Pro ASP.NET 2.0 in C# 2005, Special Ed., Apress
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
ASP.NET—Active Server Pages .NET—is a Microsoft Web development technology. ASP.NET—part of the .NET Framework—lets developers create dynamic Web applications and Web services using compiled .NET languages like Visual C# and Visual Basic .NET. The primary ASP.NET development tool is the Microsoft Visual Studio .NET integrated development environment (IDE).
ASP debuted in October of 1996 using VBScript—an interpreted scripting language which put an upper limit on ASP performance. Microsoft introduced the new .NET Framework and an ASP upgrade called ASP.NET—also known as ASP+ in those early days.
This book has over 1,400 pages! Normally, that would be a lot to slog through; but, this book is worth reading from cover to cover. It has such a broad reach, such detailed coverage, and is so well conceived and executed that the reader will treasure every chapter. It is never boring or repetitive. Given its range of topics—perhaps 95% of ASP.NET and related technologies—, it would be difficult to conceive of the book being less than 1,400 pages.
This book covers both ASP.NET 1.1 and 2.0: the new changes and features of version 2.0 are highlighted. So, experienced ASP.NET developers need waste no time rehashing subjects with which they are already familiar. Although, I dare say that—virtually—every developer would learn something new about even version 1.1 from this book.
I should not try here to point out this or that chapter as being exceptional; because, the vast range of the book means that every reader will have their own favorite chapters. However, there is excellent coverage of cryptography, data binding, data controls, forms, and streams.
This hardback Special Edition features two new chapters not available in soft cover. While one chapter explains incorporating Ajax techniques, the other introduces the Atlas platform—Microsoft's reinvention of Ajax. Also, the Special Edition boasts a CD containing an e-book library—2,000 pages—of chapters from eighteen Apress Pro and Expert titles chosen to complement this book. It features relevant chapters on ASP.NET 2.0, C# 2005, SQL Server 2005, and VB 2005. Also, there is an ASPToday.com e-book with thirty-three articles covering ASP.NET 2.0 and SQL Server 2005. This is a very practical, usable, and valuable CD.
Some reviewers have failed to give credence to the word Pro in the title. This is a book for professional developers and could be rough going for a reader without the proper background. The ideal reader has a working knowledge of server-side development—preferable ASP 1.1—, experience in object-oriented programming (OOP), exposure to relational databases, a basic understanding of the .NET Framework, and—at least—a grasp of the fundamentals of C#.
This book is a great guide and reference for veteran ASP.NET developers who are faced with adopting ASP.NET 2.0. And, it is a wonderful book for C# developers who are new to ASP but have a strong background otherwise. Of course, our experienced Java brethren will be able to keep up as well. This must be the best book on the market for intermediate and beyond developers.
The authors have a real talent for organizing and explicating technical material. Despite its length, the book is very readable. However, their biggest achievement is to show us how to use the myriad features of ASP.NET to design enterprise level Web sites.
All of the source code examples are in the C# language or ASP.NET—of course.
Bottom line
Pro ASP.NET 2.0 in C# 2005, Special Edition is required reading for ASP.NET developers and will serve them well as a reference for years to come.
From the publisher
ASP.NET 2.0 is the latest version of Microsoft’s revolutionary ASP.NET technology. It is the principal standard for creating dynamic web pages on the Windows platform. ASP.NET 2.0 boasts a range of important new features that make it superior to any Windows web-presentation technology that has come before it. A few of these are:
- Masterpages let you define your site’s look and feel once and apply it across all your web forms.
- Themes and skins make for easy customization of your site’s look and feel. Generics these much vaunted new additions to the .NET Framework allow you to create a data structure without committing to a specific data type – they’ll revolutionize the way you code
- Personalization – ASP.NET 2.0 makes it easier than ever before to create customized experiences tailored for individual users.
These, combined with improvements in everything from speed (ASP.NET 2.0 pages are faster to both write and serve), administration , data access, security and scalability make ASP.NET 2.0 the leading force in .NET web development.
Seasoned .NET professionals Matthew MacDonald and Mario Szpuszta explain how you can get the most from this ground-breaking new technology. They cover ASP.NET 2.0 as a whole, illustrating both the brand-new features and the functionality carried over from previous versions of ASP. This book will give you the knowledge you need to code real ASP.NET 2.0 application in the best possible style.
The book will teach you ASP.NET 2.0 in five clear steps. You will learn:
- Core concepts of ASP.NET 2.0. Why it’s special. What its fundamental principals are. The basics of Visual Studio. How ASP.NET 2.0 controls are created, and how they fit into ASP.NET 2.0 pages, ultimately creating full applications
- Data access details. The intricacies of ADO.NET 2.0 and how to perform data binding to many sources—from databases, to file-streams, to XML
- Security. Once considered the Achilles heel of all Windows web applications, security has been completely revamped in ASP.NET 2.0. This section explains the various forms of available security, and how to best apply them
- Taking things further using Advanced User Interface Techniques. This includes User Controls, Customer Server Controls, client-side JavaScript and GDI+. This is where the real strength of ASP.NET 2.0 lies
- Web Services. In an increasingly connected world, working with web services grows in importance. This book will show you how to work with them
About the Special Edition
Welcome to Pro ASP.NET 2.0 in C# 2005, Special Edition. In this book, you’ll learn how ASP.NET 2.0 really works. You won’t be bored with a rehash of the C# language—instead, you’ll get the hard-won practical advice that you need to build sophisticated, scalable websites. New features are clearly identified, so if you’ve programmed with a previous version of ASP.NET you’ll sail through the basics and get right to the most important changes and enhancements.
You’ll also dig into advanced topics that other ASP.NET books leave out, like custom control creation, image handling, and encryption. You'll spend two complete chapters learning to make highly responsive pages with Ajax techniques and exploring Microsoft’s next-generation Atlas platform. There’s no better way to prepare for the future of the Web.
For this Special Edition of the book, we’ve also included a Bonus CD containing a host of valuable extras to help you really get to grips with the technology:
- A carefully selected library of chapters from eighteen other Apress Pro and Expert titles designed to complement this book and broaden your knowledge of ASP.NET 2.0, C# 2005, VB 2005, and SQL Server 2005. That’s over 2,000 information-rich pages in eBook form. All fully supported with code samples on apress.com.
- An eBook copy of ASPToday.com on ASP.NET 2.0 containing thirty-three articles covering ASP.NET 2.0 and SQL Server 2005 from Apress’ ASPToday website. ASPToday specializes in publishing quality articles for ASP developers. This is the first time this material is being made available in eBook form.
- A full selection of our .NET 2.0 Roadmaps that illustrate how Apress books can be linked together by you, the reader, to create your own custom-made learning curve to help you master the technology areas you need to know.
About the author(s)
Matthew MacDonald is an author, educator, and MCSD developer who has a passion for emerging technologies. He is a regular writer for developer journals such as Inside Visual Basic, ASPToday, and Hardcore Visual Studio .NET, and he's the author of several books about programming with .NET, including User Interfaces in VB .NET: Windows Forms and Custom Controls, The Book of VB .NET, and .NET Distributed Applications. In a dimly remembered past life, he studied English literature and theoretical physics.
Mario Szpuszta is working in the Developer and Platform Group of Microsoft Austria. Before he started working for Microsoft, Mario was involved in several projects based on COM+ and DCOM with Visual Basic and Visual C++ as well as projects based on Java and J2SE. With Beta 2 of the .NET Framework, he started developing Web applications with ASP.NET. Right now, as developer evangelist for Microsoft Austria, he is doing workshops, trainings, and proof-of-concept projects together with independent software vendors in Austria based on .NET, Web Services, and Office 2003 technologies.
Table of Contents (abbreviated)
PART 1 Core Concepts
CHAPTER 1 Introducing ASP.NET
CHAPTER 2 Visual Studio 2005
CHAPTER 3 Web Forms
CHAPTER 4 Server Controls
CHAPTER 5 ASP.NET Applications
CHAPTER 6 State Management
PART 2 Data Access
CHAPTER 7 ADO.NET Fundamentals
CHAPTER 8 Data Components and the DataSet
CHAPTER 9 Data Binding
CHAPTER 10 Rich Data Controls
CHAPTER 11 Caching
CHAPTER 12 XML
CHAPTER 13 Files and Streams
PART 3 Building ASP.NET Websites
CHAPTER 14 User Controls
CHAPTER 15 Themes and Master Pages
CHAPTER 16 Website Navigation
CHAPTER 17 Resources and Localization
CHAPTER 18 Website Deployment
PART 4 Security
CHAPTER 19 The ASP.NET Security Model
CHAPTER 20 Forms Authentication
CHAPTER 21 Membership
CHAPTER 22 Windows Authentication
CHAPTER 23 Authorization and Roles
CHAPTER 24 Profiles
CHAPTER 25 Cryptography
CHAPTER 26 Custom Membership Providers
PART 5 Advanced User Interface CHAPTER 27 Custom Server Controls
CHAPTER 28 Design-Time Support
CHAPTER 29 JavaScript
CHAPTER 30 Dynamic Graphics and GDI+
CHAPTER 31 Portals with Web Part Pages
PART 6 Web Services
CHAPTER 32 Creating Web Services
CHAPTER 33 Web Service Standards and Extensions
CHAPTER 34 Advanced Web Services
Part 7 Client-Side Programming
Chapter 34 JavaScript and Ajax
Chapter 35 Atlas
