Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004: Training from the Source, 3rd Edition

In my attempt to learn Dreamweaver MX 2004 I purchased 5 books on the subject and scoured through dozens of others to find the most comprehensive yet easy to understand book. This book tops the list in both categories. Outlined below are some of the most helpful and useful features in this book.

1. Written in plain English without coming across as overly technical and with a full explanation of "WHY" things are done the way they are.

2. Step-by-step tutorials that not only walk you through the exercise, but also explain ALL the options available to you for each command/segment. This leaves you the option of either going through the options or just breezing through the basic exercises.

3. Helpful "tips and notes" are also a part of each step to introduce the reader to different methods of performing the same function.

4. Very well structured (chapter listing below):

a. Dreamweaver Basics
b. Adding Content to a Page
c... Read more

Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004: Training from the Source is a project based book with the goal of learning Dreamweaver 2004 in a hands on approach. There are 17 lessons and other resource material. The topic is lighthouses. Each chapter builds on past concepts taught and progresses in a logical manner. Each chapter contains very concise step by step directions. Screen shots are abundent. The additional tips and notes are very useful. The production techniques are valuable. After finishing the book I went and visited two of the lighthouses. Excellent!

In college I used to do some freelance web design using Dreamweaver/Fireworks 4. Then I moved on to other career paths, and 3 years later I want to get back into web development. I got a demo of Dreamweaver MX, and I was totally lost. At the recommendation of my local Macromedia User Group Admin, I checked out this book. It was a perfect combination of review (the small amount of things I remembered from 4) and all of the great new functions.

I really liked how the author integrated all of the lessons within the framework of the "Lights of the Coast" website. (Even though I catch myself getting really tired of lighthouses by the time I was done). The lessons were the right length to get a firm understanding, without overkill or boring me to sleep. The steps for the most part we straight forward, and in bold type. There were a few sections where I was confused if the author wanted me to perform an action, or if it was just a side note (not in bold type). A couple extra... Read more