Matthew Macdonald – författare

Puzzles and brain twisters to keep your mind sharp and your memory intact are all the rage today. More and more people - baby Boomers and information workers in particular - are becoming concerned about their gray matter's ability to function, and with good reason. As this sensible and entertaining guide points out, your brain is easily your most important possession. It deserves proper upkeep. "Your Brain: The Missing Manual" is a practical look at how to get the most out of your brain - not just how the brain works, but how you can use it more effectively. What makes this book different than the average self-help guide is that it's grounded in current neuroscience.You get a quick tour of several aspects of the brain, complete with useful advice about: Brain Food - the right fuel for the brain and how the brain commands hunger (including an explanation of the different chemicals that control appetite and cravings); Sleep - the sleep cycle and circadian rhythm, and how to get a good night's sleep (or do the best you can without it); Memory - techniques for improving your recall; Reason - learning to defeat common sense; logical fallacies (including tactics for winning arguments); and good reasons for bad prejudices.Creativity and Problem-Solving - brainstorming tips and thinking not outside the box, but about the box - in other words, find the assumptions that limit your ideas so you can break through them; Understanding Other People's Brains - the battle of the sexes and babies developing brainsLearn about the built-in circuitry that makes office politics seem like a life-or-death struggle, causes you to toss important facts out of your memory if they're not emotionally charged, and encourages you to eat huge amounts of high-calorie snacks.With "Your Brain: The Missing Manual", you'll discover that, sometimes, you can learn to compensate for your brain or work around its limitations - or at least to accept its eccentricities. Exploring your brain is the greatest adventure and biggest mystery you'll ever face. This guide has exactly the advice you need.

Microsoft Excel continues to grow in power, sophistication, and capability, but one thing that has changed very little since the early '90s is its user interface. The once-simple toolbar has been packed with so many features over the years that few users know where to find them all. Microsoft has addressed this problem in Excel 2007 by radically redesigning the user interface with a tabbed toolbar that makes every feature easy to locate and use. Unfortunately, Microsoft's documentation is as scant as ever, so even if users can find advanced features, they probably won't know what to do with them. Excel 2007: The Missing Manual covers the entire gamut of how to build spreadsheets, add and format information, print reports, create charts and graphics, and use basic formulas and functions. Like its siblings in the Missing Manual series, this book crackles with a fine sense of humor and refreshing objectivity about its subject, guiding readers through the new Excel with clear explanations, step-by-step instructions, lots of illustrations, and friendly, time-saving advice.It's a perfect primer for small businesses with no techie to turn to, as well as those who want to organize household and office information.

Compared to industrial-strength database products such as Microsoft's SQL Server, Access is a breeze to use. It runs on PCs rather than servers and is ideal for small- to mid-sized businesses and households. But Access is still intimidating to learn. It doesn't help that each new version crammed in yet another set of features; so many, in fact, that even the pros don't know where to find them all. Access 2007 breaks this pattern with some of the most dramatic changes users have seen since Office 95. Most obvious is the thoroughly redesigned user interface, with its tabbed toolbar (or "Ribbon") that makes features easy to locate and use. The features list also includes several long-awaited changes. One thing that hasn't improved is Microsoft's documentation. To learn the ins and outs of all the features in Access 2007, Microsoft merely offers online help. Access 2007: The Missing Manual was written from the ground up for this redesigned application. You will learn how to design complete databases, maintain them, search for valuable nuggets of information, and build attractive forms for quick-and-easy data entry.You'll even delve into the black art of Access programming (including macros and Visual Basic), and pick up valuable tricks and techniques to automate common tasks -- even if you've never touched a line of code before. You will also learn all about the new prebuilt databases you can customize to fit your needs, and how the new complex data feature will simplify your life. With plenty of downloadable examples, this objective and witty book will turn an Access neophyte into a true master.

Fast-paced and easy to use, this new book teaches you the basics of Excel 2007 so you can start using the program right away. This concise guide shows readers how to work with Excel's most useful features and its completely redesigned interface. With clear explanations, step-by-step instructions, lots of illustrations, and plenty of timesaving advice, "Excel 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual" will quickly teach you to: build spreadsheets; add and format information; print reports; create charts and graphics; use basic formulas and functions and more. The new Excel is radically different from previous versions. Over the years, Excel has grown in power, sophistication and capability, but its once-simple toolbar has been packed with so many features that not even the pros could find them all. For Excel 2007, Microsoft redesigned the user interface completely, adding a tabbed toolbar that makes every feature easy to locate. Unfortunately, Microsoft's documentation is as scant as ever, so even if you find the features you need, you still may not know what to do with them. But with this book, you can breeze through the new user interface and its timesaving features in no time."Excel 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual" is the perfect primer for small businesses with no techie to turn to, as well as those who want to organize household and office information.

This fast-paced book teaches you the basics of Access 2007 so you can start using this popular database program right away. You'll learn how to work with Access' most useful features to design databases, maintain them, search for valuable nuggets of information, and build attractive forms for quick-and-easy data entry. The new Access is radically different from previous versions, but with this book, you'll breeze through the new interface and its timesaving features in no time with: Clear explanations Step-by-step instructions Lots of illustrations Larger type Plenty of friendly advice Ideal for small businesses and households, Access runs on PCs and manages large stores information, including numbers, pages of text, and pictures -- everything from a list of family phone numbers to an enormous product catalog. Unfortunately, each new version of the program crammed in yet another set of features -- so many that even the pros don't know where to find them all. Access 2007 breaks the mold: Microsoft changed the user interface by designing a tabbed toolbar that makes features easy to locate. One thing that hasn't improved is Microsoft's documentation.Even if you find the features you need, you still may not know what to do with them. Access 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual is the perfect primer for small businesses with no techie to turn to, as well as those who want to organize household and office information.

Silverlight is a lightweight browser plug–in that frees your code from the traditional confines of the browser. It is a rules–changing, groundbreaking technology that allows you to run rich client applications right inside the browser. Even more impressively, it is able to host true .NET applications in non–Microsoft browsers (like Firefox) and on non–Microsoft platforms (like Mac OS X).Silverlight is evolving fast, and you need a reliable guidebook to make sense of it.

Silverlight is a lightweight browser plug–in that frees your code from the traditional confines of the browser. It's a rules–changing, groundbreaking technology that allows you to run rich client applications right inside the browser. Even more impressively, it's able to host true .NET applications in non–Microsoft browsers (like Firefox) and on non–Microsoft platforms (like Mac OS X). Silverlight is still new and evolving fast, and you need a reliable guidebook to make sense of it.With four–color graphics and screenshots throughout, Pro Silverlight 2 in VB 2008 is the perfect reference: you'll learn about the features that put Silverlight in direct competition with Adobe Flash, such as rich support for 2D drawing, animations, and media playback, and best of all, you'll experience the plumbing of .NET and the design model of Windows Presentation Foundation through Silverlight—all of the same .NET technology that developers use to design next–generation Windows applications. Author Matthew MacDonald provides an expertly crafted tutorial written from professional developer to professional developer. You'll learn to create rich media applications using Silverlight in the environment you're most productive in–no matter what the target platform.

ASP.NET 4 is the principal standard for creating dynamic web pages on the Windows platform. Pro ASP.NET 4 in VB 2010 raises the bar for high-quality, practical advice on learning and deploying Microsoft's dynamic web solution. This edition is updated with everything you need to come to grips with version 4 of ASP.NET, including coverage of ASP.NET MVC, ASP.NET AJAX 4, ASP.NET Dynamic Data, and Silverlight 3.Seasoned .NET professionals Matthew MacDonald and Mario Szpuszta explain how you can get the most from these groundbreaking new technologies. They cover ASP.NET 4 as a whole, illustrating both the brand-new features and the functionality carried over from previous versions of ASP. This book will give you the knowledge you need to code real ASP.NET 4 applications in the best possible style.

Mastering the development of .NET 4.0 applications in C# is less about knowing the Visual C# 2010 language and more about knowing how to use the functionality of the .NET framework class library most effectively.

ASP.NET 4 is the principal standard for creating dynamic web pages on the Windows platform. Pro ASP.NET 4 in C# 2010 raises the bar for high-quality, practical advice on learning and deploying Microsoft's dynamic web solution. This edition is updated with everything you need to master up to version 4 of ASP.NET, including coverage of ASP.NET MVC, ASP.NET AJAX 4, ASP.NET Dynamic Data, and Silverlight 3. Seasoned .NET professionals Matthew MacDonald and Mario Szpuszta explain how you can get the most from these groundbreaking technologies. They cover ASP.NET 4 as a whole, illustrating both the newer features and the functionality carried over from previous versions of ASP. This book will give you the knowledge you need to code real ASP.NET 4 applications in the best possible style. Table of Contents * Introducing ASP.N ET * Visual Studio * Web Forms * Server Controls * ASPNET Applications * State Management * ADONET Fundamentals * Data Components and the DataSet * Data Binding * Rich Data Controls * Caching and Asynchronous Pages * Files and Streams * LINQ * XML * User Controls * Themes and Master Pages * Website Navigation * Website Deployment * The ASPNET Security Model * Forms Authentication * Membership * Windows Authentication * Authorization and Roles * Profiles * Cryptography * Custom Membership Providers * Custom Server Controls * Graphics, GDI+, and Charting * JavaScript and Ajax Techniques * ASPNET AJAX * Portals with Web Part Pages * MVC * Dynamic Data * Silverlight

The most up-to-date and comprehensive introductory ASP.NET book you’ll find on any shelf, Beginning ASP.NET 4 in C# 2010 guides you through Microsoft’s latest technology for building dynamic web sites.

The most up-to-date and comprehensive introductory ASP.NET book you’ll find on any shelf, Beginning ASP.NET 4 in VB 2010 guides you through Microsoft’s latest technology for building dynamic web sites.

Silverlight 4 is Microsoft's cross-browser technology for creating rich user experiences on the Web. Like its predecessor, Silverlight 3, it rides atop the .NET framework for maximum ease of use and coding efficiency. The new technology carries forward much of the work that has been done before and augments it in many important respects, including support for H.264 video, major improvements to the graphics engine (including true 3D rendering), and much richer data-binding options for interfacing with other applications.Pro Silverlight 4 in C# is an invaluable reference for professional developers wanting to discover the features of Silverlight 4. Author Matthew MacDonald's expert advice guides you through creating rich media applications using Silverlight in the environment you're most productive in—no matter what the target platform.As you learn about the features that put Silverlight in direct competition with Adobe Flash, such as rich support for 2D and 3D drawing, animations, and media playback, you'll experience the plumbing of .NET and the design model of WPF through Silverlight—all of the same .NET technology that developers use to design next-generation Windows applications. Matthew MacDonald provides a comprehensive tutorial written from professional developer to professional developer, complete with full-color graphics and screenshots.

Silverlight 5 is the latest iteration of Microsoft's cross-browser technology for creating rich user experiences on the Web. Like its predecessor, it rides atop the .NET Framework for maximum ease of use and coding efficiency. The new technology carries forward much of the work that has been done before and augments it in many important respects, including support for H.264 video, major improvements to the graphics engine (including true 3D rendering), and much richer data-binding options for interfacing with other applications.Pro Silverlight 5 in C# is an invaluable reference for professional developers who want to discover the new features of Silverlight. Author Matthew MacDonald's expert advice guides you through creating rich media applications using Silverlight in the environment you're most productive in—no matter what the target platform. As you learn about the features that put Silverlight in direct competition with Adobe Flash, such as rich support for 2D and 3D drawing, animations, and media playback, you'll experience the plumbing of .NET and the design model of WPF through Silverlight—all of the same .NET technology that developers use to design next-generation Windows applications. Pro Silverlight 5 in C# is a comprehensive tutorial, written from professional developer to professional developer.Please note: the print version of this title is black & white; the eBook is full color.

Silverlight 5 is the latest iteration of Microsoft's cross-browser technology for creating rich user experiences on the Web. Like its predecessor, Silverlight 4, it rides atop the .NET Framework for maximum ease of use and coding efficiency. The new technology carries forward much of the work that has been done before and augments it in many important respects, including support for H.264 video, major improvements to the graphics engine (including true 3D rendering), and much richer data-binding options for interfacing with other applications.Pro Silverlight 5 in VB is an invaluable reference for professional developers wanting to discover the new features of Silverlight. Author Matthew MacDonald's expert advice guides you through creating rich media applications using Silverlight in the environment you're most productive in—no matter what the target platform. As you learn about the features that put Silverlight in direct competition with Adobe Flash, such as rich support for 2D and 3D drawing, animations, and media playback, you'll experience the plumbing of .NET and the design model of WPF through Silverlight—all of the same .NET technology that developers use to design next-generation Windows applications. MacDonald provides a comprehensive tutorial written from professional developer to professional developer.

Silverlight is Microsoft's cross-browser technology for creating rich user experiences on the Web. Like its predecessor, Silverlight 4 rides atop the .NET framework for maximum ease of use and coding efficiency. The technology carries forward much of the work that has been done before and augments it in many important respects, including support for H.264 video, major improvements to the graphics engine (including true 3D rendering), and much richer data-binding options for interfacing with other applications. Pro Silverlight 4 in VB is an invaluable reference for professional developers who want to discover the features of Silverlight. Author Matthew MacDonald's expert advice guides you through creating rich media applications using Silverlight in the environment you're most productive in—no matter what the target platform. As you learn about the features that put Silverlight in direct competition with Adobe Flash, such as rich support for 2D and 3D drawing, animations, and media playback, you'll experience the plumbing of .NET and the design model of WPF through Silverlight—all of the same .NET technology that developers use to design next-generation Windows applications. In this book, MacDonald provides a comprehensive tutorial written from professional developer to professional developer.

Focussing solely on C#, with no code samples duplicated in other languages, award winning author Matthew MacDonald introduces you to the very latest thinking and best practices for the ASP.NET 4.5 technology. Assuming no prior coding experience, you'll be taught everything you need to know from the ground up.

ASP.NET 4.5 remains Microsoft's preferred technology for creating dynamic websites, providing developers with unrivaled power and flexibility.Pro ASP.NET 4.5 in C# is the most complete reference to ASP.NET that you will find. This comprehensively revised fifth edition will teach you everything you need to know in order to create well-designed ASP.NET websites. Beginning with core concepts the book progresses steadily through key professional skills. You'll be shown how to query databases in detail, consider the myriad applications of XML, and step through all the considerations you need to be aware of when securing your site from intruders. Finally, you'll consider advanced topics such as using client-side validation, jQuery and Ajax.By the time you have read this book you will have learned all the skills you need to use ASP.NET 4.5 with confidence.

Focusing solely on Visual Basic, with no code samples duplicated in other languages, award winning author Matthew MacDonald introduces you to the very latest thinking and best practices for the ASP.NET 4.5 technology.Assuming no prior coding experience, you'll be taught everything you need to know from the ground up.

ASP.NET 4.5 remains Microsoft's preferred technology for creating dynamic websites, providing developers with unrivaled power and flexibility.Pro ASP.NET 4.5 in VB is the most complete reference to ASP.NET that you will find. This comprehensively revised fifth edition will teach you everything you need to know in order to create well-designed ASP.NET websites. Beginning with core concepts the book progresses steadily through key professional skills. You'll be shown how to query databases in detail, consider the myriad applications of XML, and step through all the considerations you need to be aware of when securing your site from intruders.Finally, you'll consider advanced topics such as using client-side validation, jQuery and Ajax.By the time you have read this book you will have learned all the skills you need to use ASP.NET 4.5 with confidence.

Microsoft's Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) provides you with a development framework for building high-quality user experiences for the Windows operating system.

Microsoft's Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) provides you with a development framework for building high-quality user experiences for the Windows operating system. It blends together rich content from a wide range of sources and allows you unparalleled access to the processing power of your Windows computer.Pro WPF 4.5 in VB provides a thorough, authoritative guide to how WPF really works. Packed with no-nonsense examples and practical advice you'll learn everything you need to know in order to use WPF in a professional setting. The book begins by building a firm foundation of elementary concepts, using your existing VB skills as a frame of reference, before moving on to discuss advanced concepts and demonstrate them in a hands-on way that emphasizes the time and effort savings that can be gained.

The world's most popular spreadsheet program is now more powerful than ever, but it's also more complex. That's where this Missing Manual comes in. With crystal-clear explanations and hands-on examples, Excel 2013: The Missing Manual shows you how to master Excel so you can easily track, analyze, and chart your data. You'll be using new features like PowerPivot and Flash Fill in no time. The important stuff you need to know: Go from novice to ace. Learn how to analyze your data, from writing your first formula to charting your results. Illustrate trends. Discover the clearest way to present your data using Excel's new Quick Analysis feature. Broaden your analysis. Use pivot tables, slicers, and timelines to examine your data from different perspectives. Import data. Pull data from a variety of sources, including website data feeds and corporate databases. Work from the Web. Launch and manage your workbooks on the road, using the new Excel Web App. Share your worksheets. Store Excel files on SkyDrive and collaborate with colleagues on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Master the new data model. Use PowerPivot to work with millions of rows of data. Make calculations.Review financial data, use math and scientific formulas, and perform statistical analyses.

Unlock the secrets of Access 2013 and discover how to use your data in creative ways. With this book's easy step-by-step instructions, you'll learn how to build and maintain a full-featured database and even turn it into a web app. You also get tips and practices from the pros for good database design - ideal whether you're using Access for business, school, or at home. The important stuff you need to know Build a database with ease. Organize and update lists, documents, catalogs, and other types of information. Create your own web app. Let your whole team work on a database in the cloud. Share your database on a network. Link your Access database to SQL Server or SharePoint. Customize the interface. Make data entry a breeze by building your own templates Find what you need fast. Search, sort, and summarize huge amounts of data in minutes. Put your info to use. Turn raw info into well-formatted printed reports. Dive into Access programming. Automate complex tasks and solve common challenges.

HTML5 is more than a markup language - it's a collection of several independent web standards. Fortunately, this expanded guide covers everything you need in one convenient place. With step-by-step tutorials and real-world examples, HTML5: The Missing Manual shows you how to build web apps that include video tools, dynamic graphics, geolocation, offline features, and responsive layouts for mobile devices. The important stuff you need to know: Structure web pages more effectively. Learn how HTML5 helps web design tools and search engines work smarter. Add audio and video without plugins. Build playback pages that work in every browser. Create stunning visuals with Canvas. Draw shapes, pictures, and text; play animations; and run interactive games. Jazz up your pages with CSS3. Add fancy fonts and eye-catching effects with transitions and animation. Design better web forms. Collect information from visitors more efficiently with HTML5 form elements. Build it once, run it everywhere. Use responsive design to make your site look good on desktops, tablets, and smartphones. Include rich desktop features.Build self-sufficient web apps that work offline and store the data users need.

Fast-paced and easy to use, this guide shows you how to get the most out of Excel 2010 - everything from building your first spreadsheet to working with Pivot tables. You'll learn how to develop a spreadsheet from scratch, create formulas, add data, and analyze and graph data so you can make informed business decisions. With clear jargon-free explanations, step-by-step instructions, tons of illustrations, and lots of undocumented workarounds, tips, and shortcuts, you'll get hands-on guided tours and explanations of Excel's new features, including: the Excel Web App - for the first time, Excel lets you view, edit, and share your worksheets in a web browser; sparklines - these miniature graphs are the hottest innovation in data display since the pie chart - they're ideal for viewing trends and summaries at a glance; backstage view - now Excel has a single go-to place for managing files, such as opening an existing spreadsheet, creating a new one, printing, or setting options; and, slicers - Excel's pivot tables are powerful but complicated - slicers give you a visual way to slice and dice pivot table data so you can see details that interest you most.

You can easily create a professional-looking website with nothing more than an ordinary computer and some raw ambition. Want to build a blog, sell products, create forums, or promote an event? No problem! This friendly, jargon-free book gives you the techniques, tools, and advice you need to build a site and get it up on the Web. The important stuff you need to know: Master the basics. Learn HTML5, the language of the Web. Design good-looking pages. Use styles to build polished layouts. Get it online. Find a reliable web host and pick a good web address. Use time-saving tools. Learn free tools for creating web pages and tracking your visitors. Attract visitors. Make sure people can find your site through popular search engines like Google. Build a community. Encourage repeat visits with social media. Bring in the cash. Host Google ads, sell Amazon's wares, or push your own products that people can buy via PayPal. Add pizzazz. Include audio, video, interactive menus, and a pinch of JavaScript.

Why reinvent the wheel every time you run into a problem with JavaScript? This cookbook is chock-full of code recipes for common programming tasks, along with techniques for building apps that work in any browser. You'll get adaptable code samples that you can add to almost any project--and you'll learn more about JavaScript in the process.The recipes in this book take advantage of the latest features in ECMAScript 2020 and beyond and use modern JavaScript coding standards. You'll learn how to:Set up a productive development environment with a code editor, linter, and test serverWork with JavaScript data types, such as strings, arrays, and BigIntsImprove your understanding of JavaScript functions, including arrow functions, closures, and generatorsApply object-oriented programming concepts like classes and inheritanceWork with rich media in JavaScript, including audio, video, and SVGsManipulate HTML markup and CSS stylesUse JavaScript anywhere with Node.jsAccess and manipulate remote data with REST, GraphQL, and FetchGet started with the popular Express application-building frameworkPerform asynchronous operations with Promises, async/await, and web workers

Whether you're a budding blogger or seasoned web designer, WordPress is a brilliant tool for creating websites - once you know how to tap into its impressive features. The latest edition of this jargon-free Missing Manual shows you how to use WordPress's themes, widgets, and plug-ins to build just about any kind of site.The important stuff you need to know:Set up WordPress. Configure WordPress on your web host or get it running on your home computer.Create your site. Get hands-on instructions for building all types of websites, from blogs to business sites with ecommerce features.Jazz it up. Add picture galleries, slideshows, video clips, music players, and podcasts.Add features. Select from thousands of plug-ins to enhance your site's capabilities, from contact forms to a basic shopping cart.Build a truly unique site. Customize a WordPress theme to create a site that looks exactly the way you want.Attract an audience. Use SEO, site statistics, and social sharing to reach more people.Stay safe. Use backup and staging tools to protect your content and avoid catastrophe.