameters;
• Working with numbers, strings, multiple XML sources, and namespaces;
• Selecting data based upon keys;
• Recursion;
• Creating computational stylesheets;
• Working with parses;
• Designing XML and XSLT applications;
• Extending XSLT.

Customer Reviews (12)

Just What The Doctor Ordered!
I was initially reluctant to buy this book because almost 700 pages seemed like overkill to me, but I'm glad I did. Most publishers provide "Bonus Chapters" about XSLT and XPath, but this book provides the kind of detailed coverage needed to accomplish real world tasks.

This Book Sucks
This book makes no sense. It is written poorly, and is hard to understand.

Don't buy it!

Good book to start with XSLT
I had a task to finish related to XPATH but to get better picture on the project I needed a better understanding on XSL and I needed to understand really quickly. This book was very help full. I recommend this to anyone who is planning on learning on XSL. Only complain I have is that, Some sections I felt like its a manual rather than a book that explains the logic of it. But most part this is not the case.

The Zen Book
I have finally found a book on XSLT that is strong on fundamentals and easy to grasp. The author seems to know the stumbling blocks a person would encounter and has wisely focused on those areas.

The book is quite detailed but progresses in manageable steps. There is a short project at the end of every week, which tackles a real world problem using the topics covered during that week.

Highly recommended!

Very good book!
This is the XSLT book I look for when I have an XSLT question.While the title makes it sound like a beginner's book (and it certainly can fill that role), I find it very useful as an advanced user's reference as well. ... Read more

Product Description

The short, focused lessons presented in Sams Teach Yourself CSS in 10 Minutes will help you quickly understand cascading style sheets (CSS) and how to immediately apply it to your work. Author Russ Weakley is a well-respected member of the CSS community and is known for his ability to make complicated concepts easy-to-understand for even inexperienced CSS users. With this book, you will cover the essentials for standards compliant techniques that are supported by the most common browsers. Once you master the basics, Weakley will also take you inside positioning, troubleshooting CSS, and handling common CSS bugs. Sams Teach Yourself CSS in 10 Minutes is the ultimate quick learning tool and handy desk reference guide to CSS.

Customer Reviews (19)

Happy with purchase
Highly recommended well-written book about CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).I am very happy I purchased this book.Twenty-two easy to follow lessons with downloadable support files from their website.I found it very easy to transition from html to CSS.Excellent reference book.I had looked into several other books but didn't purchase them.I only purchased one other CSS book, which I was very unhappy with.

Bonus:author responded to my email question with a very helpful reply.(Rare nowadays instead of other authors whom respond smart-alecky to purchase further books/dvds without answering question.)Check out some of the websites I did:

[...]

Great beginner book
Very easy to follow, by the time you are done (took me maybe 2-3hrs as I opted to type everything out, helps to learn faster, recommend downloading a copy of Dreamweaver trial and type out the html/css side by side) you should be good to go with CSS. A lot easier to understand than most other texts I've seen. Doesn't make you an expert at CSS, but builds a solid foundation.

Great for those of us that has a short attention span.

Be warned though, the text does assume basic familiarity with HTML. If you don't you might wanna blaze through the companion book, "Teach yourself HTML in 10 minutes" first as the text focuses on external CSS which should be learned after a basic treatise on HTML.

Their 10 minutes are a lot longer than mine
Very clearly written so that the CSS coding can be understood. The chapters are broken into easily understood bits. That said, however, "Lessons" is a very loosely used term, and 10 minutes is exceptionally optimistic. There are no lessons per se. The downloadable "Lessons" are simply the codes that are illustrated in the book. No real "Do this" type exercises to see what is happening. You have to sort of play on your own unless you are better than I at understanding abstract concepts.

So far, I'm up to lesson 4 and have about 2 hours in. Of course, this is due to some major "aside" play --I read, add code to a web page in Dreamweaver, change code to see what happens, etc.-- so that I can understand what exactly the code is affecting. I must admit that I do understand the codes a lot better than I did before. Using this book has helped me understand how Dreamweaver works with CSS as well.

It takes longer than 10 minutes to even read some of the chapters, so I'm not sure how they came up with the title; pretty catchy though. This is one useful tool for learning CSS, and works well in conjunction with others; not a stand-alone though.

James Tadeo, Web Design Brampton
I work with Web sites every day and will need a reference now and again to get my work done. This book is handy and fits nicely in my pack and acts as my main reference for CSS. The examples are clear and build from the previous chapters. It also has an accompanying Web site that shows you what the CSS script will look like when implemented. I believe this is a good starter book and the price is just right.

Cryptic
No plain English explanation of the reasoning behind the code. Assumes you'll understand what he means by "adjacent sibling selectors" and "document tree". I gleaned some knowledge by copying the examples and trial and error, but it was frustrating and tedious. If you're a programmer you might be able to decipher this book, but if you're a newbie you'll get a clearer introduction, with relevant details, from a book like "HeadFirst HTML" by Elisabeth and Eric Freeman. ... Read more

Product Description

Sams Teach Yourself CGI in 24 Hours teaches the reader the next step beyond simple HTML Web pages. This new edition covers implementing CGI with both C and Perl, and it discusses CGI's relative strengths and weaknesses in comparison with other Web programming technologies like JavaScript, Java, and PHP.It also covers recent developments in templating systems and mod_perl server add-ons.

The book takes the reader from the basics of CGI—learning, for example, how to implement and customize existing CGI programs that have been written by others—to the point where he can use CGI to create his own programs from scratch.

The book also provides numerous real-life examples of CGI scripts—database search tools, survey forms, interactive games, order forms, guest books, and more.

Customer Reviews (7)

Good for Beginners
This book encompassed most of what CGI is all about and did so straight forward enough to where a beginner could learn from it. It covers the basics of programming in a sense with all of its topics and how it's structured. It wouldn't be feasible to go straight from using the book to application programming, but like I said, it's good for beginners to start getting a feel for what the server side world is capable of and how things work.

An excellent beginners book!
I have been learning CGI/PERL/PHP for the past 6 months now. I am currently in an internship and my job is to update the webpage. This book was great! This book helped me a lot. I am definitely still a begginner at CGI and this book taught me a lot of basics. You won't learn how to create professional looking guestbooks or message boards but you will learn the basics of how to create them. This book covers just about everything you need to know to get started.

I am impressed
The content of the book impressed me.Prior to reading the book, I had taught myself Perl programming, and had learned the basics of forms processing.I didn't understand some of CGI jargon I came across in more than one Perl book that glossed over CGI in a single chapter somewhere toward the back of the book.But this book on CGI programming gave me all the information I needed to feel like a CGI pro, someone who could keep his cool in any discussion where "CGI" was spoken.

Some of the information in this book is worth writing down, so you can remember the clear understanding that reading the book gave you, and so you can regurgitate that understanding to other people later, say after months of no complex CGI programming.This book offers enough explanation to make you see things from a webmaster's perspective, but also a UNIX programmer's perspective.Without more than a basic idea of how the UNIX command-line works.

I will confess that if you don't know Perl, I don't think you'd have the same reaction I did.But CGI books shouldn't have to teach you Perl, and at the same time, Perl is THE language for CGI programming.The "brief" coverage that this book gives to other CGI languages is not meant to underplay their relative importance, but rather to give Perl the attention that it's due.Also, realize that PHP is not a CGI language, and I wouldn't classify JSP as one, either, so you definitely won't find mention of them in Rafe's book as anything other than alternatives to CGI.

So learn some Perl, say from the new "Beginning Perl" book from OReilly, and then get Rafe's book, to learn CGI."Teach Yourself CGI in 24 Hours" is worth buying and studying.

Great Start for a Perl Beginning
Dear Mr. Rafe Colburn:
Buddy! Just thought I had better write you to THANK you for your book, 'Sams Teach Yourself CGI in 24 Hours". I bought the book last Christmas, and though progress is slow, things are sinking in GOOD!
I just wrapped my head around Hour 15, Session (State) Management, and cookies. Your book is extremely well laid out, easy to understand, and there hasn't been an exercise in your book that I haven't been able to complete yet! The exercises are challenging and fun yet possible with your book. Once again, THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I have found it to be an OUTSTANDING resource for myself, a beginner in the PERL programming language.

Excellent book for quick start
This is a well written book to obtain a quick understanding of CGI. ... Read more

Product Description
JavaScript is an interpreted, object-based scripting language for building highly interactive Web pages. Teach Yourself JavaScript dramatically reduces the learning curve for Web-page programmers new to JavaScript. In plain English and with the help of numerous screen captures, the book covers the latest version of JavaScript, shows how it works with Microsoft and Netscape software, and walks you through all the steps for mastering this tool to produce coherent, maintainable code for interactive Web pages and to debug mistakes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Decent but a little unfocused
As a warning, this book is directed at novices who have little programming experience and no prior exposure to JavaScript. If you have programming experience but no prior exposure to JavaScript, you will find it simplistic at times but will still likely benefit from reading it; however, if you have prior exposure to JavaScript, you probably won't learn much from it.

Those looking for a quick intro to the language will appreciate this book, however, and will especially like the book's clarity and concision. It tends to avoid to get bogged down with extraneous detail (the one exception being in the section on forms, where the author basically re-introduces most of the HTML form concepts; this is supposed to be a book on JavaScript, not HTML, and the back cover claims it assumes a knowledge of HTML, so I'm not exactly sure why that material was there).

As one more warning, this book will not introduce you to the more advanced or modern functionalities of JavaScript. With that said, it'll still provide the tyro with a good introduction. ... Read more

Product Description
Consisting of 24 one-hour lessons, Sams Teach Yourself PHP4 in 24 Hours is divided into five sections that guide you through the language from the basics to the advanced functions. The first section of the book teaches the fundamentals of PHP. Building upon what has been taught in the first section, sections two through four show you how to apply that knowledge in order to interact with the user by creating and managing forms, cookies and authentication. It also teaches how to access databases and how to integrate system components, e-mail, LDAP, network sockets and much more. The final section of the book covers advanced functionality including how to debug and optimize scripts, maintain script security, and extend PHP with API. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (35)

Doesn't care about customers of older editions
I bought this book when it was still current.I recently emailed the author trying to get the code for this edition since I misplaced the original code download, he refused to give me the code, trying to get me to buy the newest edition.Sams and this author have no respect for customers of an edition after a newer edition comes out.I made sure the next PHP book I bought was NOT a Sams book or from this author.

Covers the material
This book does the job. It's written in a plain, efficient style and it served my immediate needs. It covers the subject and each chapter is presented in bite-sized chunks. As the title would suggest: 24 hours; 24 chapters.

This book could probably serve as a reference resource. I don't think any of the chapters really rely on the material from earlier chapters.

However, this book soon lost its position as a fixture on my desktop. It does not stimulate. One wonders whether the chapter layout was the result of a survey or a committee decision. Because the author is bound by that layout (and the "24 hours" promise) he doesn't really take any risks.

Any good progamming book should proselytize the principles of good coding. This book treats those as luxuries - and leaves them out - possibly, one feels, because they don't fit neatly enough into any of the rigidly defined chapters.

This book gives you a good taste of PHP. You generally find that most of what you're looking for is covered. But it doesn't grip you. For each topic the first bit is really nicely done and you think "ah I'm glad it's so simple", ...but then the momentum is lost, the text loses its way and your eyes glaze over as the examples are presented.

After you've found what you're looking for you'll put it down again as it doesn't inspire or pump you with enthusiasm. This is possibly a good thing for those with pressing deadlines, again, helps to shoehorn it into the "reference" category.

To conclude: I doubt you'll read it all. It's just enough to cover the subject. I gets the job done in its own efficient way.

My favorite php book
I am a php programmer and have done alot of php programming over the past four years.This is my favorite php book and I refer to it often.It may not have all the answers but it answers most of the common problems simply and clearly.

Sams Teach Yourself PHP
This book is definately not for the new programmer.It is written in Geek and for a Sams teach yourself not very well presented.I have been using the Sams books for a number of years and not had the difficulty with the comprehension.As a refrence book there is a substantial number of better publications, all of which should be consulted before wasting money on this volume.The volume I have is the Second Edition Published in 2001.

A good starting point in learning the basics of PHP4
This book gave me the knowledge needed to learn and develop PHP in a fast pace, although this book tries to cover a huge coverage of PHP in a very short time, you get the idea on how things work.I learned the basics here then shifted to Wrox's Professional PHP for the advanced topics.If you are a total newbie in PHP but not a newbie in programming, this book is for you.If you are a fast adopter, the ... documentations will suffice for the basic and advanced topics. ... Read more

Product Description
Teach Yourself CGI Programming in a Week, Third Editionfollows the same format and uses the same learning tools as other books in the Sams Teach Yourself Series. This new edition covers implementing CGI with C and Active Server Page technology, in addition to Perl.Also covered are Windows CGI programming and how to use CGI to interact with Java, VBScript, and JavaScript.The book takes the reader from the basics of CGI learning, for example, how to implement and customize existing CGI programs that have been written by others to the point where he can use CGI to create his own programs from scratch.The book will also provide numerous real-life examples of CGI scripts database search tools, survey forms, interactive games, order forms, guest books, and more.The final sections of the book will cover advanced CGI programming debugging techniques, solutions for common CGI problems, etc.

• Learn how to add interactivity and programs to Web pages with CGI

Later chapters show how to use CGI with databases,which the author admits is not a particularly strong suit of CGI.(Thetutorial on the basics of SQL is as good as any.) He surveys thegrowing field of alternatives to CGI, including active server pages(ASPs), Java Servlets, and NSAPI/ISAPI. The book closes with a listingof Perl basics, from language syntax to regular expressions, makingthis book a complete tutorial for getting started with the powerfulcapabilities of CGI. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

OK Introduction to CGI
Although there are a lot of books about CGI, few seem to be any good.In my opinion, this one fits neatly in the lower end of the spectrum.This book is basically is a simplistic introduction, provided that you already know Perl.Almost all of the examples are written in Perl.

1/3rd of the book's content are appendices (MIME types, response codes, environment variables, and a CGI Perl Quick Reference).

Still, it is a usable introduction to CGI with examples.

I was new to CGI and found this book
I went out and bought this book becuase I saw it and glansed at it and I liked what I saw.This book will take you threw all the basics in CGI.By the end of the seven days, I was programming all these awsome things in perl.Right now, just from the knowledge I aquired from this book I was able to create my own internet advertising company using over 10,000 lines of pure Perl code.

I feel this book will get you on your feet and get you doing the majority of the things you want to get done.I was a bit skeptacle about the whole "Sams" books and how everybody says they are crap and they have very bad editing and stuff.Well I went through this book, and there are a few misprints, but the book is still a very good and you will not be disappointed if you get this one, although if you want to get truly serious in CGI you will need to get a reference book in Perl or whatever language, but this will get you on your way making amazing and great usefull CGI programs.

The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 stars was because I felt this book would have been better if they made it a "Sams teach yourself CGI Programming in 21 days" instead of a shorter 7 day course.That way they could have taken many subjects into more depth, but besides that, it covers a lot (even SQL).I have read reviews on other sams books and many people say that sams is very bad.Well some were true, but this book from Sams is a great book and a must have.

Begginer content written for an expert
This has begginer level content, although is too complex for any begginer. Only purchase this book if you already know C and Perl, and have noknowledge of CGI.

There are much better simple free tutorials online thatcould describe the basis of CGI.

Not a waste of money...But not the only book you will need.
This was the second book I purchased in my quest to master Perl. The first being Perl and CGI For The World Wide Web, by Elizabeth Castro. I recommend that if you are a beginner start with something other than Teach Yourself -CGI Programming in a Week. Though not a total waste of money ( I have foundit to be useful as a desktop reference. ) It will not be the last book youwill ever need to purchase on your way to mastering Perl and the CGIprotocol. On the bright side it does spend a fair amount of time discussingServer Side Includes, which come in handy when developing dynamic webapplications. Finally, be prepared to purchase Programming Perl- by LarryWall to truly master the language. GOOD LUCK

Great book!
Although I do not have any Perl experience, I found this book just great to get understanding about CGI concepts and environment. I did not expect such a good book from SAMS. Must have! ... Read more

Product Description

Explore the depth and flexibility of Macromedia Flash 8 with Sams Teach Yourself Macromedia Flash 8 in 24 Hours. Fundamental topics are presented one-by-one in a series of 24 one-hour lessons that will help you master the basics of Flash. Author Phillip Kerman, an internationally-known Macromedia trainer and multimedia expert, offers you a clearly-written, well-organized introduction to Macromedia Flash 8 without becoming too overwhelming. You will cover such subjects as:

• Drawing and Painting Original Art
• Using Motion Tween to Animate
• Animatng Using Movie Clips
• Using Actions to Create Non-Linear Movies
• Optimizing a Flash Site
• Publishing a Creation

Customer Reviews (34)

Great Book
This book has clear consise explanations of topics that will satisfy most new users to Flash. No nonsense approach and practical instructions with plenty of tasks that lead you through the maize of the Flash interface. There are online addresses provided in the book to resources that provide further explanations, source files, etc. Do not hesitate to buy this book. Well worth the small price.

A great introduction to Flash 8
I borrowed this book from the library but just popped on Amazon to purchase it.The criticism that this book tends to be repetitive is true.However, as a newbie on Flash (except running through some of the included tutorials that didn't necessarily give all the short-cuts, reasoning, etc...that I found in this book), I find the repetition helpful.In so many computer training books they throw the information out at you once and then, when you come across it again chapters later, you only vaguely remember it.I prefer not to waste my time looking things up.Anyway, I think Phillip Kerman must have extensive actual classwork time with real live students to have been able to come up with such a WORKING manual. I have on my desk about 10 different manuals for various programs that I borrowed from the library but this is the ONLY one that I really want to purchase because it has so much information in it (that I want to mark and tag and write in my own copy!!).

Made my own flash within 2 hours.
This book is awesome.Very easy to read & follow and quite informative.I was able to make a really cute flash within 2 chapters and 2 hours.I can't wait to see what I can do when I'm done.

Excellent step-by-step overview
Flash is a complex program with innumerable functions. Phillip Kerman breaks the program down into bite-size chunks and leads you through each one step by step. His explanations are concise and easy to understand and always followed immediately by practical exercises so that right from the outset you get your hands dirty creating things using the program. The absolute beginner will have a solid overview of the basic functions of Flash by the end of the book and be able to begin experimenting with a project. The book's well-organized structure and detailed index would also make it ideal as a reference tool for those who already have some knowledge of the program.

Good Info but...
It takes FOREVER to get to the point and many times there is repitition over the instruction.Sometimes in the same paragraph!A good book that gives information yes, but it could easily have been cut to a third the size. ... Read more

Product Description

Sams Teach Yourself ASP.NET 3.5 in 24 Hours

Scott Mitchell

Starter Kit

DVD includes Microsoft Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition

In just 24 sessions of one hour or less, you will be up and running with ASP.NET 3.5. Using a straightforward, step-by-step approach, each lesson builds upon a real-world foundation forged in both technology and business matters, allowing you to learn the essentials of building dynamic, data-driven web applications from the ground up.

Step-by-step instructions carefully walk you through the most common questions, issues, and tasks.

Q&As, quizzes, and exercises at the end of each lesson help you build and test your knowledge.

By the Way, Did You Know?, and Watch Out! boxes point out shortcuts and solutions.

Learn how to…

• Design and create ASP.NET web pages
• Use Microsoft Visual Web Developer to quickly and professionally build ASP.NET websites
• Collect input from users visiting your web pages
• Display database data through a web page
• Edit, insert, delete, sort, and page through database data from an ASP.NET page
• Build a website that supports user accounts
• Use Ajax to design interactive web user interfaces

As editor and main contributor to 4GuysFromRolla.com, a popular ASP.NET resource website, Scott Mitchell has authored more than a thousand articles on Microsoft web technologies since 1998. In addition to his vast collection of online articles, Scott has written six previous books on ASP and ASP.NET: Sams Teach Yourself Active Server Pages 3.0 in 21 Days (Sams); Designing Active Server Pages (O’Reilly); ASP.NET: Tips, Tutorials, and Code (Sams); ASP.NET Data Web Controls Kick Start (Sams); Sams Teach Yourself ASP.NET in 24 Hours (Sams); and Sams Teach Yourself ASP.NET 2.0 in 24 Hours (Sams). Scott has also written a number of magazine articles and is a regular columnist for Microsoft’s MSDN Magazine.

DVD Includes:

• Microsoft Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition

On the Web:

• Register your book at informit.com/title/9780672329975 for access to author code, examples, updates and corrections as they become available.

Category: Microsoft Programming/ASP.NET

Covers: ASP.NET 3.5

User Level: Beginning—Intermediate

Customer Reviews (19)

Good starting point
As the title states, this is directed towards someone beginning their foray into .net and web programming. It focuses on VB providing a good foundation to research and explore more advanced topics and projects.

Missing a few things
While I agree with many of the positive things said about this book, it is missing a few things.First it completely leaves out the fact that there is a whole other programming language available for use with ASP.Net 3.5 and Visual Studio.C Sharp or C#.This, unfortunately for me, is what I needed it for. Second, you can download the code used throughout the modules in the chapters from the [...] website.That is mildly helpful.Most of it is already written out in the book.What it leaves out is example code for the exercises at the end of each chapter.That would have been extremely helpful.Instead the exercises were rendered mostly useless since there is no resource to go to if/when you get stuck.

ASP.NET 3.5
The book is truly for beginners.It steps through web development in the .NET one step at a time.Some sections are too remedial, but they are sectioned in chapters such that it is easy to skip chapters of topics that you already understand.

Scott Mitchell's ASP.NET 3.5 Book is on Point
I started programming MS Access, VB, and SQL Server since 1996. I went to technical college in 2005 to upgrade my skills to Internet and Web Design. I was taught Open Source software, since the public college could not keep up with paid software.As a result, I was at a disdavanage in getting a job, because most companies wanted people with ASP.NET skills. I have been out of work for about one year, so I decided to try my hands at ASP.NET 3.5.

I was hesitant at picking up a SAMS book, because I had found that they were poorly written in the past, and that they were filled with errors. I gambled on picking up this book by Mr. Scott Mitchell, and I must say that is one of the best investment that I have ever made. I get up every morning @ 3 AM, and I worked on a chapter from then until about 7 AM.

As a result, I have built a data driven Website, which I am using as an online portfolio. This book has pointed out additional resources to use, and it tells you where to find them. I was able to build Master Templates, Master skins, implement SQL Server data base driven security. Additionally, I have implemented my very first multi-tier architecture using Web pages, Business Logic Layer (BLL), Data Access Layer (DAL), and SQL Server 2005 database.

This book is not a magician, but it teaches you how to work smart. Mr. Mitchell focused on maybe two controls per chapter, which is awesome. The book is concise and is on point.

Good step by step approach, might have started with Master pages though.
This is my 2nd Sams Teach Yourself book and I like it. It takes you through VB and basic programming for about 7 chapters and you might skim through and still pick up some ideas... then you're into the meat.

The various topics do take you through a progression that goes from easiest to hardest but because it does it skips (until later) the key organizer - Master pages. If you learn some things doing the mortgage calculator you have a page you might use on your site. Getting it into your Master page later is more difficult.

Another thing about variables... VB allows you to use whatever variable name you like, this is gone through in depth... then immediately not used. Some conventions I have learned elsewhere I applied (like sName for a string and lName for a long), so during the mortgage calculator I used my own variable names. The original mathematical formula uses single letter variables but we don't have to.

I think you will learn a lot using this book to teach yourself and I recommend it. The reason for the 4 rating is the wish that at the end I could use what I built rather than have just learned ASP.Net 3.5.

Also, if you're getting this for the programs that are included in the CD, they're all available for free from Microsoft for download and you get the latest versions. It's pretty cool that MS makes such a great tool as Visual Web Designer available for free. Kudos to them... I own Expression Web 3 and I use this free one for ASP.Net apps. EW3 is better at the CSS stuff so I can still use it for that.

Good luck with your website.
Ed

[...] (not an ASP.Net site yet.)
... Read more

Product Description
In just 21 days, the reader will use Active Server Page (ASP) technology to create their own active Web pages and applications. They will begin by working with the fundamentals of ASP and then move on to more advanced topics, such as workin-Active Server Page technology has existed for less than two years and is just now moving out of the testing stages into the mainstream-This New and Improved edition will be expanded from 14 to 21 days-It incorporates the feedback of previous readers. This book will be reviewed by members of the Active Server Pages list server to help insure it is the best tutorial availableAmazon.com Review
If Microsoft's Internet Information Server (IIS) is your Webserver, Microsoft Active Server Pages (ASP) can be one of your mostpowerful tools. ASP enables you to develop and deploy highlyinteractive Web sites quite efficiently. Sams Teach Yourself ActiveServer Pages 2.0 in 21 Days can help you become an ASP expert.

As its title implies, the book presents a three-week tutorialconsisting of daily lessons. A chart inside the front cover outlinesthe learning schedule. Week one begins with overview chapters aboutASP, but progresses quickly through using data entry forms, workingwith scriptlets, and working with HTTP transactions. The importantRequest object is covered by the sixth day, and you work with cookieson the seventh.

The second week continues the pace with a focus onWeb databases and ActiveX Database Objects--a key Microsoft objectmodel used throughout its products. Along the way, you'll build adatabase application and work with SQL. This week also covers how touse cookies for intersession information management. The final week ofstudy covers advanced topics such as programming with Visual Basic andActiveX, security, custom components, and Win32 API access.

Whilethis book teaches about ASP, it also illustrates how to use thetechnology effectively. This title helps you utilize the powerfuldevelopment technologies of IIS to create your ownprofessional-quality Web sites. --Stephen W. Plain ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Great book but a few errors
This book is great, my website is much improved because of it but, in the coding examples there are many mistakes, After you read the book though you should be able to correct these. I also found it very simple to edit applications to create amazing databases and asp pages. I suggest this book for people who havde general knowledge of html. Check it out!

Typos, typos, typos...
Though Hettihewa is fairly decent at teaching ASP (I was able to grasp the concepts), the number of typos, particularly in his coding examples, madeit consistently difficult to figure out what was going on. I kept stoppingto try to figure out why a certain snippet of code was written in such away, only to eventually discover that it was a mistake. Over and over andover again, to the tune of about one significant error per page. Amisspelled word here or there would be one thing, but when you're trying tounderstand code, the devil is in the details, and the devil had a field dayhere. On top of that, as mentioned in other reviews, is Hettihewa'sunreasonable passion for all things Microsoft. I'm no Microsoft basher, butquite frankly, this guy must be getting paid off. All said, you *can* learnASP from this book, but I would bet there are much better books for thetask.

Great Book
This is a great book that has really improved my site. The Databasing in this book is incredible. Ijust want to also congratulate Sanjaya Hettihewa.

Best for the starters
Well organized, wide coverage, starts from grass root, good for the beginners. Touches many subjects, but not enough explination. Still a very good book.

Best Than The Batter
This book is vevy informative. It also cantains a lot of structured prog examples this book is very good. ... Read more

Product Description

Are you one of those people who think there isn't anything substantial that you can do in only 10 minutes? Think again. Sams Teach Yourself PHP in 10 Minutes is a no-fluff, just-the-answers guide to building dynamic websites using PHP. Broken into 10 minute lessons, you will gain a rapid working knowledge of PHP 5 and be able to immediately put that knowledge to use in practical applications. Who ever would have thought there was so much you could do in just 10 minutes!

Customer Reviews (6)

almost a complete time waster
Do not buy this book!

There are many coding errors, and incomplete examples. This particular book reads like the author just needed the money and slapped it together.

Don't waste your time.

Great!!!
I started with a good computer background but limited coding experience and no knowledge of PHP.I got this book.I looked at it for an hour.I started writing a php test site.I worked my way through the rest of the book in four hours.I worked on the site for the next two days.I got the Sam's PHP in 24 hours book.At the end of a week I had my own online photo management / backup / sharing application up and running.

For high yield learning I've never seen anything that can rival this book.It both told me how to do what I wanted, why to do it that way, and what not to do.Simply, this book is a wonderful starting point for someone who is tech savvy and wants to learn by doing.

Advice:
Buy it so it arrives on a Friday before a free weekend, you are going to kill the weekend.Go on and buy the Sam's teach yourself PHP in 24 hours now and save yourself the frustration of waiting for it to ship.

About Sam's
I was so happy with this Sam's book that I got PHP in 24 hours and the MySQL in 10 mins books to help with the same project.MySQL in 10 mins is also a great book.I didn't find it as good as PHP in 10 mins, but it's hard to say if that is a difference in the books of a difference in the two topics.(PHP in 24 is great, as I said earlier.)

Unfortunately those are really my only success stories with Sam's.I got both JavaScript in 24hrs and Ajax in 10 mins from Sam's and neither lived up to the PHP books.They were both much more of a cookbook feeling and less of an introduction to a topic.

A good starting point for those unfamiliar with the language.
I recently found a need to do a little PHP programming on a website.When I went looking for books what I found were any number of two to six hundred page texts.Then I found this little gem.It fitted my purposes perfectly as it explained the basics of PHP with examples for things I was trying to accomplish.

I will say that I that the treatment of classes was too brief and was the major reason that I didn't give five stars.The important things is that it provided a basis for me to experiment with the examples, accomplish what I needed to do, and allowed me to gain enough knowledge in a few short evenings that I'll be able to get another book on the subject without being totally lost from the first page.That is all I can ask from a cheap book.

Made Learning Easy
This book was written in clear language with small examples of code that are perfect for a beginner to make learning PHP easy.The best thing is that the author chose an excellent set of topics to cover in an introductory book: programming concepts ( arrays, variables, functions, etc. ), web concepts ( forms, connecting to MySQL database, cookies and sessions, etc. ), and a smattering of installation and configuration information ( ... just enough, not boring ).Moreover, I really liked the smaller size of the book so that I could easily hold it while typing up the examples at my keyboard.

Search for another Book
I'm still trying to learn PHP after going through this book.I have HTML, XHTML, actionscript, and CSS experience.It teaches interesting points about the language, but it's difficult to put the language into use with this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Sams Teach Yourself Web Publishing with HTML & XHTML in 21 Days, Third Edition is a new edition of the best-selling Laura Lemay book that started the whole HTML/Web publishing phenomenon. The entire book has been revised and refined to freshen up its appearance and to bring it up to date with current Web publishing practices and technologies. Yet the book's original style, off-beat humor, and popular learning techniques will be retained and developed. This edition of the book includes coverage of the latest developments in HTML and Web publishing, including the effects of XHTML 1.0 and 1.1 on Web publishing practices, the new generation of browsers from Microsoft and Netscape, improvements and changes in Web publishing tools, and developments in Web scripting and programming. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

good book, bad service
The book itself is well written, and I'm learning a lot from it. HOWEVER, the selling-point for me was, as advertised inside the back cover, the companion site with source code and graphics used in the examples in the book. Some competitors' books have a CD-ROM included, but I chose this one figuring accessing a Web site would be just as easy. Well, the Web site does not exist. Bringing this to the publisher's attention was a waste of time. They were neither concerned, apologetic, or interested in making any kind of effort to accept responsibility or rectify the situation. Bad customer service.... I'm quite annoyed.

Beginners: buy this book
If you want to learn HTML and XHTML this is the book to read. Some subjects are deeper covered than some others but this is the best guide for newbies and a very good reference for the advanced.

The best HTML book - in 2002
I am a professional software developer. I've dabbled in HTML as part of my job, but in late 2001 decided to finally take the time to learn the latest HTML standards right. So I set out to find the best and most comprehensive HTML book there was. I considered the five most available and highly-rated ones: Laura Lemay's Teach Yourself (Professional Edition), The HTML Bible, the Wrox HTML book, Elizabeth's Visual QuickStart Guide, and Molly Holzschlag's Special Edition.

None of them are perfect, but Lemay's book seemed to be the best of the bunch - at the time (more on that later). I worked through it the hard way - from cover to cover. Now I can share with you my observations:

PROS:
1) Comprehensive coverage of almost all the important topics, from site planning, the HTML language itself, sound/video to design tips, site marketing and server admin. Its unrivaled breadth gives the novice a good survey of the entire field.
2) The comprehensiveness extends to the well-written appendices - HTML, CSS, Javascript, charset, color and MIME charts make this book a great all-in-one reference long after you've finished the lessons.
3) Commitment to XHTML1.0 means you will learn to do things the right way
4) The three meaty chapters on web server set-up and admin set this book apart, as are the chapters on site marketing and testing.
5) As for the basics, good coverage of text formatting and wrapping
6) Clean, readable writing and layout

CONS:
1) The only major shortfall - insubstantial CSS coverage. The future of page design deserves more than one rather generic chapter. Particularly annoying is Lemay's practice in early chapters of introducing classic formatting tags/attributes only to tell you it's deprecated in HTML 4.0. A comprehensive chart of old-vs-new practices at the end of the CSS chapter would have been helpful, as are re-implementations of all previous examples in standard-compliant HTML (especially for tables).
2) There should have been a few color insert-pages - to help explain the Using Colors section, at least! (I am thinking about the Color Wheel model in the old Teach Yourself Web Design book)
3) Laura Lemay is not a professional designer, and it shows. Look at any HTML book and you can tell whether the author is a Developer, a Tech Writer or a Designer. Lemay writes well and gives some good general design advices, but her example pages are uninspiring. Typography, an issue dear to designers and problematic in the web world, receives scant attention. To learn design, go to chapter 6, 7, 8, 12 of Robin William's "The Non-Designer's Web Book" for sharp and practical advices.
4) Skimpy on: WYSIWYG tools, Java, streaming, Flash, META tags, DNS and domain registration; no mention of the AOL browser
5) Needs better explanation of the DHTML concepts, especially diagrams that show how HTML, CSS and Javascript work together
6) Examples not consistently standard-compliant, Ch.20 errorneously states that Javascript array index starts with 1, and other minor editorial errors

What worries me though, is that the book is not being maintained. Its companion site is gone, and Laura herself stated on her site that she's retired. In contrast, Molly Holzschlag is an active member of the web designer community and her "Special Edition" was just updated last May - so that may be the new Gold Standard now.

The definitive beginners XHTML guide
I picked up this book in March, 2002 with no prior knowledge of HTML.In less than three weeks I learned how to create good-looking web pages, featuring Cascading Style Sheets, in XHTML (the latest revision of HTHL).

This book is simply outstanding.Laura Lemay presents the markup language in a clear, easy-to-understand manner with excellent, real-world examples.You need no prior programming skills of any kind.Reading and working through the examples of this book has enabled me to create my own website in a matter of weeks.

For anyone who wants to learn HTML, I would strongly recommend this book.

SAMS Teach Yourself Web Publishing With HTML And XHTML In 21
This is the professional reference third edition, complete with a CD-ROM that has source code examples, web graphics and sample software.This is a very easy-to-use, comprehensive book for learning either HTML or XHTML.
The clear step-by-step instructions in this book make it easy for even a beginner to gain hands-on practice with web page creation.
This book will teach you how to work with color, sound, animation and images.
I let my husband, who knows nothing about computers, take a look at this book and play around designing a web page.It was one of the few times he wasn't saying "honey, how do I.......?"
If you are a beginner, I'd definitely get this book.If you have some experience with HTML or XHTML, this would make an excellent reference edition for your bookshelf.The user level is beginner to intermediate.
I have spent a lot of time building web pages over the last four years and some of the information in this book was new to me. ... Read more

Product Description
Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer instructions that show you how to do something - and skip the long-winded explanations? If so, then this book is for you. Open it up and you'll find clear, step-by-step screen shots that show you how to tackle more than 150 Dreamweaver CS3 tasks. Each task-based spread includes easy, visual directions for performing necessary operations, including:

* Setting up a new Web site
*

Exploring dynamic HTML
*

Creating complex designs with CSS
*

Using hyperlinks to navigate
*

Publishing and maintaining sites
*

Building database-driven Web sites
*

Helpful sidebars offer practical tips and tricks
*

Full-color screen shots demonstrate each task
*

Succinct explanations walk you through step by step
*

Two-page lessons break big topics into bite-sized modules ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Teach Yourself Visually Dreamweaver CS3
Excellent guide to teaching yourself visually Dreamweaver CS3. Step by step instructions with visuals, guide even the most computer challenged person through building their own website with ease. In the education field, this is called task analysis.

Excellent Book For Those With Little Experience
I find the "Teach Yourself Visually" books to be a great tool for those who don't know much about HTML and don't want to get bogged down with it.My first TYV book was for FrontPage and it had me up and going online in no time.The same is true for this book.I don't understand why someone would be insulted by this book.Anyone who is 'above' such a book, shouldn't be looking for this type of book.There are plenty of more advanced books with lots of words and stuff that won't have you uploading web pages for weeks.If you are looking for the best, most practical way to get going quickly on your websites, these Teach Yourself Visually books are the way to go.Yes, it's a 'Picture Book' for adults and you can't beat it.

Worthless
I was expecting a little more detail than a few words and a lot of silly pictures.When I opened the book I was insulted by the childish silly manner the book uses as a method to teach Dreamweaver.I learned nothing from either the text or the pictures.

Total waste of money.Don't buy this nonsense.

successfully hides most HTML
Warner takes a reader through an easy tour of Dreamweaver CS3. No previous exposure to it is needed. An added bonus, which is made clear by the narrative, is that you also do not need much background in knowing HTML. To some people who have never dealt with HTML, it can be daunting. What Dreamweaver does is make the composition of an HTML web page as painless as possible.

Typically, much of the book shows how to write a page in WYSIWIG. What you see is what you get. Click-driven and drag and drop. The grubby details of writing or inserting the appropriate HTML tags are largely (and thankfully!) hidden by Dreamweaver. So, for example, you can make line breaks in text, indent paragraphs, make ordered lists, and change text and page colours. All without explicitly editing HTML tags.

There are a few sections where you get to see (and edit) the raw HTML. Perhaps skip these on a first reading. With some experience in writing your first pages in Dreamweaver, you can later return to these.

The last chapter is definitely the most advanced. Talking about putting a database behind your website. The discussion is accurate. But it is only an introduction to the topic. For any realistic website with a database, consult a book devoted to the subject. Warner's writing touches on a few highlights. Enough to perhaps let you appreciate the complexities. ... Read more

Product Description

Sams Teach Yourself Adobe® Dreamweaver® CS3 in 24 Hours

Customer Reviews (11)

Clear explanations, good examples
I know a little (a very little) HTML, and this manual is helping me expand my ability to design web pages. I have a long way to go, but it looks as though this will be a good guide.

Paperweight
500+ pages chocked full of drivel and very little instruction which appear to have been transplanted from other manuals and websites. Buy this book only if you like product placement advertising.

Great for a Novice
Sam's Teach yourself Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 in 24 hours, is a comprehensive book that covers virtually everything you will need to know about the program. I initially chose this book because I had limited experience with Dreamweaver and wanted to be able to learn the fundamentals very quickly.One quick note about the titles of these books.Sam's Teach Yourself in 24 hours series is a bit misleading in the sense that it doesn't actually mean you could pick up the book one night and be an expert the next.O.K. well sort of...The Sam's Teach Yourself in 24 hours series of books are composed of 24, one-hour lessons that cumulatively help the user to learn a particular software program.

If you don't like learning theory or "why" something works then Sam's Teach Yourself Dreamweaver CS3 in 24 hours may not be the best kind of book for you. It is not the kind of book you can peruse on the weekend or take on a trip to help ramp up your skills.As an inexperienced Dreamweaver user, I found that I couldn't just go to the table of contents and select a section that sounded interesting. I felt like I had to start at the beginning and work my way through each chapter.

I am a Dreamweaver novice but an intermediate user of html, xhtml, and css so the beginning of this book was not as useful for me as say someone with no experience at all.This book would probably best suit someone without any web development experience at all.A small knowledge is certainly not detrimental but it forced me to skim the beginning and I felt myself wanted to "do" something.

This book doesn't have as many practice exercises as I would prefer.If you are someone who enjoys an included CD/DVD or at least a website with practice files then this book may not be the best for you.The book does suggest that you learn some fundamentals of web design/development by opening a pre-existing website.This task would certainly be helpful for the novice and is a good way to learn many CS3 features.

As someone who has used these type of training manual books before I felt that the greatest assets that this book had several strengths including: 1) Comprehensive and Detailed Explanations, 2) A good amount of screen shots, 3) Content Is Well Organized.

The weaknesses of this particular book include: 1) It is entirely black and white, 2) It is much too comprehensive for an intermediate user, 3) lacks an accompanying exercise files.

I would recommend this book to someone with absolutely NO web design, web development, or Dreamweaver experience.I would also recommend they begin on page 1 and work their way through incrementally as the book is intended. Give yourself 24 Days and do a one hour lesson a day.That would be a great way to get through each of the lessons and thoroughly learn Dreamweaver CS3.

Nate

Extremely Easy to Follow
I have read quite a few Dreamweaver books and this one by far is the easiest to follow.It has broken down steps in a way that gets straight to the point of what you need to do to build a site.

Just too elementary for me.
The back of this book, which arrived today, says "User Level: Beginning" and they are right. Wish Amazon's description of the book would have said that. I can see why the book's style would appeal to beginners, but with much Front Page experience, I needed at least an intermediate text. Less on the basics (like relative vs. absolute paths)and much more on style sheets, tables, etc. Also missing (not even in the Index) was any mention of "Contribute" a new Adobe tool designed to be used by non-programmers to maintain Dreamweaver-built websites.

So the book goes back and I will order something tougher.

... Read more

Product Description
Want to create web pages without having to learn or write code? With Teach Yourself FrontPage 2000 you'll soon be creating dynamic Web pages as painlessly as possible. Discover the easiest ways to integrate other Office 2000 files into your web pages. Maintain a consistent look on your pages with custom themes and style sheets. Add useful elements, including hit counters, search functions, and hover buttons. For the beginner to the intermediate web page designer, Teach Yourself Microsoft FrontPage 2000 offers the instructions that will lead to eye-popping pages! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A great way to learn FrontPage
I tend to love IDG books and this one is no exception.It is easy to understand (important for computer literature) and well laid out.It teaches the basics of using front page as well as some of the more difficult (and advanced) features such as beginning forms!Since I tend tolearn more by jumping on in and getting my hands dirty this book wasperfect for me. ... Read more

Product Description

Add some Flash to your website

If you want to create an animated Web page you must learn Flash, which is effectively the only animation system for the task. You will learn how to navigate the Flashscreen and import, convert, edit, and manipulate graphics,video, and sound with the most widely used entry-levelprogram in business and education. ... Read more

Product Description
Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft FrontPage 2000 in 24 Hours, is a carefully organized tutorial that teaches the beginning FrontPage user just what he needs to know in order to get a Web site up in the shortest time possible. The book covers only those FrontPage features and techniques that are likely to be used on a beginner's Web page, and it is organized in a logical step-by-step order that reflects the natural progression a new Web page author will follow in developing a Web site with FrontPage. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

A great series
Because of a new addition to my job description wherein I had to work on the department's intranet site, I needed to learn FrontPage. My boss sent me to a seminar, which was okay, but I still felt shaky. "Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft FrontPage 2000 in 24 Hours" filled in all the gaps and gave me a greater understanding of FrontPage than a $300 training session.

The language is free of techno-jargon and the instructions are very easy to follow. This is the third title in the "Sams Teach Yourself..." series that I've purchased, and there's no doubt that this series is the best and easiest to use of all the software do-it-yourself guides. This is a great guide to anyone trying to get started on FrontPage.

OK, but not all it's cracked up to be.
The book would probobly help more if you have some general experience in Frontpage.If you are looking for a vague reference manual, this book is perfect.As a computer graphics and design professional I had most of the terminology and basic functions down, but what I found was that the book assumes you know a decent amount of information before hand.Most of the problems stem from abbreviated chapters (10-12 pages in an hour and most of that is graphics) and assuming you know how to get around(ie: go to the themes menu without telling you where this menu is located.)I know the program will do what I want, but this book doesn't tell me how to get specific things such as importing more file types than .gif, .jpg, and .png.I want to know how to integrate my Flash files and Swish files and how to get plugins to work.Also, it is assumed that graphics layout will be centered around text, when most of the pages I am building involve more layout and less text.If I didn't have a clue what the difference between a .jpg and a .gif was, this would be helpful.The book kind of dissapoints me in that some things are covered for basic beginners and others assume a working knowledge of the program.I would recommend another book more suited for beginners if you are beginning, or something more suited for intermediate users if you are intermediate.Either way this book is probobly not the best for anybody out there.Also the web with the sample files is not there anymore...

Very good book for starting out with Frontpage 2000
I am very happy with this book. I have learned a lot from it. This book isn't for experienced Frontpage users but for people that are just beginning and are wanting to learn Frontpage. After this, I'm going to buy a more advanced book, "Microsoft FrontPage 2000 Unleashed."

Very good book for starting out with Frontpage 2000
I am very happy with this book. I have learned a lot from it. This book isn't for experienced Frontpage users but for people that are just beginning are wanting to learn Frontpage. After this, I'm going to buy a more advanced book, "Microsoft FrontPage 2000 Unleashed."

24 hours is not enough
Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft FrontPage 2000 is a combination of good and bad.The major flaw here is although the book is labeled for beginners, it assumes the reader understands 'computerese'.Terms such asHTML and ISDN are not spelled out, much of the jargon is left unexplained.A novice to this program would be lost before finishing the first chapter. Another problem with this book is the lack of examples and/or exercises asthe chapter progresses.FrontPage, like most computer programs,is notsomething to read about.Learning will come easier if the information ispresented in a hands-on approach.In this regards Sams Teach YourselfFrontPage in 21 days has a better format.On the good side, the flowof the chapters are nicely sequential, each building on the previous.Onecould get a web site up and operating by the time the book is completed.Overall there are better choices in books, although this one may beadequate if a live teacher were around to help decode the jargon. ... Read more

Product Description

Teach Yourself Flash MX is a complete, step-by-step guide to the most widely used animation system for Web pages. Perfect for fledgling Web designers, it shows you, among other things, how to navigate the Flash screen; import, convert, edit, and manipulate graphics, video, and sound; and program for Flash in ActionScript. Even experienced Flash users will appreciate the author's expert advice and guidance on how to get the most out of the software and be genuinely creative with Web animation.

Product Description

Sams Teach Yourself Adobe Flash CS3 Professional in 24 Hours

Phillip Kerman

24 Proven One-hour Lessons

In just 24 lessons of one hour or less, you will be able to create dynamic animations using Adobe® Flash® CS3 Professional. Using a straightforward, step-by-step approach, each lesson builds on the previous ones, enabling you to learn the essentials of Flash from the ground up.

Step-by-step instructions carefully walk you through the most common Flash tasks.

Quizzes and Exercises at the end of each chapter help you test your knowledge.

By the Way notes present interesting information related to the discussion.

Did You Know? tips offer advice or show you easier ways to do something.

Watch Out! cautions alert you to possible problems, and give you advice on how to avoid them.

Learn how to…

o       Create, optimize, and export dynamic animated movies for the Web, disk, or CD

o       Integrate Flash animations with static HTML pages

o       Use Flash’s vector graphics tools, including filters and blends, to create drawings and animations

o       Use digital video in Flash movies

o       Animate using time-tested techniques and Flash’s special “tweening” features

o       Create powerful, interactive movies using the basics of ActionScript

o       Design Button, Graphic, and Movie Clip symbols and use them over and over without increasing file size

o       Import existing graphics from Illustrator® and Photoshop®

Phillip Kerman is an internationally recognized expert on the use of the Web and multimedia for training and entertainment. He frequently presents at Flash user conferences and has taught Flash and other authoring tools in workshops around the world.

Register your book at www.samspublishing.com/register  for convenient access to downloads, updates, and corrections as they become available.

Customer Reviews (11)

Sams Teach Yourself Adobe Flash CS3 Professional in 24 Hours
Fantastic step by step do it yourself flash introduction guide.Also a great refresher for those who may have been away from flash awhile or those with outdated software.

Just Buy It
I didn't know anything about Flash. This walked me right into it. There is enough information to make you shine. Twenty Four hours is a little shy of reality. You will spend time here. It's fun, it's easy.

The Opposite of Flash?
Positives:
- Simple examples, "baby's first Adobe app" type of stuff.
- Plenty of focus on the Flash UI; you'll know what all the important knobs and dials are for.
- Interesting sidebars explaining complex topics like registration vs. transformation points.

Cons:
- Simple examples.If you've used any Adobe app, you'll be yawning for the first 6 "hours".
- The more lengthy examples are difficult to follow as several steps are combined into one step.E.g. "3) Do X, Y, Z, A, B." which makes following quite difficult as you glance up at Flash and back down to the book, you lose your place within the individual step.
- Examples do little to inspire.I'm halfway through the book and yawning.Right-click around the web and you'll see "About Adobe Flash Player 9..." on some really compelling presentations, both interactive and otherwise.I have to wonder if they're using the same Flash this book is teaching.
- Figures frequently not on the same page, further complicating following of the examples.

A solid 3 stars for me.Not terrific, not too bad.Would recommend for some (Adobe newbies) and not for others (creative suite pros looking to add another Adobe app notch to their belts).

Senior citizen (retired teacher) says book is excellent
I am a retired senior citizen, taught high school and college some years back, owned a small software consulting company and was in the aerospace industry in the 1960's. Been in the computer field one way or another full time since 1964. Thought it may be fun to learn Flash CS3 Professional on my own to enhance designing lite web sites I manage. Purchased Phllip Kerman's book. It is pleasant to read, easy to follow yet technically pulls you right in. This is a perfect book to learn Flash CS3 Professional. Look no further - a self-instructing text can hardly get any better. If I were back teaching in the classroom, I would use this as my textbook of choice!

Solid Introductory Text
Starting off with Flash CS3, I watched all the video tutorials available freely from Adobe. These are quite good, but they also tend to assume you already know Flash- either from a previous version or from the help tutorials (which aren't so hot). In most cases, they already have everything set up and ready to go, and you have no idea how they even got to the starting point. Additionally, the coverage of the basic functionality of the stage, objects, and instances is very brief and not too thorough. The biggest problem with these tutorials is that it's very cumbersome to follow along with them without hitting the pause button every 10 seconds, since the folks doing them obviously are experts with the Flash interface and just plow through their examples at breakneck speed.

This Sam's book does a really good job of filling in those important parts, and does it in a step-by-step approach that lets you go at your own pace. It assumes absolutely NO prior knowledge of ActionScript or Flash, so those coming in cold will have no problems. Each chapter (or 'hour') is well-written and can be taken stand-alone if the reader is already familiar with some topics. Each exercise walks you through from the very beginning, and most don't depend on a previous one. The coverage is quite basic- by the end, you'll be able to do such things as import video, make simple interactive movies, do basic scripting and animation, and deploy it to a website. For more advanced things, you'll need other resources (of which there are- quite literally- tons of books available) but after reading this you'll have a very solid foundation to build from. From there you can do simple projects and can decide what (if anything) you would care to learn more about.

In my opinion, the sections on ActionScript are explained quite well, though admittedly I'm a very experienced programmer that had no problems understanding the syntax. Those who have no programming experience might find it a bit tougher; for those that want to learn this and care a great deal about it, there are whole books dedicated just to learning ActionScript (e.g. Learning ActionScript 3.0 by Shupe and Rosser). The only other possible complaint I could foresee about this text is that some of the chapters will take you substantially more than an hour to finish, unless you're either already familiar with Flash or are a really fast reader. ... Read more