Pro ASP.NET 4.5 in VB, Fifth Edition

CHAPTER 36

Basic Data Controls

In this chapter we show you the first set of built-in controls that ASP.NET provides to take advantage of the model binding and data binding features that we described in Chapters 34 and 35. We look at each of them in turn, show you how they work, and explain the benefits and shortcomings of each one.

The data controls fall into two distinct categories—basic and complex. We cover the basic controls in this chapter and the complex controls in Chapter 37. All data controls follow similar design patterns and so we describe the first control in each category in depth so that you understand the underlying mechanism and ...