ExpressionWeb and RootsWeb

For those of you who are using Expression Web to design and maintain your RootWeb sties, this is where you will find tutorials to help you get the most out of Expression Web. I am also including other resources, such as EBooks and Expression Web DWT's (dynamic web templates) that you can use in building your websites.

What is Expression Web?

Expression Web is the successor to FrontPage and is available as a FREE download. It is a professional Web design tool that is designed for creating standards-based Web sites. In order for you to be productive with Expression Web, you MUST understand the capabilities of the product and the specific skills that must be acquired.

Expression Web makes use of Cascading Style Sheets, which separate the presentation of your site from the actual content. Expression Web allows you to validate your site with compatibility and accessibility reporting and against Section 508 and W3C Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Microsoft Expression Web 4 (Free Version) - the download file indicates it is a trial version. It is NOT. It is a full version with the latest service pack and bug fixes.

The first thing you should do after installing Expression Web is to set the program up correctly. Tina Clarke, a former Microsoft MVP - Expression Web has made available to you FREE her Setting up Expression Web Ebook available for all versions. Make sure and download the correct version for your program.

Cheryl Wise has created a Basic Website Tutorial  that walks you through creating a website from images & a Word doc through a completed page layout and the creation of DWT for additional pages. Make sure and download the asset files so you can follow along.

Visit our sister site Expression Web  Tutorials and Templates. There you will find additional tutorials and DWT's for use with Expression Web. You may also download the FREE EBook for Expression Web Tutorials  4.0.

If you are new to Expression Web then Expression Web Tips for Newbies is a good place to start.

Expression Web 4.0

Expression Web supports ASP.NET, PHP, Microsoft Silverlight, Deep Zoom Composer images, AJAX, and Silverlight video. You can import Adobe Photoshop files easily and publish your sites quickly and securely with multiple files transfer streams and secure FTP. Use the Preview to see actual browser views of pages using any browser installed on your computer, right in Expression Web.  Read more . . . .

What is Sharepoint Designer 2007

Sharepoint Designer 2007 by Microsoft is also offered for free. You can download Sharepoint Designer 2007. The interface is going to look much like Expression Web 1.0. You can use many of the same tutorials created for Expression Web as well as templates created for use in Expression Web.

Sharepoint Designer 2007 will allow you to continue to use some of the FrontPage bots although I would encourage you to learn the replacements for them. For those of you who are really interested in moving from the proprietary code of FrontPage to Expression Web, I encourage you to read Migrating from FrontPage to Expression Web which is an excerpt from our EBook of the same name.

Expression Web DWT's

A Dynamic Web Template - DWT - is an HTML/XHTML based master copy of a web page that you create to contain formatting and page elements such as text, graphics, page layout, styles, and regions of a web page that can be modified. You can attach a Dynamic Web Template to the pages that are part of a web site, and that template defines the layout for those pages. A website can contain more than one DWT.

DWT's created for Expression Web, will also work with Sharepoint Designer 2007. Free Dynamic Web Templates and Site Templates.

What is the list about?

The Expression Web Mailing List was created for discussing the use of Microsoft Expression Web (any version) in designing and maintaining any of the sites hosted by RootsWeb.  If you use FrontPage or SharePoint Designer 2007, you are also welcome to join. Anyone from a novice to expert is welcome to join the list. List members are encouraged to ask and answer questions or post tips regarding the use of Expression Web. If you would like to learn how to use Expression Web, improve your knowledge of Expression Web or help others then this is the mailing list for you! Anyone is welcome to join the list whether you use Expression Web or not. Some topics will apply web design in general; others will be EW specific. The resources on this site are meant for everyone. The majority of folks ask their questions on the FreePages list.

Rules/Suggestions for Posting

  • Use meaningful Subject lines. Help doesn't really tell us much.
     
  • Edit Replies! strip out anything unnecessary, but leave the person's name who posted previously, insert SNIP if you have snipped the post. Need to know how to trim your post? http://www.marthas-web.com/trimming-posts.htm
     
  • Change Subject headings when appropriate. Don't respond with Re: Digest #
     
  • No Flaming (personal abusive attacks intended to incite, degrade, make fun of another person or their ideas with no positive outcome.
     
  • No Attachments. This list does NOT allow attachments.
     
  • This is not so much a rule as something to save time yours and the list's. If when asking for advice about a problem post your url.
     
  • Site Critiques: If you're requesting a review of your site the subject line should look like this: Request Site Critique: www.yoursite.com (Name of your site) The very first thing in the E-Mail body should be your URL so we know where to find your site followed by details of what you want from the critique, i.e. full critique, browser check, trouble shooting, etc. Do not generalize. Help is too general.

    When giving a critique, remember that it is constructive criticism not destructive criticism that is being sought by the requester. Also, you should strive to ensure the URL of the site remains in your critique response. If you are going to give a critique give one, "The site is nice" or "The site is not nice" is a waste of time for everyone.

If you have questions on using any version of Expression Web on your RootsWeb site, then this list is for you. If you are currently using FrontPage or another web editor and are thinking of moving to Expression Web, this list is for you.

There are many more tutorials and templates available on Expression Web Tutorials & Templates as well as our WordPress blog Expression Web Tips.