Expression Web Language Packs now available

You can now check spelling for multiple languages by using Expression Web Language Packs. The Language Packs also enable displaying the Expression Web interface, including the Help topics, in the languages supported by the language pack. For more information, see How to Check the Spelling of Different Languages.

Expression Web VPAT now available

The Expression Web Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, or VPAT, is now available. The VPAT outlines how Expression Web meets key regulations of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

For more information on Microsoft’s commitment to accessibility and a list of available VPATs for Microsoft products, see http://www.microsoft.com/industry/Government/section508.mspx.

Much ado about custom ASP.NET controls

Quite a while ago, Steve (by way of a comment) asked about using custom ASP.NET server controls with Expression Web. Unfortunately, custom ASP.NET controls don’t appear in the Toolbox by default. However, there is a workaround. For more information on how to work with custom ASP.NET controls in Expression Web, see the Expression Web blog entry Custom ASP .NET Controls and Expression Web.

New Expression Web How-to Videos

We have several new videos posted to the Expression Web site that may be of interest to Expression Web users everywhere. Here you will find:

• Use ASP.NET Validation Controls in Expression Web
  Users of FrontPage’s form validation will notice that this feature has been removed from Expression Web. But fear not, the ability to use ASP.NET Validator controls provides more power and ease with regard to form validation. This presentation demonstrates the use of these controls in form field validation.
  (13 minutes, 32 seconds)
• Use ASP.NET Master Pages in Expression Web
  Dynamic Web Templates are capable of allowing you to apply a common look and feel to all the pages in your web site. Since Dynamic Web Templates are applied in the pages to which they are attached at design time, applying changes to all pages in a site can cause a delay while the html is updated in all the pages. If your server is running ASP.NET 2.0, there is a more dynamic alternative. ASP.NET Master Pages allow for similar functionality by defining editable areas in your template. However the application of the template to the custom content in the pages is done dynamically at runtime. This presentation demonstrates the use of ASP.NET Master Pages in Expression Web.
  (9 minutes, 49 seconds)
• Work with Images in Expression Web
  There was a day when web pages were capable of no more than text. That day is long gone and now images are used heavily in web pages for layout, interest, and a more enhanced experience. Expression Web gives users multiple tools for working with images directly within the designer. This presentation demonstrates how to work with images in Expression Web and introduces some of the tools in Expression Web to work with and manipulate images.
  (11 minutes, 10 seconds)
• Work With Hyperlinks in Expression Web
  One of the things that makes the web so expansive is the capability of web pages to link to other web pages. Expression Web’s hyperlink tools and options makes working with hyperlinks very easy. Furthermore, Expression Web’s hyperlink views and reports make finding and fixing broken and incorrect links simple to find and easy to fix. This presentation demonstrates how to create and edit hyperlinks and introduces the tools in Expression Web to work with them.
  (13 minutes, 55 seconds)
• Create a Template-based Web Site With Expression Web
  Expression Web makes creating new web sites even easier by providing web site templates that can be used as starting points when creating a new site. This video demonstrates how to create a new web site using one of Expression Web’s built in templates.
  (5 minutes, 27 seconds)
• Create a Standard Web Site With Expression Web
  Expression Web makes the job of creating a new web site easier with an intuitive user interface and easy to use tools. This video briefly introduces some of the Expression Web interface and demonstrates how to create a new web site using a few of the standard tools provided in Expression Web.
  (8 minutes, 59 seconds)
• Use CSS Layout in Expression Web
  Tables used to be the preferred mechanism to layout a web page. Using rows and columns, a designer could position elements on a web page where appropriate. Today, the more correct way to handle layout in web pages is by using divs and ID based styles. This presentation demonstrates how to utilize divs and styles in laying out a web site using Expression Web.
  (14 minutes, 20 seconds)
• User CSS Style Sheets in Expression Web
  Style sheets allow for the separation of look and content in web pages. This presentation demonstrates how to create and use styles in Expression Web in order to keep the look and feel of a web site separate from the content.
  (16 minutes, 2 seconds)

Keep checking back; there are more to come!

Microsoft FrontPage to Expression Web

The Expression Web team has published a white paper to help FrontPage users make the leap not only to Expression Web but also into the world of Web standards. This white paper:

• Outlines the differences between FrontPage 2003 and Expression Web.
• Introduces the Expression Web workspace.
• Discusses Web standards.
• Provides information on how to work with your existing site, including FrontPage Web components, themes, and shared borders, in Expression Web.
• Introduces ASP.NET support and data integration available in Expression Web.

FrontPage Server Extensions and Expression Web

I’ve seen a lot of questions posted in a variety of places regarding FrontPage Server Extensions (FPSEs) and Expression Web.

For those of you not familiar with FPSEs, they are essentially proprietary server-side scripts that supported the web components in FrontPage.

There are no extensions—and by extension, no web components—in Expression Web. If you open your existing FrontPage web site with Expression Web, you can edit any existing web components. However, because there are no web components in Expression Web, you can’t add any new ones.

FrontPage 2003 had already begun moving away from FPSEs. For example, there were no updates to the FrontPage 2002 Server Extensions from Microsoft, and the only web components available in FrontPage 2003 were those that were supported by the 2002 Server Extensions.

FrontPage and FrontPage Server Extensions will continue to be supported by Microsoft according to the Microsoft Product Lifecyle Policy which is governed by the product release date. For more information, check out the policies regarding FrontPage 2003 and FrontPage 2002.

Expression Web now available

I’m delighted to announce the availability of Microsoft’s new Web design application, Expression Web. Expression Web is now available from Amazon.com, as is the upgrade for FrontPage.

I’ve been working in Web design and content development since 1994, and with FrontPage since 2002. I’m now a technical writer for Expression Web. On these pages, you’ll find discussions of Expression Web, Web standards, and migrating your FrontPage Web site to Expression Web.

If you’re curious and want to find out more about Expression Web and the Expression suite of professional design products, check out the Expression Web site. A trial version of Expression Web is also available.

And keep checking back for further discussions of standards-based Web site development using the all new Expression Web!