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.

    

    Techniques covered include state- and goal-based behavior, inter-agent communication, individual and group steering behaviors, team AI, graph theory, search, path planning and optimization, triggers, scripting, scripted finite state machines, perceptual modeling, goal evaluation, goal arbitration, and fuzzy logic.

    But the principles and practices of software architecting–what the authors call the “science of hard decisions”–have been evolving for cloud, mobile, and other shifts. Now fully revised and updated, this book shares the knowledge and real-world perspectives that enable you to design for success–and deliver more successful solutions. In this fully updated Second Edition, you will: Learn how only a deep understanding of domain can lead to appropriate architecture Examine domain-driven design in both theory and implementation Shift your approach to code first, model later–including multilayer architecture Capture the benefits of prioritizing software maintainability See how readability, testability, and extensibility lead to code quality Take a user experience (UX) first approach, rather than designing for data Review patterns for organizing business logic Use event sourcing and CQRS together to model complex business domains more effectively Delve inside the persistence layer, including patterns and implementation.

    It presents a learning journey, not definitive guidance. It describes the experiences of a development team with no prior CQRS proficiency in building, deploying (to Windows Azure), and maintaining a sample real-world, complex, enterprise system to showcase various CQRS and ES concepts, challenges, and techniques.The development team did not work in isolation; we actively sought input from industry experts and from a wide group of advisors to ensure that the guidance is both detailed and practical.The CQRS pattern and event sourcing are not mere simplistic solutions to the problems associated with large-scale, distributed systems. By providing you with both a working application and written guidance, we expect you’ll be well prepared to embark on your own CQRS journey.

    The commercial success of a game is often dependent upon the quality of the AI, yet the engineering of AI is often begun late in the development process and is frequently misunderstood. In this book, Ian Millington brings extensive professional experience to the problem of improving the quality of AI in games. A game developer since 1987, he was founder of Mindlathe Ltd., at the time the largest specialist AI company in gaming. Ian shows how to think about AI as an integral part of game play. He describes numerous examples from real games and explores the underlying ideas through detailed case studies. He goes further to introduce many techniques little used by developers today. The book's CD-ROM contains a library of C++ source code and demonstration programs, and provides access to a website with a complete commercial source code library of AI algorithms and techniques. * A comprehensive, professional tutorial and reference to implement true AI in games.* Walks through the entire development process from beginning to end.* Includes over 100 pseudo code examples of techniques used in commercial games, case studies for all major genres, a CD-ROM and companion website with extensive C++ source code implementations for Windows, and source code libraries for Linux and OS X available through the website.

    This book is aimed at the working Rails developer who is looking to grow and evolve Rails projects while keeping them flexible, maintainable, and robust. The focus is on pragmatic solutions which tread a “middle way” between the expedience of the Rails “golden path”, and rigid OO purity.

    It is through an understanding of service design that truly service-oriented solution logic can be created in support of achieving the strategic goals associated with SOA and service-oriented computing. Bestselling SOA author Thomas Erl guides you through a comprehensive, insightful, and visually rich exploration of the service-orientation design paradigm, revealing exactly how services should and should not be designed for real-world SOA. concise introduction to SOA and service-oriented computing concepts and benefits* A thorough exploration of the service-orientation design paradigm as represented by eight specific design principles* A comparison of service-oriented and object-oriented concepts and principles and a clear definition of what qualifies as service-oriented logic* Detailed coverage of four different forms of service-related design granularity* An exhaustive examination of service contracts, with an emphasis on standardization, abstraction, and the utilization of WS-Policy, XML Schema, and WSDL definitions* A comprehensive study of various forms of service-related coupling with an emphasis on the requirements to attaining a suitable level of loose coupling.* achieve truly agnostic and reusable service logic* Techniques for maximizing service reliability, scalability, and performance by instilling high levels of autonomy and emphasizing stateless design* Approaches for positioning services as highly discoverable and interpretable enterprise resources* Unprecedented coverage of how to design services for participation in complex compositions* The definition of concrete links between each design principle and the strategic goals and benefits of SOA and service-oriented computing* Numerous cross-references to key design patterns documented separately in SOA: Design Patterns www.soabooks.com supplements this book with a variety of resources, including content updates, corrections, and sample chapters from other books. www.soaspecs.com provides further support by establishing a descriptive portal to industry specifications referenced in all of the series titles. www.soaglossary.com establishes a master glossary for all SOA titles in this series. www.prenhallprofessional.comwww.soabo... Foreword Chapter 1: OverviewChapter 2: Case Study Background Pa

    

    Learn them fast and learn them well. Have you always wanted to learn to build your own website but are afraid it'll be too difficult for you? Or perhaps you are a blogger who wants to tweak your blog's design, without having to spend money on an expensive theme. This book is for you. You no longer have to waste your time and money learning HTML and CSS from lengthy books, expensive online courses or complicated tutorials. What this book offers... HTML and CSS for Beginners Complex concepts are broken down into simple steps to ensure that you can easily master the two languages even if you have never coded before. Carefully Chosen Examples (with images) Examples are carefully chosen to illustrate all concepts. In addition, images are provided whenever necessary so that you can immediately see the visual effects of various CSS properties. Learn The Languages Fast Concepts are presented in a "to-the-point" style to cater to the busy individual. With this book, you can learn HTML and CSS in just one day and start coding immediately. How is this book different... The best way to learn programming is by doing. End-of-Chapter Exercises Each CSS chapter comes with an end-of-chapter exercise where you get to practice the different CSS properties covered in the chapter and see first hand how different CSS values affect the design of the website. Bonus Project The book also includes a bonus project that requires the application of all the HTML and CSS concepts taught previously. Working through the project will not only give you an immense sense of achievement, it’ll also help you see how the various concepts tie together. Are you ready to dip your toes into the exciting world of web development? This book is for you. Click the BUY button and download it now. What you'll learn: - What is CSS and HTML? - What software do you need to write and run CSS codes? - What are HTML tags and elements? - What are the commonly used HTML tags and how to use them? - What are HTML IDs and Classes? - What is the basic CSS syntax? - What are CSS selectors? - What are pseudo classes and pseudo elements? - How to apply CSS rules to your website and what is the order of precedence? - What is the CSS box model? - How to position and float your CSS boxes - How to hide HTML content - How to change the background of CSS boxes - How to use the CSS color property to change colors - How to modify text and font of a website - How to create navigation bars - How to create gorgeous looking tables to display your data .. and more... Click the BUY button and download the book now to start learning HTML and CSS now. Learn them fast and learn them well. Tags: ------------ CSS, HTML5, web development, web page design, CSS examples, CSS tutorials, CSS coding, CSS for Dummies

    "Slay the Dragon" will help you understand the challenges and offer creative solutions to writing for a medium where the audience not only demands a great story, but to be a driving force within it. Aimed at traditional writers who want to learn interactive narrative as well as game creators who want to tell better, more emotionally involving stories, the book is written by two creative veterans of both Hollywood and "Nerdyhood." Through lively discussions and self-paced-exercises, Bryant and Giglio step you such topics as: the "no-act" structure of video games; writing great game characters; making gameplay emotionally meaningful; and bringing your game world alive.

    In the 1987 Nintendo Entertainment System videogame Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, a character famously declared: I AM ERROR. Puzzled players assumed that this cryptic mesage was a programming flaw, but it was actually a clumsy Japanese-English translation of "My Name is Error," a benign programmer's joke. In I AM ERROR Nathan Altice explores the complex material histories of the Nintendo Entertainment System (and its Japanese predecessor, the Family Computer), offering a detailed analysis of its programming and engineering, its expressive affordances, and its cultural significance.Nintendo games were rife with mistranslated texts, but, as Altice explains, Nintendo's translation challenges were not just linguistic but also material, with consequences beyond simple misinterpretation. Emphasizing the technical and material evolution of Nintendo's first cartridge-based platform, Altice describes the development of the Family Computer (or Famicom) and its computational architecture; the "translation" problems faced while adapting the Famicom for the U.S. videogame market as the redesigned Entertainment System; Nintendo's breakthrough console title Super Mario Bros. and its remarkable software innovations; the introduction of Nintendo's short-lived proprietary disk format and the design repercussions on The Legend of Zelda; Nintendo's efforts to extend their console's lifespan through cartridge augmentations; the Famicom's Audio Processing Unit (APU) and its importance for the chiptunes genre; and the emergence of software emulators and the new kinds of play they enabled.

    Students will find concepts easy-to-understand through the clear writing style and full-color figures that illustrate current technology and trends. Examples and cases are drawn from actual systems projects that enable students to learn in the context of solving problems, much like the ones they will encounter on the job. This approach, combined with motivating tools such as the SCR Associates interactive Web-Based Case Study, Systems Analyst's Toolkit, the Student Study Tool on CD-ROM, and more, makes Systems Analysis and Design, Seventh Edition a wise and exciting choice for your introductory systems analysis and design class.

    A practical approach to test-driven development for Ruby on Rails using RSpec and related tools.

    With Video Game Storytelling, game writer and producer Evan Skolnick provides a comprehensive yet easy-to-follow guide to storytelling basics and how they can be applied at every stage of the development process—by all members of the team. This clear, concise reference pairs relevant examples from top games and other media with a breakdown of the key roles in game development, showing how a team’s shared understanding and application of core storytelling principles can deepen the player experience. Understanding story and why it matters is no longer just for writers or narrative designers. From team leadership to game design and beyond, Skolnick reveals how each member of the development team can do his or her part to help produce gripping, truly memorable narratives that will enhance gameplay and bring today’s savvy gamers back time and time again.