Expression Web Forum

Hi,

I'm a newbie with Expression Web and to this forum.  I would like to know if any of you looked at SharePoint as an option before deciding to use Expression Web and if so, what was your deciding factor in selecting Expression Web?  I currently use FrontPage 2003.  I know Sharepoint is more of a collaboration tool, however, there are some that use it for web development along with SharePoint Designer.  I am in the process of setting up SharePoint to use as a collaboration tool and I am wondering if it is better to use it for web development along with SharePoint Designer or to use Expression Web for web development.  Any comments or suggestions are appreciated.  Thank You.

Good question.  We think it's best to pick the right tool for the right job. We are also SharePoint developers but we work in many different environments. So... DreamWeaver for CSS/XHTML/ASP environments.  SharePoint Designer in the SharePoint environment.  VisualStudio in the .NET environment.  Expression Studio for Silverlight projects.

Personally I would not use SharePoint Designer on a public internet site. While it might be comforting for people who are migrating from FrontPage because it has support for all of the FrontPage bots (requires FPSE on the hosting server to use them) its code tends to be more proprietary and works best with Internet Explorer. While it is possible to create websites with SharePoint Designer that work with all web browsers it is harder to do so than it is in Expression Web.

Like TexasWebDevelopers we use a variety of programs here which includes Dreamweaver, Expression Web, SharePoint Designer and even Visual Web Developer Expresss or Visual Studio.we use each for what it does best. SharePoint Designer is used on intranet and extranet sites only. We also work with a variety of technologies including ASP.NET, Classic ASP and PHP so that influences which one we use as well.

 If you will not be working on a website hosted on SharePoint Server or Windows SharePoint Services I stay away from using SharePoint Designer but your mileage may vary.

Thanks for both of your responses.  I will take the information into consideration and make a decision.  Your input is very helpful. 

CDwise,

Are the FrontPage Server Extensions required with Expression Web for forms to function properly?  Thanks.

No, but they aren't actually required for FrontPage either. While you can't add new FPSE required items (limited exception of forms processor) in Expression it won't break any you are currently  using either.