Atlas Structure and Architecture
Now it is time to use Atlas. Create a new ASP.NET web site using the Atlas template. If you have a look at Solution Explorer, you will see a regular ASP.NET web site. However, there are several different file types in the web site, as shown in Figure 1-9:

Figure 1-9. The web site project the Atlas template creates
A server-side assembly (Microsoft.Web.Atlas.dll) in the Bin directory.
Several client-side JavaScript files. They will also be created by the server-side assembly, but via Start → (All) Programs → Microsoft ASP.NET Atlas → Atlas → Atlas → Atlas Assembly and Script Library, you can have a look at the JavaScript code Atlas will be using.
A Web.config file preconfigured with the settings required for Atlas to work.
Atlas consists of both a server and a client part. It is possible to use only the server components of Atlas, or to use only the client components of Atlas. There is one exception: every Atlas application will need the ScriptManager server control, which will be covered later in this chapter. Usually, you will want to use both the server and client components of Atlas, of course.
The roles these directories and files play in an Atlas project will become clearer when we take a closer look at how Ajax applications that use XMLHttpRequest really work.
Figure 1-10 shows the basic structure of Atlas. Whereas standard web pages consist of ...