I've received a lot of questions about the e-book formats and online versions for SharePoint 2010 Web Parts in Action. And the news is good. The book will be available in most e-book formats.

First of all; everyone that got the book through the MEAP program should have received the book in PDF format, with full coloring! And if you buy the printed book through the Manning web site you'll also get the PDF version. There's also a PDF only version for a few dollars less. But admit it - it looks nicer in your bookshelf with the original printed copy (send me a photo of your bookshelf with the book, that would make me glad!).

Over the next few weeks all purchasers of the e-book or printed book (through the Manning web site) will be e-mailed with a link to download the book in epub and mobi formats, for free. These are optimized versions for e-readers (Kindle, Sony e-Reader etc). Perfect to have while commuting, travelling or beeing on vacation. This also means that you could buy the book through the Amazon Kindle store.

Within two weeks the book will also be available through Safari Books Online. This allows for Safari Books Online subscribers to enjoy the book in its full fidelity as well.

And it doesn't end with that! For all you iPad fans - the book will also be sold through the iBookstore in about three weeks.

Isn't all this great - you can read the book whenever and wherever you want as many times as you like! You can run but you can't hide...

The day is finally here! SharePoint 2010 Web Parts in Action is published! After nearly a year and a half of work my book is published, ready, available in its final form!

It all started a couple of years ago. I was missing a lot of information on how to write Web Parts for SharePoint. Sure there are good books on the subject, but none of them went as deep on the topic as I wanted. Being a bit scared of actually doing it I couldn't get it out of me directly. I did some early pitches to some publishers - but it didn't work. Not until I got in contact with Manning Publications! They believed in my idea from the beginning and had full trust in me writing the outline and the content. From there it all went pretty fast, as soon as we had signed the contract I started writing...and wrote, and wrote, and scratch my head and wrote some more. It was long nights and weekends fighting the beta bits and writing the actual content. During this I had great support from my DE Susan Harkins who really tought me how to write, what to think about and how to structure it all.

What really separates Manning from other publishers is their thorough and well-thought process in writing books. During my writing we had three technical reviews (done by an awesome crowd - go get the book and you'll see my sincerely acknowledgements to those who supported me). Once the book was done we went through yet another technical review, copywriting, proofreading, typesetting - you name it. This process is what really made a difference and got a great balance in the book. You know, this was my first book, writting in my non native language so the language was a bit rough before I got warm in the clothes. Anyways, I could go on forever on this subject (no, I will not write a book about it :-).

Here are some facts:

• Total chapters: 15
• Total number of pages: 448
• Release date e-book: 1st of April 2011
• Release date printed book: 13th of April 2011
• Pictures/drawings: ~140
• E-book with color coded listings
• Appendix with 30 pages of OOTB Web Part info
• Files in my manuscript folder: 667

The book is out, thanks to everyone who supported me in getting the preview editions (MEAP) and you should all by now have been notified that you can download the final e-book. The printed book will be available at April 13th. For more information head on over to http://www.manning.com/wilen and also make sure to check out the reviews.

If you like it or even love it please head on over to Amazon and rate the book or write a review!

If you're still reading this and haven't order it yet, here's the link once again: BUY IT! 

Thanks!

We're almost there!

We are currently making sure that the books looks as awesome as it can be with the correct indentations, color coded source syntax, images, tables etc. The delay has been a bit longer than I initially exepected but the result is really, really looking good. If everything goes as planned it will be available in it's final format in a couple of weeks. But if you're anxious to get your hands on it right now you can always order the MEAP edition.

The feedback has been really good and I've gotten some fantastic reviews of the book, make sure that you check out the Reviews page.

The final production has started of the book! That means that I have finished writing all contents and made the necessary updates received from all the techincal reviews (although there are some callouts and notes that I will add before it goes to type setting - to even further enhance the contents and give you all some great tips). What is left is copywriting, final technical proofreading (actual 4th technical review - that's what makes books from Manning Publications stand out compared to others), layout and type setting and then just printing.

In order to celebrate this we have released a new MEAP release containing no less than 403 printed PDF pages, including the latest updates, figures and samples. Also this new MEAP release includes the Appendix which is a comprehensive and detailed reference of the most interesting Web Parts in SharePoint 2010, including all available classes, sealing status and connection interfaces.

To get the MEAP release and the final release as soon as it's available head on over to the Manning web site and order it. It's only $34.99 for the e-book and $44.99 for both e-book and printed release. What are you waiting for!

The full book is finally available through the MEAP program. That means that if you are anxious on learning about Web Parts in SharePoint 2010 - you can start reading right away. It's a total of 15 fully packed chapters with Web Part development and SharePoint 2010.

The chapters are as follows:

1. Introducing SharePoint 2010 Web Parts
2. Using and configuring Web Parts in SharePoint 2010
3. Building Web Parts with Visual Studio 2010
4. Building the user interface
5. Making Web Parts customizable
6. Web Part resources and configuration
7. Packaging, Deployment and Security
8. Tools for troubleshooting and logging
9. Caching for performance
10. Dynamic interfaces in Web Parts
11. Client Object Model and Silverlight Web Parts
12. Making Web Parts Mobile
13. Web Part design Patterns
14. Connecting Web Parts
15. Building Pages and Dashboards

Buying the book through the MEAP program means direct access to the book. It also means that you will have the opportunity to read it before anyone else and also discuss the content with the author before it goes to print. Buying the MEAP edition, e-book edition and the printed book costs you $44.99 and the MEAP program and just the e-book edition only $34.99.

Two new chapters were just added to the MEAP program of SharePoint 2010 Web Parts in Action. It's chapter 6 and 7 and its 193 pages stuffed with SharePoint love!

Chapter 6 is called Web Part Resources and Localization. The focus of the chapter is on how you attach resources such as images, CSS and JavaScript files in the most effective way in both full-trust and Sandboxed solutions. It also contains details on how you localize your Web Parts to support multiple languages.

Chapter 7, called Packaging, Deployment and Security, gives you all the details you need to effectivly manage and deploy your solutions using SharePoint 2010, Visual Studio 2010 and PowerShell. A discussion on security related to full-trust, sandboxed and web application scoped features describes when and why to use the different approaches.

I hope that you get your copy while it's hot at http://www.manning.com/wilen/, Not only will you have the opportunity to read all the details now, but you also have the possibility to submit comments to me using the Manning forums to further improve the chapters. 

Piece by piece this book is coming through and you can now as a SharePoint 2010 Web Parts in Action MEAP participant download chapter 4 and 5.

Chapter 4 discusses building the Web Part user interface and focuses on leveraging a lot of ASP.NET features. It also contains a deep dive into the event model of Web Parts to help you avoid common pitfalls.

Chapter 5 will show you how to make your Web Parts customizable focusing on Web Part properties, personalization and includes details on how to build runtime filters.

Happy weekend reading, I'll continue the writing over here...got some good stuff coming!

An excerpt of chapter 4 has been published on SharePoint Briefing. It is an article discussing how to make your Web Parts XHTML and WCAG compliant.

If you haven't bought the MEAP edition of the book - head on over and do it now to get the book as it evolves and be amongst the first to get the final edition.

Status update: I am currently polishing on some chapters that will soon be added to the MEAP program and finalizing some of the last chapters of the book.

I am proud to announce that the SharePoint 2010 Web Parts in Action book now is available through the Manning MEAP program. Chapter 1-3 can now be bought at http://www.manning.com/wilen/.

If you order the MEAP today you will get chapter 1-3 as an e-Book and continiously get new chapters as we move along. When the book is done you will get the real deal; either an e-Book or a printed one.

The MEAP + final e-Book costs $34.99 and MEAP + final Print + e-Book costs $44.99. Go ahead and order them today!

The MEAP (Manning Early Access Program) program is a way for you to get your hands on an early edition of the book and access to the Manning Author forum. By helping out in the MEAP program you can influence and comment on the book as I keep writing and editing. 

You can now get a free sneak preview of some of the contents of the SharePoint 2010 Web Parts in Action book from the Manning website.

It is a Green Paper called The Anatomy of Web Parts. Just register and recieve the green paper as a PDF in your mailbox, it's all free.

The MEAP page is also online, make sure to check by to see when it's available for ordering.