ASP.NET 3.5 For Dummies®

ASP.NET 3.5 For Dummies®

by Ken Cox
Released February 2008
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9780470195925

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Book description

Did you volunteer to create a Web site for the softball team? Is it time to take your small business to the next level and let your customers shop online? Well, you can relax! ASP.NET 3.5 makes creating a dynamic site faster and cleaner than ever before, and ASP.NET 3.5 For Dummies makes it easier.

First, you'll get an introduction to all the tools and terminology you need to understand ASP.NET. If you've used earlier versions of ASP.NET and Visual Web Developer, you can probably skip that part and jump right into what's new in 3.5. You'll make friends with LINQ and SQL, create sites in Visual Web Developer 2008 Express, and much more. Before you know it, you'll discover how to:

  • Integrate data, track shopping cart contents, and whisk away bugs

  • Create user interfaces with easy navigation

  • Use the ListView control for sophisticated formatting

  • Write LINQ queries

  • Add a table to a database

  • Create an event handler

  • Take advantage of the drag 'n' drop feature that lets you write less code

  • Put all the features to work to develop dynamic Web applications

The softball team is going to love that Web site, and your customers might enjoy shopping on your site so much that you'll have to expand your business to fill all the orders! We can't promise that, of course, but we're pretty sure that ASP.NET 3.5 For Dummies will make creating Web sites easier and a lot more fun.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. About the Author
  3. Dedication
  4. Author's Acknowledgments
  5. Publisher's Acknowledgments
  6. Introduction
  7. Getting to Know ASP.NET and Visual Web Developer
    1. Understanding Microsoft's Web Technologies
      1. Introducing the Content-Creation Tools
      2. Meeting the Technologies behind Web Applications
    2. Getting Up and Running
      1. Installing Visual Web Developer Express
      2. Finally! Creating an ASP.NET Web Page
      3. Tweaking Your Development Environment
      4. Working with the Toolbox
      5. Peering into a Wall of Windows
    3. Creating a Useful ASP.NET Site
      1. Creating the DVD Web Project
      2. Using a SQL Server Express Database
      3. Generating a Data-Driven Web Page
    4. Managing Data and Other CRUD
      1. Working with Smart Tags and Designers
      2. Enhancing the GridView Control
      3. Introducing the FormView Control
      4. Fixing the Page Title
      5. Improving Performance with the AJAX Update Panel
    5. Handling User Input and Events
      1. Accepting Data in a TextBox Control
      2. Pushing for Choices with the RadioButton Control
      3. Collecting RadioButtonList Controls
      4. Checking CheckBox and CheckBoxList Controls
      5. Using the DropDownList Control
      6. Getting Multiple Choices from a ListBox
      7. Understanding ASP.NET Forms
  8. Immersing Yourself in Data
    1. Fetching and Presenting Data with SqlDataSource
      1. Connecting to SQL Server Express
      2. Using the SqlDataSource Control
      3. Consuming Data with the DetailsView Control
      4. Using Parameters in Queries
      5. Creating a Master/Detail Page
    2. LINQ as a Data Language
      1. Setting Up the LINQ Examples
      2. LINQing with From, Where, and Select
      3. Filtering with an Eye on Strings
      4. Filtering Based on Numbers
      5. Thoroughly Aggregating Data
      6. Grouping, Sorting, and Making Distinct
      7. Using LINQ to Create and Query XML
    3. Using LINQ to SQL and the LinqDataSource
      1. Building a LINQ to SQL CRUD Page
      2. Enhancing Usability with LinqDataSource
      3. Filtering Data with LinqDataSource
      4. Displaying Hierarchical Data with LINQ
      5. Updating Data with a LINQ Query
      6. Inserting Data with the DataContext
    4. Creating and Consuming Diverse Data
      1. Putting an RSS Feed on a Page
      2. Making an RSS Feed Available from Your Site
      3. Transforming XML Data into HTML Markup
      4. Connecting Web Applications to an Access Database
      5. Creating a Simple Web Service
      6. Adding a Web Reference to a Project
      7. Creating a Page to Use the Web Service
      8. Creating a Daylight Saving WCF Service
      9. Creating the Service Consumer Web Form
      10. Connecting to a WCF Endpoint
  9. Enhancing the Interface and User Experience
    1. Common Elements: Style Sheets, Master Pages, and Skins
      1. Deciding Where Style Rules Belong
      2. Using the VWD Style Sheet Tools
      3. Managing Style Rules
      4. Using Master Pages with Slavish Devotion
      5. Skinning Is Just What It Themes
    2. Adding Navigation with TreeView, Menu, Breadcrumb, and SiteMap
      1. Using a Treeview on a Web Page
      2. Building a Menu for Your Site
      3. Adding a Breadcrumb Feature to Your Pages
    3. Web Standards, Page Layout, and Usability
      1. Choosing an HTML Flavor
      2. Creating Columns Using CSS Float
      3. Reducing Load Times and Improving Performance
      4. Meeting Accessibility Requirements
      5. Increasing a Page's Usability
    4. Designing the ListView and Other Templated Controls
      1. Understanding Templated Controls
      2. Rolling Your Own with the ListView Control
      3. Using the DataPager with a ListView
    5. Dynamic Effects, Images, and Rollovers
      1. Creating Rollover Effects
      2. Creating and Displaying Graphics on the Fly
      3. Displaying Uploaded Image Files As Thumbnails
    6. Enhancing Pages with the AJAX Control Toolkit
      1. Introducing the AJAX Control Toolkit
      2. Automatically Completing Data As the User Types
      3. Helping Users Understand What to Enter
      4. Guiding Input with a Masked Text Box
      5. Choosing Dates with a Calendar
      6. Positioning Content to Stay on Top
    7. Creating and Displaying Rich Content
      1. Creating Your First Rays of Silverlight
      2. Embedding Silverlight with the ASP.NET Silverlight Control
      3. Displaying Rich Media with the MediaPlayer Control
      4. Embedding Flash in an ASP.NET Page
      5. Ensuring Accurate Rendering with PDF
      6. Serving Word on the Web
  10. Tracking Users, Controlling Access, and Implementing Security
    1. Site Security Using Authentication and Membership
      1. Understanding Authentication
      2. Preparing a Site for Membership
      3. Creating the Membership Database
      4. Implementing Registration and Login
      5. Adding an Administration Area
      6. Applying Roles and Security
    2. Creating a Shopping Cart with Profiles
      1. Introducing ASP.NET Profiles
      2. Setting Up the Small Business Sample Site
      3. Previewing the Final Web Interface
      4. Building the Shopping Cart in Code
      5. Updating a Web Page to Add Profile Data
      6. Building a Page to Manage Cart Contents
      7. Walking Through the Shopping Cart Profile
    3. Validation in Depth
      1. Remembering User Input Is Evil
      2. Forcing the User to Enter Something
      3. Ensuring That a Value Is within a Range
      4. Checking and Comparing Values
      5. Using the RegularExpressionValidator
      6. Validating Data with Code
      7. Validating by Groups
      8. Displaying a Summary of Invalid Fields
      9. Defanging Markup for Safety
  11. Getting the Bugs Out and Handling Runtime Errors
    1. Debugging and Tracing Pages
      1. Setting Up an Error Page Scenario
      2. Analyzing Design-Time Errors
      3. Discovering Compile-Time Errors
      4. Finding Logic Errors
      5. Tracking Down a Runtime Error
      6. Breaking Based on a Condition
      7. Editing a Value during Execution
      8. Panes to Ease the Pain
      9. Tracing the (Mis)Steps of a Web Page
      10. Using the Debugger Keys and Toolbar
    2. Avoiding Crashes by Handling Exceptions
      1. Understanding Exceptions and Their Messages
      2. Global Error Handling
      3. Catching and E-Mailing Exceptions
      4. Using Try...Catch in Risky Situations
      5. Executing a Statement, Finally
      6. Some Common Error Messages and Where to Look
  12. The Part of Tens
    1. Ten Tips on Deploying Your Web Application
      1. Use the Copy Web Site Tool
      2. Use the SQL Publishing Wizard
      3. Copy a SQL Express Database
      4. Fix the @#$%*& SQL Connection
      5. Choose an ASP.NET-Friendly Host
      6. Head Off a Serious Lack of Trust
      7. Arrggh! It Works Fine on MY Machine!
      8. Gather Troubleshooting Info
      9. Precompile If You're Code Shy
      10. Encrypt Connection Information
    2. Ten Tips to Success with ASP.NET
      1. Stop Bashing Your Head against a Wall
      2. Google Is Your Friend
      3. Read the Reference Documentation
      4. Ask a Good Question, Get a Good Answer
      5. Get Free Peer-to-Peer Support
      6. Use the Starter Kits
      7. Read the Hottest Blogs
      8. Watch the Videos
      9. Visit the Expert Web Sites
      10. Use the Free Tools
  13. Index

Product information

  • Title: ASP.NET 3.5 For Dummies®
  • Author(s): Ken Cox
  • Release date: February 2008
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9780470195925