ASP.NET 2.0 Web Programming with C# 2005, Murach
Microsoft .NET Framework, ASP.NET, Visual C# (CSharp, C Sharp, C-Sharp) Developer Training, Visual Studio
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C# Online.NET Book Review
Learning ASP.NET with Visual Studio .NET is harder than you might expect—even if you already know ASP. Microsoft has developed a complex system designed for rapid application development and easy deployment; but, often, VS obscures what is actually going on in your own application.
So, finding a good starter book is essential. Murach's book is ideally suited for the ASP.NET beginner who wants to get up and running with their own Web application quickly. The book has a refreshing no-nonsense approach to the subject, and the paired-page format (see bottom of page) puts a complete topic before you with each turn of the page. Also, it is a large format book with easily-read type and graphics.
The book covers quite a range of ASP.NET topics including custom server controls, controls like FormView and GridView, personalization, security, SQL data sources, deployment, and Web services. And, the book covers most of the new features of ASP.NET 2.0:
- authentication using the Web Site Administration tool and login controls
- code-behind model
- database access using both SQL and object data sources
- master pages
- profiles
- site navigation
- themes
- Web parts
Personally, I would rather they had left out the section titled "A Crash Course in HTML". The book assumes you already know C#. And, I think it is a rare C# programmer who does not already know HTML as well. But, if you don't need it, just skip it.
Over the course of the book you will develop a retail Web site. This is not only a good pedagogical device: it gives you ideas immediately on how to structure and what to include in your own Web site.
I think instructors of practical ASP.NET courses would find the book very suitable for hands-on learning. It is short on theory, but long on get-your-hands-dirty development. A student is likely to learn a lot more and more quickly using this type of text than with a computer sciencey book. A self-motivated student could use the book, itself, as their instructor.
Bottom line
Murach's ASP.NET 2.0 Web Programming with C# 2005 is a great book to help C# programmers—but ASP.NET newbies—put up a professional Web site fast.
Other books in this series
- ASP.NET 2.0 Web Programming with CSharp 2005, Murach
- C# 2005, Murach
- SQL for SQL Server, Murach
Publisher's description
Are you trying to decide which ASP.NET 2.0 book to buy?
As its title implies, this book teaches you how to develop web applications using ASP.NET 2.0. That means it teaches all the features that are new in ASP.NET 2.0, including master pages, database access using both SQL and object data sources, the new code-behind model, site navigation features, authentication using the Web Site Administration tool and login controls, profiles, themes, and web parts. But that’s just the beginning! Here are just a few of the features that set this book apart from other ASP.NET 2.0 books:
#1: It gives you a 5-chapter section on database programming
This is an area that’s changed dramatically from ASP.NET 1.x. So this section teaches you how to use SQL data sources and the GridView, DetailsView, and FormView controls… all new in ASP.NET 2.0 …to develop database applications with little or no C# code. Then, it teaches how to use object data sources, also new in ASP.NET 2.0, to create 3-layer applications that let you separate the presentation code from the data access code in an application.
#2: It teaches you ASP.NET 2.0 development the way it should be done, using Visual Studio 2005
Today, no developer should miss out on the productivity features of Visual Studio 2005 by using limited tools like Notepad. So section 1 in this book teaches you how to use Visual Studio 2005 to design, code, and test multi-page web applications that get database data and manage session state. Then, later chapters cover time-saving VS tools like the Query Builder and the Web Site Administration Tool.
#3: Complete applications show you how all the pieces interact
The key to mastering ASP.NET 2.0 is to have plenty of real-world applications that guide you in using the new features you’re learning…and that help you avoid the problems that you can run into as you build complex web sites. That’s why this book gives you complete applications, including the web forms, the aspx code, and the C# code.
So if you need to learn ASP.NET 2.0, we hope you'll try this book first. We're convinced that it will deliver the training you need in record time.
From the Publisher During the last 30 years, many customers have asked me how it is that a small publisher in Fresno can make the best programming books. The short answer is that no other publisher works the way we do.
Instead of using freelance writers who get no training, we use a small staff of programmers who are trained in our proven writing and teaching methods. Instead of publishing 40+ books each year, we focus on just a few. Instead of showing pieces of code, we provide complete applications that have been checked and re-checked for accuracy. And instead of rushing books to market, we refuse to let schedule or budget interfere with quality. As I see it, that’s the only way to make sure that every book we publish is the best one on its subject.
That’s why I say that no other ASP.NET 2.0 book will teach you so much, so fast, or so thoroughly as ours will. Try it and see for yourself!
From the Publisher's Web site
This ASP.NET 2.0 book will teach you web programming from scratch...and serve as a time-saving reference to all the ASP.NET features you'll use every day. It works if you're new to web programming. It works if you have experience in classic ASP or Java servlets and JSPs. And it works if you know ASP.NET 1.x, want to upgrade to 2.0 quickly, yet also want a comprehensive ASP.NET reference to rely on.
As its title implies, this book covers all of the new ASP.NET 2.0 features that make it easier to add quality and functionality to every web application you write. That includes:
Master pages… database access using both SQL and object data sources… the new code-behind model… site navigation features… login controls to authenticate users… profiles to personalize a site… themes to customize formatting elements… and web parts, the building blocks of portals that can be customized by the user
But beyond that, this book has features that set it apart from all the others. So here are some of the reasons why we say, "No other ASP.NET 2.0 book will teach you so much, so fast, or so thoroughly."
Murach books have a distinctive format. Each two-page spread presents a single topic: the lefthand page explains the topic, while the righthand page shows the critical details, using syntax, code, screen shots, and how-to notes.
Beginners tell us they like this format because it breaks the material down into manageable bites. Experienced developers like it because they can pick up on information that's new or interesting just by paging through. And developers at any level find it makes a great reference format because it's so easy to pinpoint the development details they're looking for.
