WebSpeed Help - Resources

Useful Links

Progress Email Group - http://www.peg.com: Progress Email Group, aka. "The PEG" is the best place to get your questions about WebSpeed, and Progress in general answered via email.
Join the WebSpeed discussion list. here
Archived postings are also available online.
While you are there, remember to send a check because PEG is user-supported.
Scott Auge's WebSpeed Tricks and Tips Book - http://sauge.com/progress/shrtnsweet3.html: You may want check this out. There are some pointers about how to build a shopping cart. Thanks to Scott for spending the time to put together this resource.
Jurjen's Windows API site - http://home.wxs.nl/~jurjen.dijkstra/api/useframe.html
Netscape HTML reference - http://developer.netscape.com/docs/manuals/htmlguid/index.htm
ZDNet Reference - http://www.zdnet.com/devhead/stories/articles/0,4413,2392694,00.html

Software

Development Tools and Editors

HomeSite 4.5 by Allaire
HomeSite is great for those that want to have total control over the formatting of their HTML. It's an excellent editor that color-codes keywords as you type your HTML. It allows code-snippets, and has tag help, validation, built-in FTP, some project management capabilities, stylesheet editor, image-map editor, color chooser, spell checker, and the list goes on... You can buy this product at a pretty good discount by clicking on it's picture, to the right. Note: Version 4.5 is out now, so if you're still using 4.0 or earlier, download the update ASAP.
WebSpeed Workshop
Yes, believe-it-or-not, you can actually use WebSpeed Workshop. In fact, you'll want to have it for compiling and its nifty scripting lab. But, version 2.x also comes with a Browser-based editor that works pretty well. (And you'll need it if you plan to use HTML-mapped webobjects)
Macromedia Dreamweaver
WYSIWYG development for newbies. Can work in combination with HomeSite.
Others:
HoTMetaL Pro,VI,Notepad, etc...
Frontpage 2000* (but not previous versions)
You must click the option to "Preserve HTML"

Application Components

Blat
Basic command-line email utility for Windows NT. Simple to use. [Download Here]
GrabUrl
Nifty little free-ware command-line utility to GET a web page, or view/troubleshoot its HTTP headers. (by Kiraly Enterprises) [Download Here]

Utilities

PaintShop Pro 5
Very comparable to the expensive packages like Adobe Photoshop, this easy-to-use graphics package is indispensable to a serious web developer. You can get a free download evaluation copy here.
But, when you decide to buy, get it at Beyond.com for a cheaper deal.
WS_FTP Pro
This is the neatest program, and really pretty cheap! It's not only a great graphical FTP program, but it also has the ability to plug into your standard Windows Explorer, so that remote FTP servers appear to be regular windows network resources. You can drag-and-drop files to and from your FTP server.
VNC - Virtual Network Computing
This nifty piece of freeware, which works on almost any platform, allows for remote control of the console of another computer. The code is small and takes very little processor overhead. I and quite a few of my colleagues use it to remotely administer servers. I can't tell you how many frustrating phonecalls I have endured trying to explain to someone how to configure WebSpeed or some other product before I found this software. Now I just email people the small executable client and let them see my computer screen as I walk them through the steps. Or, if I can get them to install the server piece, I can just do the job for them. [Download Here]
KAPA
This freeware utility, provided by IC Systems in Estonia, load tests your web application by simulating hits on your server. Fully customizable with its own simple scripting language, you can do Gets as well as Posts. You can submit form information too. You can even have it collect the statistics and post them to a website. [Download Here]

Printed Resources

Gotta be on your desk:

These are books that are frequently used, and will probably end up sitting on your desk most of the time anyway, so go ahead and clear off the empty pizza boxes and soda cans, and make room for these:

"Dynamic HTML: The Definitive Reference" by Danny Goodman
1998 - O'Reilly and Associates
I am IN LOVE with this book. Don't let the title fool you, it's not just about Dynamic HTML. This book is a DEFINITIVE reference on HTML in general, JavaScript, Cascading Style Sheets, and the Document Object Model. It's well organized, and everything is easy to find. Unlike other books that speak in generalities about what a particular tag does, this book tells you specifically, in detail which tag or JavaScript commands work in which browsers. If you have ever banged your head on your desk shouting obscenities directed at either Netscape or Microsoft because something is not working right in one of the browsers, you have GOT to get this book. It lists for $39.95, but you can get it much cheaper at Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover to the right.
"Progress Language Reference"
(Vol 1,2,3 - Syntax A-F, Syntax G-Z, and Widgets, Handles, Attributes...) Progress Software Corportation
(Use the version 8.2 manuals for WebSpeed 2.x, or version 9 manuals for WebSpeed 3.0)
Contact your Progress salesperson or Authorized Progress Reseller to purchase.
CD case
OK, so it's not really a book, but I have 2 of these on my desk, and they ALWAYS come in handy. You know how dang near every computer book you buy these days comes with a CD or two in the back? Those things really begin to stack up, and believe me, the back of a book is NOT the best place to keep them. These cases are padded and hold tons of CDs. I always take mine on the road with me when I go to a client site. Here's a sample of what I keep handy in mine:
- Windows NT installation disc - (Because you can never install the damn thing enough times...)
- Progress Install disc(s) (Along with the green-sheets)
- Progress E-docs
- WebSpeed Install disc(s) (Along with the green-sheets)
- Netscape server references
- PERL 5.0 reference and install disc
- Backups of client projects
- Various utilities
- Rand McNally Tripmaker CD - (Unless you get the rent-a-car with the cool navigation option)
You can click the picture to the right to purchase this item at a substantial discount from Amazon.com.

On your bookshelf:

These are books that are not as frequently used, but useful, nonetheless:

HTTP 1.1 Specification
World-Wide-Web Consortium
Which header is it that I use to keep the browser from caching the results of this page? Get the answers straight from the people who made HTTP happen - Tim Berners-Lee and the rest of the gang over at the W3C. Seriously, you'll need this reference material sooner or later. I like hard documentation, so I went to the website, downloaded it, and printed it. [Download Here]
Teach yourself Perl 5.0 in 21 days
Laura Lemay
This is a great book for a jump-start on PERL. There are certain things, such as uploading files through the web, that cannot be easily or practically done in WebSpeed, and require PERL or another language. Though I'm no PERL expert yet, I've been able to page through the book and put together quick scripts to do what I need. You can purchase this from Amazon pretty cheap by clicking the picture to the right.

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Useful Links, Software, and Printed Resources