book

Building a Web 2.0 Portal with ASP.NET 3.5

by Omar AL Zabir

December 2007

Intermediate to advanced

307 pages

English

O'Reilly Media, Inc.

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Who This Book Is forHow This Book Is OrganizedWhat You Need to Use this BookConventions Used in This BookUsing Code ExamplesSafari® Books OnlineHow to Contact UsAcknowledgments
Defining a Web PortalDefining a Web 2.0 PortalUsing a Web PortalHow an Ajax-Powered Start Page Is DifferentNavigating DropthingsUsing ASP.NET AJAXUsing C# 3.0 and .NET 3.5SummaryAdditional Resources
Object ModelObject ModelApplication ComponentsData ModelSolution FilesUpdate PanelsDrag-and-Drop OperationsUsing a Widget FrameworkDesigning the Widget ContainerAdding WidgetsMaximizing the First-Visit ExperienceRendering a Second-Visit ExperienceImproving ASP.NET AJAX PerformanceServer-Side Rendering Versus Client-Side RenderingRuntime Size AnalysisReducing Extenders and UpdatePanels to Improve Browser ResponseComparing Debug Mode Versus Release ModeAdding Authentication and AuthorizationPreventing Denial-of-Service AttacksSummary
Implementing the Start Page of a Web PortalThe Header AreaAdd Stuff Area: The Widget GalleryThe Tab BarThe Widget Area: The Three-Column Widget ViewLoading the Start PageBuilding a Custom Drag-and-Drop Extender for a Multicolumn Drop ZoneImplementing WidgetContainerWidgetContainer.csUpdatingSaving and editingAdding InstanceIDClosing the widgetBuilding WidgetsBuilding a Flickr Photo WidgetFlickr widget UI controlsBuilding an Atom or RSS WidgetPage Switching: Simulating a Nonpostback ExperienceUsing the Profile Object Inside a Web ServiceImplementing Authentication and AuthorizationImplementing LogoutHandlersSummaryAdditional Resources
Introducing LINQ to SQLBuilding the Data Access Layer Using LINQ to SQLGenerating a Data Model Using the Visual Studio 2008 DesignerManipulating Data with a Database HelperCleaning Up Inactive User and Related DataIntroducing Windows Workflow FoundationBuilding the Business Layer Using WFMapping User Actions to a WorkflowDealing with First Visit by a New User (NewUserSetupWorkflow)Dealing with the Return Visit of an Existing User (UserVisitWorkflow)Adding a New Tab (AddNewTabWorkflow)Moving Widgets (MoveWidgetInstanceWorkflow)Implementing the DashboardFacadeImplementing the WorkflowHelper ClassSummary
Delaying Server-Side Widget LoadingDelaying RSS/Atom Widget LoadingDelay Flickr Photo Widget LoadingProblems with Delaying Widget LoadingContent ProxyContent Proxy Web ServiceChallenges with the Proxy Web ServiceBuilding a Client-Side RSS WidgetBuilding a Client-Side Flickr WidgetSummary
Combining Multiple Ajax Calls into One CallTiming and Ordering Ajax Calls to the ServerBad Calls Make Good Calls Time OutCommon problemsBrowsers Fail to Respond with Two or More Calls in QueueCaching Web Service Responses on the BrowserUsing HTTP GET Calls Instead of HTTP POSTWorking with the this FunctionSummary
Scalability Challenges with Web ServicesAsynchronous Web MethodsModifying the ASP.NET AJAX Framework to Handle Web Service CallsInitializing the Cache PolicyDeveloping Your Own Web Service HandlerBasics of Asynchronous Web Service HandlersAdding Transaction Capability to Web MethodsAdding Cache HeadersUsing the AttributesHandling the State ObjectMaking an Asynchronous and Cache-Friendly ProxyScaling and Securing the Content ProxyMaintaining SpeedConnection managementDNS resolutionAvoiding Proxy AbuseDefending Against Denial-of-Service AttacksSummary
Instrumenting Your Code to Identify Performance ProblemsOptimizing the HTTP PipelineOptimizing ASP.NET 2.0/3.5 Before Going LiveOptimizing Queries in the ASP.NET Membership TablesOptimizing the ASP.NET 2.0/3.5 Profile Provider Before You Go LiveAccessing the Use of Profile ProviderUsing Email for a UsernameChanging a Username in the ASP.NET 2.0/3.5 Membership ProviderRendering Page Parts As JavaScriptUsing HttpModuleThe HttpModule in detailASP.NET Production ChallengesFixing Cookie Authentication ProblemsGenerating the keyEach machine requires a keyRedirecting Traffic from an Old Web Site to a New OneSummary
Understanding Web CachingBasics of Web CachingTypes of Web CachesWeb Cache ProblemsHow Web Caches WorkControlling Response CacheHTML metatags and HTTP headersCache control in response headerPragma HTTP headersControlling caches with the Expires HTTP headerCache-control HTTP headersETag, last-modified headersPrinciples for Making the Best Use of CacheHow to Configure Static Content Caching in IISContent Delivery NetworksExamining Web Site Performance Without a CDNDifferent Types of CDNsOptimizing Internet Explorer JavaScript PerformanceReducing IE Symbolic LookupsEvaluating local variablesReducing symbolic lookup on DOM elementsSpeeding symbolic lookup by caching DOM elements, properties, and functionsMitigating Internet Explorer Memory LeakAvoid using event handlers as closuresUse out-of-scope functionsRemove DOM elementsReducing the Web Service Call PayloadLoading the UI on DemandUsing Read-Ahead Caching for Ajax CallsHiding HTML Inside <textarea>Summary

Deploying Your Web Site in a Web FarmWeb Farm Pros and ConsDesigning a Reasonable Hosting ConfigurationThirteen Production Disasters That Could Happen at AnytimeThe Hard Drive Crashes, OverheatsThe Controller MalfunctionsThe RAID MalfunctionsPros and cons of RAID 1Pros and cons of RAID 5The CPU Overheats and Burns OutThe Firewall Goes DownThe Remote Desktop Stops Working After a Patch InstallationRemote Desktop Exceeds Connection Limit and Login FailsThe Database Becomes Corrupted When Files Are Copied over the NetworkThe Production Database Was Accidentally DeletedThe Hosting Service Formatted the Running Production ServerWindows Was Corrupted Until It Was ReinstalledThe DNS Goes DownThe Internet Backbone Goes Down in Different Parts of the WorldChoosing the Right Hosting ProviderChecklist for Choosing the Right Hosting ProviderChoosing a Web Site Monitoring ToolConfiguring Proper Performance CountersMonitoring Web Server Performance CountersMonitoring Database Server Performance CountersSummary

Content preview from Building a Web 2.0 Portal with ASP.NET 3.5

Chapter 1. Introducing Web Portals and Dropthings.OmarALZabir.com

In this book, I will show you how to develop an Ajax-enabled Web 2.0-style portal.

The portal is built using ASP.NET 3.5, ASP.NET AJAX, and .NET 3.5, as well as Language-Integrated Query (LINQ) and SQL Server 2005. While building this application, you’ll learn about the:

Design decisions that must be made for and usability issues involved in a Web 2.0 user interface
Architectural complexities and development challenges of JavaScript-rich, widgetenabled web sites
Production and maintenance challenges of running a high-volume web application

Ajax web portals are among the most extreme implementations of client-side technologies you’ll find on the Web. They not only use large amounts of JavaScript, CSS, and HTML, but also push the Ajax and server-side technologies to their limits for interactivity, performance, and scalability. By the time you finish reading this book, you will be equipped with enough technical know-how to launch a Web 2.0 Internet startup on your own.

The application example, which I have named Dropthings, for reasons that will become clear shortly, is a reduced feature set prototype of a real web portal, like Google’s iGoogle or Pageflakes. You will be able to deploy the Dropthings on a production server and run it as your own personal web site, a group site, or even as a corporate intranet. Including drag-and-drop enabled widgets, complete support for personalization, the ability to place widgets on multiple ...