Microsoft® Expression® Web 3 In Depth
800 East 96th Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46240
MICROSOFT® EXPRESSION® WEB 3 IN DEPTH
Copyright © 2010 by Que Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Nor is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-3981-0
ISBN-10: 0-7897-3981-X
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Cheshire, Jim.
Expression Web 3 in depth / Jim Cheshire.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-7897-3981-0
1. Web sites—Authoring programs. 2. Microsoft Expression Web. I. Title.
TK5105.8883.C55 2010
006.7'8—dc22
2009035623
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: October 2009
Associate Publisher
Greg Wiegand
Acquisitions Editor
Loretta Yates
Development Editor
Kevin Howard
Managing Editor
Patrick Kanouse
Senior Project Editor
Tonya Simpson
Copy Editor
Megan Wade
Indexer
Christine Karpeles
Proofreader
Elizabeth Scott
Technical Editor
Kathleen Anderson
Publishing Coordinator
Cindy Teeters
Book Designer
Anne Jones
Compositor
TnT Design, Inc.
Trademarks
All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Que Publishing cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.
Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Expression is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Warning and Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible, but no warranty or fitness is implied. The information provided is on an “as is” basis. The author and the publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising from the information contained in this book.
Bulk Sales
Que Publishing offers excellent discounts on this book when ordered in quantity for bulk purchases or special sales. For more information, please contact
U.S. Corporate and Government Sales
1-800-382-3419
[email protected]
For sales outside the United States, please contact
International Sales
[email protected]
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my lovely wife, Becky, and my two children. I love you all very much.
Contents at a Glance
1 An Overview of Expression Web 3
II Creating Content in Expression Web 3
2 Creating, Opening, and Importing Sites
5 Using Tables and Layout Tables
9 Using Graphics and Multimedia
11 Configuring Page Editor Options
12 Maintaining Compatibility and Accessibility
III Publishing and Managing Websites
15 Site Management and Reporting
IV Using CSS in Expression Web 3
V Scripting, DHTML, and Other Dynamic Content
19 Using Dynamic Web Templates
VI ASP.NET and PHP Development
25 Using Standard ASP.NET Controls
26 Using ASP.NET Navigation Controls
27 Using ASP.NET Master Pages and User Controls
28 Developing a Login System Using ASP.NET
29 Form Validation Using ASP.NET
33 Using the Microsoft Expression Development Server
VII Managing Data with ASP.NET
34 Displaying and Editing Database Data with ASP.NET
35 Sending Email Using ASP.NET (this chapter is online)
Contents
1 An Overview of Expression Web 3
The Expression Web 3 Interface
II Creating Content in Expression Web 3
2 Creating, Opening, and Importing Sites
How Expression Web 3 Maintains a Site
Step 1: Choosing an Import Method
Step 2: Specifying a Destination Web Location
How Expression Web 3 Formats Text
Making the Most of Code Snippets
Taking Advantage of Page Views
5 Using Tables and Layout Tables
The Makeup of an HTML Table Tag
The colspan and rowspan Attributes
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
Designing for Multiple Resolutions Using Tables
Adding and Configuring Inline Frames
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
An Introduction to Tag Properties
Understanding the Tag Properties Panel
Viewing Tag Properties with the Tag Properties Panel
Setting Tag Attributes with the Tag Properties Panel
Using Events with the Tag Properties Panel
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
Tag Properties and Web Standards
Introduction to the Quick Tag Tools
Locating and Selecting Elements Using the Quick Tag Selector
Editing Page Content Using the Quick Tag Editor
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
When to Use the Quick Tag Editor
9 Using Graphics and Multimedia
Inserting Silverlight Applications
Importing Adobe Photoshop Files
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
An Introduction to Find and Replace
Using HTML Rules in Find and Replace
Finding and Replacing HTML Tags
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
Editing and Removing Recent Searches
11 Configuring Page Editor Options
12 Maintaining Compatibility and Accessibility
An Introduction to Accessibility
Other Accessibility Considerations
Using the Accessibility Checker
Working with the Accessibility Panel
Generating Accessibility Reports
What Is Browser Compatibility?
Compatibility Features in Expression Web 3
Using Reports to Find Problems
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
How SuperPreview Generates a Preview
Baseline and Comparison Browser Selectors
Using SuperPreview to Preview Layout
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
Building Layouts with SuperPreview
III Publishing and Managing Websites
Configuring a Publishing Destination and Publishing a Site
Optimizing HTML During Publishing
Troubleshooting HTTP Publishing
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
15 Site Management and Reporting
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
IV Using CSS in Expression Web 3
Basic Application of a CSS Class
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
Using the CSS Properties Panel
Using the Attach Style Sheet and Link Style Sheet Dialogs
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
V Scripting, DHTML, and Other Dynamic Content
19 Using Dynamic Web Templates
An Introduction to Dynamic Web Templates
Creating a Dynamic Web Template
Attaching a Dynamic Web Template
Updating a Site with Dynamic Web Templates
Modifying a Dynamic Web Template
Modifying an Attached Page in Code View
Renaming an Existing Editable Region
Resolving Mismatched Editable Regions
Detaching a Dynamic Web Template
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
Overview of Interactive Buttons
Inserting and Configuring Interactive Buttons
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
Practical Uses for Interactive Buttons
Understanding and Working with Behaviors
Adding Behaviors Within a Paragraph
The Change Property Restore Behavior
The Open Browser Window Behavior
The Swap Image Restore Behavior
Creating a Blank Page for Redirecting
Editing the Check Browser Code
A History of Browser Scripting
Linking to an External Script File
Showing and Hiding Page Elements
Accessing and Changing Attributes
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
Inserting and Configuring Layers
Creating and Working with Child Layers
Setting Layer Properties with Behaviors
Setting the Visibility of Layers
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
Using Form Controls in Expression Web 3
Saving Form Results to a File or Email
Saving Form Results to a Database
Updating a Database with New Fields
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
VI ASP.NET and PHP Development
25 Using Standard ASP.NET Controls
The Basics of ASP.NET Controls
Understanding Control Properties
An Overview of the Standard ASP.NET Controls
Creating a Simple AdRotator Page
Creating the Advertisement File
Formatting the Calendar Control
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
26 Using ASP.NET Navigation Controls
Overview of Navigation Systems
Using the ASP.NET Menu Control
Using the ASP.NET TreeView Control
Formatting the TreeView Control
Using the ASP.NET SiteMapPath Control
Formatting the SiteMapPath Control
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
Improving Navigation with Master Pages
27 Using ASP.NET Master Pages and User Controls
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
Converting an Existing Site to a Master Page Site
28 Developing a Login System Using ASP.NET
Overview of ASP.NET Login Controls
Configuring the Website (IIS 5 or IIS 6)
Configuring the Website (IIS 7)
Configuring the Website (Microsoft Expression Development Server)
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
Modifying Password Requirements
29 Form Validation Using ASP.NET
The ASP.NET Validation Controls
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
Creating ASP.NET User Controls
Web Parts Controls in the Toolbox
Creating a User Control That Sets the Display Mode
Adding Code to Change the Display Mode
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
Microsoft AJAX Control Toolkit
Adding Ajax Functionality to a Web Form
Adding a ScriptManager Control
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
Adding a <div> to the Web Form
Adding the Client Script to the ScriptManager Control
Configuring the Microsoft Expression Development Server for PHP
Enabling PHP for IIS Using FastCGI
Setting PHP-Specific IntelliSense Options
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
33 Using the Microsoft Expression Development Server
Introduction to the Microsoft Expression Development Server
How to Use the Microsoft Expression Development Server
Limitations of the Microsoft Expression Development Server
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
Starting the Microsoft Expression Development Server from the Command Prompt
VII Managing Data with ASP.NET
34 Displaying and Editing Database Data with ASP.NET
Data Access Technologies in Expression Web 3
ASP.NET and Other Web Application Platforms
Displaying Data in Tabular Form
Lagniappe (lan yap’) n., a gift or bonus
35 Sending Email Using ASP.NET (this chapter appears on the website only)
Adding and Configuring ASP.NET Validation Controls
Adding the Validation Controls
Writing ASP.NET Code to Send Email
Lagniappe: Displaying a Confirmation Page
About the Author
Jim Cheshire is the owner of Jimco Software and Books and is the author of several design books and books on the Amazon Kindle. In his real job, Jim works as a senior escalation engineer at Microsoft on the ASP.NET and IIS teams. He has worked on the FrontPage, Visual Basic, ASP, IIS, and ASP.NET teams at Microsoft for more than 10 years.
You can reach Jim by visiting one of his websites: www.jimcobooks.com or www.jimcosoftware.com. You can also email him at [email protected].
Acknowledgments
I owe a debt of gratitude to my editors at Que Publishing. Loretta, it’s been such a pleasure to work with you over the years. Kevin, thanks for your consistent work to improve what comes out of my mind. To Megan and Kathleen, thank you for your hard work in ensuring that this book is technically accurate and easy to understand. To Tonya, thanks for your commitment to a quality book. Although the cover of this book bears my name only, the book would have not been possible without the commitment of all of you, and I am sincerely thankful for all your hard work.
To my mother and father, thank you so much for your confidence and love, and thanks for the “Lagniappe” idea, Dad. To Anna Ullrich, Paul Bartholomew, Justin Harrison, Steve Guttman, Erik Saltwell, and Mike Coleman at Microsoft, thank you for your help and support. Thank you, Lord, for my wonderful family and for this great country, where one can pursue one’s dreams in freedom.
—Jim
We Want to Hear From You!
As the reader of this book, you are our most important critic and commentator. We value your opinion and want to know what we’re doing right, what we could do better, what areas you’d like to see us publish in, and any other words of wisdom you’re willing to pass our way.
As an associate publisher for Que Publishing, I welcome your comments. You can email or write me directly to let me know what you did or didn’t like about this book—as well as what we can do to make our books better.
Please note that I cannot help you with technical problems related to the topic of this book. We do have a User Services group, however, where I will forward specific technical questions related to the book.
When you write, please be sure to include this book’s title and author as well as your name, email address, and phone number. I will carefully review your comments and share them with the author and editors who worked on the book.
Email: [email protected]
Mail: Greg Wiegand
Associate Publisher
Que Publishing
800 East 96th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46240 USA
Reader Services
Visit our website and register this book at informit.com/register for convenient access to any updates, downloads, or errata that might be available for this book.