WebMatrix brings together web server with database and programming frameworks to create a single, integrated experience. This Web Development tool comes packed with a lot of features: IIS Developer Express, ASP.NET, and SQL Server Compact which makes Web Development really easy and easy to start a Website from popular open-source applications, like WordPress, Joomla and others. How do you get and install WebMatrix? First, you need to download and Install Microsoft Web Platform Installer 3 (Web PI). This is a free tool that automates the installation of WebMatrix and many others Microsoft Web Platform tools (You can think of it like web app store, but free.) Run the Web Platform installer 3 (Web PI), select the tab Getting Started, click the big button Install WebMatrix and you are ready to go. Launch WebMatrix and you will be presented with a very elegant and intuitive UI, you’ll also notice that it uses a ribbon toolbar like in Windows 7 Paint and Microsoft Office Word, it also has code highlighter, test page option, code correction, publish capabilities, line number, database management (only for Microsoft SQL), capabilities to run an SEO Report for your site, and more. With WebMatrix you can test, publish and write code in: HTML, CSS, Jscript, PHP, TXT, Classic ASP, Global.ASA, XML, and SQL Script. Tip: To open a file with WebMatrix, right click the folder with the file that you want to open and select Open as a Website with Microsoft WebMatrix. Here is a look of how WebMatrix user interface looks like:
On the down side, WebMatrix is only available for Microsoft Windows, there is not debugging or IntelliSense (code prediction when typing code). The database management/creation tool is very basic and you can only use it with Microsoft SQL software. In the FTP side, you have the capability of publish your Website to a host provider (limited), but it seems that you cannot connect via FTP to grab a file, edit it and upload it back again, and it does not have a design view feature. You will find that WebMatrix lacks of some of the features you will find in a premium products because WebMatrix was built to be lightweight, and intended for beginners; for more advanced features, Microsoft has Visual Studio. This does not means that in the future, Microsoft could not add more requested feature into WebMatrix. Key points to consider with WebMatrix:
Really easy to download and install. There is online material available to get you started. Elegant User Interface. Various file types supported (i.e. php, html, CSS, jScript, XML, etc.) Code highlighter, Code correction, Line number, etc. Test page and FTP publishing capabilities. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) report, to optimize your site for search engines. Database management (limited to Microsoft SQL only) and database editor. Web server management. It works with many of open source applications like: WordPress and Joomla. And best of all, WebMatrix is Free!
Conclusion Keeping in mind that WebMatrix is a free software and that it does not have some of the features found on the premium Web Development tools, like in Visual Studio or Adobe Dreamweaver, this is a great piece software for a beginner or a user in a budget. You will find WebMatrix a very useful tool as an alternative code editor when working in WordPress (i.e php and JavaScript files), or managing a database. If you are interested on learning more about WebMatrix follow this link! And also watch this video: Simon Calvert & Scott Hunter: WebMatrix and the new Razor Syntax
Source Microsoft WebMatrix All content on this site is provided with no warranties, express or implied. Use any information at your own risk. Always backup of your device and files before making any changes. Privacy policy info.
