Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition is a free editor designed to make your life easier when building ASP.NET web pages. It's easy-to-use and easy-to-learn and has a host of drop and drag features that'll improve your development speed and help you begin building exciting, dynamic web applications with ASP.NET 2.0.
You can download Visual Web Developer from Microsoft's website http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/vwd/default.asp.
Once the download is complete, double click on the 'vwdsetup.exe' and run through the download and installation guide.
If you already have the .NET Framework 2.0 installed on your computer then you will not be presented with that option. You will also be presented with the option to select two products namely the MSDN Express Library 2005 and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition. Again if these products are already installed on your computer you won't be presented with the option to install.
MSDN is Microsoft's collection or articles, documentation and code samples.
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is a free database engine and integrates perfectly into the Visual Web Developer product. You can use this database engine for local testing purposes and upgrade to SQL SERVER 2005 when deploying your site.
It's a good idea to select both of these. Once the installation is complete you now have the .NET Framework 2.0, ASP.NET 2.0 installed (if you didn't have them already installed), a free Editor (Visual Web Developer) and a Database Engine (SQL Server 2005 Express Edition).
Below is the screen that you will be presented with.
Click the next button on the Welcome box.
Accept the Terms and Conditions.
At this stage you are presented with the option to select two products namely the MSDN Express Library 2005 and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition. (If they are already installed on your computer you won't be given the option).
Specify the folder where you wish to install Visual Web Developer.
Notice this computer doesn't have the Microsoft Windows Installer 3.1, nor the .Net Framework 2.0, so the download and install will include these. If your computer has them then they won't be displayed. As we selected the additional options you can see them included.
The download is in progress.
The download and install has been successful. Remember to register the product which entitles you to some free products.
That's it, you're ready to begin building ASP.NET 2.0 web pages using Visual Web Developer.
Plug and play ASP membership script that integrates with PayPal to let you charge recurring membership fees.
