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ExpressionEngine Guide
Veteran ExpressionEngine professional Ryan Masuga shares with you a practical method for developing ExpressionEngine projects and version controlling them with Git. Foreword by Derek Jones, previous CEO of EllisLab.
Be a better ExpressionEngine developer right now.
Masuga Design has developed ExpressionEngine sites of all sizes since 2006. I'm sharing everything we know about putting together ExpressionEngine projects and versioning them with Git. We have tens of thousands of hours of experience and now you can benefit immediately by reading The Guide to ExpressionEngine® Development.
Make More Money With EE
If you can competently and repeatedly produce a solid product and sell your ExpressionEngine skills with confidence, you're going to be able to charge more money for your services. Our rate has tripled over the last few years, and I believe after reading this guide you'll feel confident enough to charge what you're worth.
Separate Yourself From the Pack
Your client isn't just buying an ExpressionEngine site - they're buying you. So what separates you from any other EE shop? It's the details. With my practical advice on setting up and customizing EE projects, you too can make your clients sing your praises.
Topics Covered In The ExpressionEngine Guide
How should I structure my project? What security measures can I implement? How can I best customize the CMS for the client? I answer these questions and more by drawing from our years of experience developing with ExpressionEngine.
Project Organization
I show you a sensible way to structure an EE site for secure, no-nonsense development. It's the method Masuga Design uses to build EE sites.
Version Control
How do you version control an EE site with Git? What should I ignore? How do I set up a development site? I answer these questions and more.
Security
Security is critical for your websites, and EE makes security easy–if you take advantage of it. I show you quick methods to make your sites more secure.
Multiple Environments
Not a hardcore command-line person? Don't worry: config and database file setup for working locally and deploying remotely that isn't overly complex.
Customization
Customizing an EE site is easy, beneficial for your clients, and will help set you apart from other shops who don't go the extra mile.
Common Sense Advice
Using war stories from the trenches, I offer a lot of common sense when it comes to putting sites together (and maybe a couple rants).
Stories
I've seen some…interesting…setups and situations. I use these experiences as examples to explain how we solved things differently.
Resources
From ExpressionEngine Answers to URL Schematics to the devot:ee forums, I discuss various EE resources and their relative merits.
From the Foreword
Even those with many years of ExpressionEngine experience will likely find something new and helpful. If everyone adopted the practices in this book, it would be a net gain for ExpressionEngine-powered sites as a whole. I am more than happy to add this book to my recommended reading list for all ExpressionEngine users
Derek Jones, previous CEO, EllisLab, makers of ExpressionEngine
From Readers
I learned a lot from the book about better ways to set up the site and having a master config.
Susan Wohlgemuth, Developer
Your guide is very useful, and I often go back to it.
Jean-Michel Dentand, Developer
Your EE book is fantastic!
Dean Matsueda, Designer and Developer
Your first book fundamentally changed many things we do.
Julian Matthews, Developer, The Story Group
Found the guide really useful thank you – still referring to it as we try to reduce some of the 'technical debt' on our early sites.
Andrew Armitage, Developer, A Digital
It's useful to see another developer's insight on how to use features. That's what was valuable for me in your first guide. I wish I'd had it a few years back when I started building EE sites.
Richard Whitmer, Developer
We bought your book for a new dev that did not have any EE experience. It's very well done and has been a great resource for him. Thanks also for devot-ee. It's been a super valuable resource for my team over the years.
Nick McNeill, Interactive Director, The Brandon Agency
The guide was helpful, especially git sections and your config setup.
Randall Ward, Developer
Your ExpressionEngine guide was awesome, thanks!
Tom Spetter, Developer
I enjoyed your guide for EE2 - there were some parts that were far more useful for larger sites than I generally work on, but I like the knowledge!
Steph Boudreau, Developer
Your book changed a big part of how I work with EE, so, thanks! Love the book.
Pontus Madsen, Founder, Design Director, Big South
Your guide has been incredibly useful - I’ve learned so much from it and it has increased my understanding of how ExpressionEngine works ‘under the hood’. The information on version control was particularly valuable. Many thanks for producing the guide - it’s become indispensable!
Andy Gosling, Developer
The Guide ExpressionEngine Development has been an invaluable reference for me. Developing new sites got a whole lot easier and I still reference it regularly before, during and after development.
Joe Bibby, Developer, Visual Yeti
Just finished reading #eecmsguide. Great guide! So much common sense shoved in your face. Small things that dripped out over time. #EECMS
Black Belt Designs (@BBDOKC)
Yes, I’m lame and boring, but the #eecmsguide is one of the best things I’ve purchased for my business since my Mac Pro (and cheaper too!)
Todd Richards (@wbdzynr)
Just finished #eecmsguide! Some great pointers to improve your EE workflow, worth the investment.
@outofcontrol
#eecmsguide well that just made my life easier the past 2 weeks. Thanks @masuga
Richard Whitmer (@panchco)
Thanks to @masuga I'm rewriting templates that I wrote yesterday because he's shown me a better way.
Josh Conner (@_JConner)
I have developed with #eecms for years now but I have a feeling I could still probably learn a thing or two from #eecmsguide. Intrigued!
@PhilBrienesse
Just read the first chapter of @masuga book on EE and Git. Definitely a good read. Highly recommended.
Sean Smith (@CS_sean)
Definitely has very good value for advanced #eecms devs.
@outofcontrol
Get the Guide to ExpressionEngine
For $49 you'll get a 215 page PDF with your order (no-nonsense stuff!)
About the Author
Ryan Masuga
I used ExpressionEngine professionally from 2006–2015 or so. I started devot-ee.com in 2009 to support the ExpressionEngine community. I live in West Michigan with my wife and three children.
I can be found on LinkedIn.