Drumbeat 2000 for Dummies

Drumbeat 2000 for Dummies explains Drumbeat's features, organized by task. Since Drumbeat encapsulates the features of many established technologies such as HTML, ASP, JavaScript, and JSP, the focus of the book is on Drumbeat's unique functionality and terminology and not the details of the code it creates under the covers. For a really comprehensive understanding of what's going on, you'll want to pick up a basic Web development title after you've mastered Drumbeat with this Dummies guide.

This tutorial is organized wisely: a look at the basics is followed by a section on database design and advanced concepts for tighter control. Drumbeat is especially useful in creating database-driven ASP and JSP Web sites, and the authors ease you gently into the process. They show you how to organize various media "assets," create a database, and hook the whole mix together as a Web site.

Each topic is presented with bite-size numbered exercises that teach through hands-on tasks such as "Setting Up the Submit button." The book includes a CD-ROM that contains, among other things, a trial version of Drumbeat 2000. (The overall presentation of this book is engaging and entertaining; however, seasoned Web developers will have to adapt quickly to Drumbeat's one-of-a-kind terminology.)

The book finishes off with a novel case study--a one-day Web site that acts as a tongue-in-cheek psychiatrist. While an unconventional topic, it illustrates well the possibilities for rapid development. If you're looking to leverage Drumbeat 2000 to build top-notch Web sites without the steep learning curve, Drumbeat 2000 for Dummies is the logical place to start. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered: Creating basic Web sites, quick styles and effects, frames and styles, ASP/JSP database connections, forms, database searching/filtering, scripts and contracts, database basics.