Professional Visual Studio® 2008

32.4. Web Controls

When ASP.NET version 1.0 was first released, a whole new way of building web applications was enabled for Microsoft developers. Instead of using strictly server-based components in ASP or similar languages, and having to deal with the sequential way page code was processed, ASP.NET introduced the concept of feature-rich controls for web pages that acted in ways similar to their Windows counterparts.

Web controls such as button and textbox components have familiar properties such as Text, Left, and Width, along with just as recognizable methods and events such as Click and TextChanged. In addition to these, ASP.NET 1.0 provided a limited set of web-specific components, some dealing with data-based information, such as the DataGrid control, and others providing common web tasks, such as an ErrorProvider to give feedback to users about problems with information they entered into a web form.

ASP.NET version 2.0 introduced over 50 web server controls including new navigation components, user authentication, web parts, and improved data controls. The latest version of ASP.NET has introduced several new highly functional data components including the ListView, DataPager, and LinqDataSource controls.

Unfortunately, we don't have room in this book to explore all the server controls available to web applications in much detail. In fact, many of the components, such as TextBox, Button, and Checkbox, are simply the web equivalents of the basic user interface controls that ...