With the advent of Service Packs 1 and 2 for Expression Web 4.0 a major revision of our the EBook was called for. We are adding new material, as well as new templates and a selection of new Expression Web queries as part of the revision.

Expression Web MVP’s Tina Clarke and Pat Geary will give you instructions and tools to get you on the right track. Your purchase of the EBook also gives you access to the owners section of the site which contains additional tips and FREE templates you can use. Purchase of the EBook also gives you free updates for life. Every time the EBook is revised, we send you a mailing to access the updated version. No additional charges apply.

Obtain your Migrating from FrontPage to Expression Web EBook NOW and get the updated one when it is released.

You can obtain other free ebooks and free templates at the following sites:
http://any-expression.com/

http://expression-web-tutorials.com/

http://www.genealogy-web-creations.com/

BUY Migrating from FrontPage to Expression Web EBook for the lowest price ever $20.

For some files on a Freepages site I’m in the process of developing, I would like to restrict the size of the page window to a fraction of the normal size. The problem is whether this is possible and, if so, how to accomplish it.

Barry Carlson, a frequent contributor to the list, proposed the following with examples.

• The popup Window version – Click on a Link to see it working
• A CSS Pseudo Window version – Click on a Link to see it working

The Pseudo Window is totally generated using CSS, and though more complex to get going is faster and doesn’t need a call to the server each time a link is clicked.   Both versions use JavaScript, but those familiar with commerce on the internet will know that you can’t do anything without JavaScript enabled.  Both versions work down to and including IE5.01, while Firefox 3.5, Safari 4 and Chrome 2 will show rounded corners for the Pseudo Window version. ~Barry ~

Absolute Link

An absolute link is created when the href value is a fully qualified URL, including:

• the transfer protocol: http://
• domain name: e.g. www.yourdomain.com
• and filename: e.g. your-page.html

An absolute link to the Expression Web Tutorials & Templates homepage looks like this:

<a title=”Expression Web Tutorials &amp; Templates.” href=”http://www.expression-web-tutorials.com/index.html”>Expression Web Tutorials &amp; Templates</a>

If you are linking between websites, you must use an absolute link. If you are linking to the Home Page of your site OR the index page in any directory, then you do not need to include the file name. Why? When the path does not include a filename, the server attempts to open the directory index, or default file. The default file name will depend on what your server requires.

<a title=”Expression Web Tutorials &amp; Templates.” href=”http://www.expression-web-tutorials.com/”>Expression Web Tutorials &amp; Templates</a>

will take you to the same location as the link shown above.

Relative Link

A relative link is created when the destination href value is relative to the location of the current webpage or source anchor.

A relative link to the Expression Web Tutorials & Templates homepage, from any webpage in the SAME directory, looks like this:

<a title=”Expression Web Tutorials &amp; Templates.” href=”index.html”>Expression Web Tutorials &amp; Templates</a>

This tells the browser to look in the current directory and open the file index.html.

A relative link can only be used when linking within a website; or when the source and destination anchors are under the same domain name.

Which is Best SEOwise?

Page rank is determined by the quality (PR) and quantity of incoming links to a page. In most cases the homepage will have far more incoming links than other pages on the site. Links from your own site to other pages are also part of the equation. Google sees the following as totally different pages:

www.expression-web-tutorials.com/
www.expression-web-tutorials.com/index.html

Cricket Walker, who offers free classes on SEO Techniques recommends using absolute links ESPECIALLY for your Home Page. You can read Absolute vs. Relative Links to understand why.

HTML and CSS Validation Tools

• W3C Validation – HTML – The most commonly known tool  is the online W3C Validation Service. You can validate by URI, file upload or directly inputting the markup.
• W3C Validation – CSS – W3C also has a CSS validation service that  allows validation via URI, file upload and direct markup input.
• [Firefox] Web Developer Toolbar -  The Web Developer toolbar extension for Firefox has tools to check HTML and CSS validation. I use this one on a daily basis.
• [Browser Independent] W3C Validator Favelets – A quick and easy way to give just about any major browser a way to validate HTML and CSS is by using favelets. Favelets are bookmarked snippets of JavaScript to add extra functionality.
• Your Development Editor – Most development editors offer some sort of validation tool. Expression Web is my editor of choice and it provides validation tools.
• Validator S.A.C. -  Validator S.A.C. (Stand Alone Complex) is a stand-alone, easy to install, version of the W3C’s HTML / XHTML Markup Validator for Mac OS X. Validator S.A.C. is a normal Mac OS X application. No installation is required, just put Validator S.A.C. where you need it (hard drive, flash drive, CD-R, etc).

Validation is a tool to help you make sure your code is standards compliant.

Browser Compatibility Testing

If everyone was using the same browser and the most up-to-date version of that browser, then browser testing would be much easier. BUT, this is the real world. My default browser is Firefox, but I know from viewing my site statistics, that Internet Explorer is used by a large number of my site visitors. And there are many still using IE6 as well as IE7 and IE8. I want all of them to have a good experience when viewing. So I do testing in three browsers – Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera. My web editor, Expression Web, also allows me to check in multiple browsers from within the editing window by using SuperPreview. I have the current versions of Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera installed on my system. Some of you may also have Safari installed.

• Older Versions of Firefox – If you need to check in older versions of Firfox, there are ways to do this. For Windows Users: Standalone Firefox (older versions) via Portableapps.com and for Mac Users: MultiFirefox 2.0
• Older Versions of Safari – for  Windows based web developers there is no easy solution to test multiple versions of Safari. For Mac users there is a nice collection of standalone versions of Safari provided by Michel Fortin.
• Older Versions of Internet Explorer - There’s no easy way to interactively test older versions of IE.

Snapshot Services

You can use several browser snapshot services which will just show an image of how the site will look for a wide array of browsers. This will not allow you to interact with your site in the various browsers but will give you an idea of how it renders.

• Adobe BrowserLab -  Adobe recently came out with a new service called BrowserLab which lets you view a snap shot of a website via URL in different browsers. It’s fast, free and gives you a couple different viewing options to compare different browser versions.
• Browsershots.org – Browsershots.org is the same idea has Adobe BrowserLab but with several differences. You can test way more browsers on more platforms with more options like screensize, color depth, javascript, flash, etc. The downside is that the service is a little slower (sometimes too slow).
• Browsercam - Browsercam is basically the same thing as Browsershots but is a paid service but offers some more in depth features. I have not yet used this service.

Read  13 Ways to Browser Test and Validate Your Work in its entirety.

Without argument, one of the most important things to consider when creating a website is that it be accessible to everyone who wants to view it. Does your website play nice with screen readers? Can a user override your style sheet with a more accessible one and still see everything your website has to offer? Would another Web developer be embarrassed if they saw your code? If your website is standards-compliant, you could more confidently answer these questions.

The article lists 10 ways to improve the accessibility of your XHTML website by making it standards-compliant. They include:

1. Specify the correct DOCTYPE
2. Define The Namespace And Default Language
3. Supply Proper Meta Tags
4. Use Accessible Navigation
5. Properly Escape JavaScript
6. Properly Escape HTML Entities
7. Use Only Lowercase Tags And Attributes
8. Label All Form Input Elements
9. Supply Alternative Content For Images
10. Use The "id" And "class" CSS Attributes Correctly

You can read the entire article 10 Ways To Make Your Site Accessible Using Web Standards

Create standards compliant CSS-based website layouts with ease. You can see some examples of templates created and availabkle for free download at Expression Web Tutorials and Templates.

Overview of Eric Meyer’s CSS Sculptor for Expression Web.

• Total Customization – The included wizard gives you total control over all aspects of your layout so that you can design unique one-of-a-kind layouts.
• Efficient and Intuitive -  Now you can develop CSS-based layouts faster than ever before with our powerful easy-to-use wizard.
• Cross Browser Compatibility – Create CSS-based layouts that are compatible with all modern browsers.
• CSS Expertise -We have partnered with Eric Meyer, renowned CSS master, so that you too can create professional looking CSS-based layouts without CSS knowledge or experience.

Get it now as the sale lasts ONLY though June 30th 2009 Eric Meyer’s CSS Sculptor for Expression Web for $39.99 which is ten dollars off the regular price.

You best watch out, because the HTML police are about. They scour your code and pick out the most unspeakable crimes against HTML markup.

The writer lists ten of the most common coding mistakes and how to correct them. They include:

1. Placing Block Elements Inside Inline Element
2. Not Including an ALT Attribute on Images
3. Not Using Lists When Necessary
4. Using <b> and <i> for Bolding and Italicizing
5. Using Too Many Line Breaks
6. Using The Wrong Strikethrough Tags
7. Using Inline Styling
8. Adding or Removing Borders in HTML
9. Not Using Header Tags
10. The Unspeakable Use of <blink> or <marquee>

How does your code measure up? With Spring here, is it time to do some “Spring cleaning” of your code? You can read 10 HTML Crimes You Really Shouldn’t Commit for the solutions.

• Expression Web Tutorials Contact Form
• Family Group Sheet
• Family Genealogy Contact Form

Huggins’ Email Form Script is a free PHP script to process Web Forms, specifically those forms which accept information and send an email with that information. It is ideal for people who don’t know how to write a script, don’t want to use a script that exposes their email to spambots, want more features than their current script offers or who are using FrontPage Server Extensions which are going away.

James script is and always has been FREE. It comes complete with documentation and a sample form. You can install and modify it yourself at no cost. If you are not comfortable installing the script and getting the form to work, James is now offering a service to do a simple basic install of the script on your site for a fee. You can read more on Huggins’ Email Form Script as well as download all of the files needed. If you want James to install the script for you, please contact him.

Revised and Updated for WordPress Version 2.7.1  and available for FREE download NOW. There is a pdf version for MAC Users thanks to Scott Glasgow.

Learn to install and setup your own WordPress Blog with this easy to follow tutorial.

This Launching a WordPress Blog EBook is focused on giving a guideline for installing WordPress on your own host with your own domain or a sub-domain. It is intended as a beginner’s ebook and covers the basics. There are some advanced techniques included as well. It is essential that you start with Getting started with a WP Blog and follow step by step each page. Tick off each step as you go so you know you are following along. Having been through this process we have found this is truly the best way forward.

This checklist can be printed from the book and will give you an idea of the topics Covered Include:

• Getting started with a WordPress Blog
  • Check List – Print This
  • Requirements for Installing WordPress
  • Installing Database
  • Download WordPress
  • Configure wp-config-sample file
  • Configure a FTP Client
  • Installing WordPress
  • Setting up WordPress
  • Options Permalinks
  • Configure WordPress Categories
  • Setting WordPress Preferences
  • Installing WordPress Themes
  • Creating SEO Titles in WordPress
  • Disable NoFollow Attribute in WordPress
• Desktop Blogging Clients
  • Windows Live Writer
    • Setting Up Windows Live Writer
    • Creating Posts
    • Inserting Images
    • Options
    • Publishing
  • BlogDesk
    • Installing BlogDesk
    • BlogDesk Configuration
    • Creating Posts in BlogDesk
    • Inserting Images in Posts
    • Publishing with BlogDesk
    • BlogDesk Options
    • BlogDesk Extras
• WordPress Essentials
  • WordPress Plugins
    • Akismet Plugin
    • Sitemap Plugin
    • WordPress Database Backup
    • WordPress Ready Contact Form
  • How Trackback and Pingback works in WordPress
  • Moving a WordPress Blog
  • Moving Servers
  • Upgrading WordPress Program
  • WordPress API
  • WordPress Tips

Download your FREE Launching a WordPress Blog EBook NOW.

User-agent: *
Disallow: /

Why would you NOT want your site indexed? Perhaps it is a site you are working on and it is not yet ready for indexing.

To allow access to your entire site, the file would contain the following lines of code:

User-agent: *
Disallow:

The robots.txt file is located in the top level of your site, the root directory.  Additional resources on creating and understanding the robots.txt file:

• Creating robots.txt file
• The Web Robots Pages
• Google Creating a robots.txt file

10 Common Mistakes using robots.txt on your website include:

1. Adding robots.txt NOT under the root directory
2. Wrong syntax in robots.tx
3. Adding comment at the end of the sentence instead of at the beginning
4. Empty robots.txt file almost like not having one
5. Blocking the pages which you need to get indexed
6. URL’s Paths are case sensitive
7. Misspelled robots/user agent names
8. Don’t add all the files in one single line
9. No allow command in robots.txt
10. Missing the colon

Read 10 common mistakes using robots.txt on your website. Do you have a robots.txt file as part of your website?