ASP.net Web Developer's Guide (With CD-ROM)

Jonathon Ortiz, Syngress

ISBN:1928994512, Edition: 1, 2001-12-15

Price: $49.95

Contents

Chapter 1 Introducing ASP.NET ~ 1
Introduction ~ 2
Learning from the History of ASP ~ 2
The Origins of ASP ~ 2
Why ASP Was Needed ~ 3
Why ASP Was Not Originally Embraced ~ 4
Developing ASP 1.x ~ 5
Developing ASP 2.x ~ 6
Major Changes with ASP ~ 2 ~ 6
Weaknesses in the ASP 2 Model ~ 7
Developing ASP 3.0 ~ 7
Final Changes to Original ASP Model ~ 8
Weaknesses in the ASP 3 Model ~ 8
The Need for a New ASP Model ~ 9
The ASP Timeline ~ 10
Reviewing the Basics of the ASP.NET Platform ~ 11
Utilizing the Flexibility of ASP.NET ~ 12
Converting Code into Multiple Languages ~ 13
Comparing Improvements in ASP.NET to Previous ASP Models ~ 14
How Web Servers Execute ASP Files ~ 15
Client-Server Interaction ~ 16
Server-Side Processing ~ 17
Compiling and Delivering ASP.NET Pages ~ 18
Running ASP.NET Web Pages ~ 19
Obtaining and Installing .NET ~ 19
Creating Your First ASP.NET Application ~ 20
Upgrading from Classic ASP ~ 26
Taking Security Precautions ~ 28
Summary ~ 29
Solutions Fast Track ~ 29
Frequently Asked Questions ~ 32

Chapter 2 ASP.NET Namespaces ~ 35
Introduction ~ 36
Reviewing the Function of Namespaces ~ 36
Using Namespaces ~ 37
Using the Microsoft.VisualBasic Namespace ~ 38
Understanding the Root Namespace: System ~ 38
Supplied Functionality ~ 38
Integral Numbers ~ 39
Floating-Point Numbers ~ 39
Dates ~ 40
Strings ~ 40
Booleans ~ 40
Objects ~ 40
Grouping Objects and Data Types with the System.Collections Namespace ~ 43
Supplied Functionality ~ 43
Enabling Client/Browser Communication with the System.Web Namespace ~ 45
Supplied Functionality ~ 45
System.Web.UI Namespace Set ~ 46
System.Web.Services Namespace Set ~ 51
Working with Data Sources Using the System.Data Namespace ~ 52
Supplied Functionality ~ 52
Processing XML Files Using the System.XML Namespace ~ 53
Supplied Functionality ~ 53
Summary ~ 55
Solutions Fast Track ~ 56
Frequently Asked Questions ~ 58

Chapter 3 ASP Server Controls ~ 61
Introduction ~ 62
Major Features of ASP.NET Server Controls ~ 62
Collecting Data Using HTML Forms ~ 63
Server-Side Processing in ASP.NET ~ 65
A Simple Application Using Conventional HTML Controls ~ 66
A Simple Application Using ASP Server Controls ~ 68
Mapping Server Controls and Preserving Their States ~ 69
Including Scripts in an .aspx File ~ 69
Loading a List Box via Script ~ 70
Using the IsPostBack Property of a Page ~ 72
AutoPostBack Attributes of Server Controls ~ 73
Structure of an ASP.NET Web Form ~ 75
Page Directives ~ 76
The Order of Event Execution ~ 77
Code-Behind versus In-Page Coding ~ 77
Using Code-Behind without Compilation ~ 79
Using Code Behind with Compilation ~ 81
Using VS.Net for Developing a Web Application ~ 84
Using HTML Server Controls ~ 87
Using the HtmlAnchor Control ~ 88
Using the HtmlTable Control ~ 88
Using HtmlInputText and HtmlTextArea Controls ~ 90
Using HtmlButton and HtmlImage Controls ~ 91
Using the HtmlInputFileControl ~ 93
Using the HtmlSelect Control with Data Binding to a SortedList Structure ~ 95
Creating and Loading the SortedList ~ 97
Using HtmlCheckBox and HtmlInputRadioButton Controls ~ 98
Using ASP.NET Web Controls ~ 100
Basic Web Controls ~ 101
Using Labels, TextBoxes, RadioButtons, CheckBoxes, and DropDownLists ~ 103
Using the ListControl Abstract Class ~ 106
Using HyperLink Controls ~ 110
Binding a ListControl to an ArrayList ~ 111
Validation Controls ~ 113
The RequiredFieldValidator Control ~ 114
The RegularExpressionValidator Control ~ 115
The CompareValidator Control ~ 117
The RangeValidator Control ~ 118
The CustomValidator Control ~ 118
CustomValidator with Explicit Client-Side Validation Function ~ 120
Displaying the Error Message with Style ~ 122
The ValidationSummary Control ~ 123
Validating Patterned Strings, Passwords, and Dates ~ 126
</form></body></html> The Databound ListControls Family ~ 130
Using the Repeater Server Control ~ 132
Using the DataList Control ~ 139
Using the DataGrid Control ~ 144
Providing Paging in DataGrid ~ 152
Navigating to a Selected Page ~ 154
Providing Data Editing Capability in a DataGrid Control ~ 157
Creating Custom ASP Server User Controls ~ 161
Creating a Simple Web User Control ~ 161
Exposing Properties of a User Control ~ 163
Developing the Payroll User Control ~ 164
Consuming the Payroll User Control ~ 166
Summary ~ 168
Solutions Fast Track ~ 168
Frequently Asked Questions ~ 171

Chapter 4 Configuring ASP.NET ~ 173
Introduction ~ 174
Overview of ASP.NET Configuration ~ 174
Uses for a Configuration File ~ 177
Application Configuration ~ 179
Setting Static Variables Using the <appSettings> Tag ~ 179
Providing Global Support Using the <globalization> Tag ~ 180
Configuring Application Identity Using the <identity> Tag ~ 181
Setting Page-Specific Attributes Using the <pages> Tag ~ 181
Configuring the Tracing Service Using the <trace> Tag ~ 183
System Configuration ~ 184
Determining Client Capabilities Using the <browserCaps> Tag ~ 184
Setting Compilation Options Using the <compilation> Tag ~ 187
Controlling Connections Using the <connectionManagement> Tag ~ 190
Defining Custom Errors Using the <customErrors> Tag ~ 191
Mapping Requests Using the <httpHandlers> Tag ~ 192
Configuring HTTP Modules Using the <httpModules> Tag ~ 193
Setting Runtime Options Using the <httpRuntime> Tag ~ 194
Setting Process Model Options Using the <processModel> Tag ~ 195
Configuring the Session State Using the <sessionState> Tag ~ 200
Configuring Request Modules Using the <webRequestModule> Tag ~ 202
Using the <webServices> Tag ~ 203
Security ~ 204
Authenticating Users Using the <authentication> Tag ~ 205
Configuring Security Modules Using the <authenticationModules> Tag ~ 207
Controlling Access Using the <authorization> Tag ~ 208
Configuring Encryption Keys Using the <machineKey> Tag ~ 209
Mapping Security Policies Using the <securityPolicy> Tag ~ 210
Applying Trust Levels Using the <trust> Tag ~ 211
Anatomy of a Configuration File ~ 211
Creating a Configuration File ~ 215
Retrieving Settings ~ 220
Summary ~ 223
Solutions Fast Track ~ 223
Frequently Asked Questions ~ 224

Chapter 5 An ASP.NET Application ~ 227
Introduction ~ 228
Understanding ASP.NET Applications ~ 228
Managing State ~ 229
Analzying Global.asax ~ 231
Understanding Application State ~ 232
Using Application State ~ 232
Application Cache Object ~ 233
Static Variables ~ 234
State Example ~ 234
Using Application Events ~ 236
Supported Application Events ~ 236
More Events ~ 237
Working with Application Events ~ 238
Threading Use ~ 239
Understanding Session State ~ 240
Configuring Sessions ~ 241
Using Session Events ~ 243
Working with Session Events ~ 245
Comparing Application and Session States ~ 246
Static Values ~ 249
Caching Data ~ 252
Expiring the Cache ~ 258
Summary ~ 259
Solutions Fast Track ~ 259
Frequently Asked Questions ~ 262

Chapter 6 Optimizing Caching Methods ~ 265
Introduction ~ 266
Caching Overview ~ 266
Output Caching ~ 269
Using the @ OutputCache Directive ~ 269
Using the HttpCachePolicy Class ~ 275
Advantages of Using Output Caching ~ 276
Fragment Caching ~ 277
Advantages of Using Fragment Caching ~ 281
Data Caching ~ 281
Using the Cache Method ~ 282
Using the cache.add and cache.insert Methods ~ 285
Using the Dependency Option ~ 285
Using the Expiration Policy Option ~ 287
Using the Priority Options ~ 288
Using the CacheItemRemovedCallback Delegate ~ 289
</HTML>Using the Cache.Remove Method ~ 292
Advantages of Using Data Caching ~ 292
Best Uses for Caching ~ 293
Output Caching ~ 294
Fragment Caching ~ 294
Data Caching ~ 294
Summary ~ 295
Solutions Fast Track ~ 296
Frequently Asked Questions ~ 297

Chapter 7 Introduction to ADO.NET: A Simple Address Book ~ 299
Introduction ~ 300
Understanding the Changes in ADO.NET ~ 300
Supported Connectivity ~ 305
The System.Data Namespace ~ 305
The System.Data.Common Namespace ~ 307
The System.Data.OleDb Namespace ~ 307
The System.Data.SqlClient Namespace ~ 308
The System.Data.SqlTypes Namespace ~ 308
Creating Connection Strings ~ 310
Where to Put the Connection String ~ 312
Creating an Address Book Application ~ 314
Connecting to a Database: Exercise ~ 319
Browsing a Database: Exercise ~ 323
Adding to a Database: Exercise ~ 330
Updating Data in a Database: Exercise ~ 335
Deleting from a Database: Exercise ~ 339
Summary ~ 342
Solutions Fast Track ~ 343
Frequently Asked Questions ~ 345
Frequently Asked Questions ~ 345

Chapter 8 Using XML in the .NET Framework ~ 347
Introduction ~ 348
An Overview of XML ~ 348
What Does an XML Document Look Like? ~ 349
Creating an XML Document ~ 350
Creating an XML Document in VS.NET XML Designer ~ 351
Components of an XML Document ~ 352
Well-Formed XML Documents ~ 355
The tblAddress Layout Schema and Valid XML Documents ~ 356
Structure of an XML Document ~ 360
Processing XML Documents Using .NET ~ 361
Reading and Writing XML Documents ~ 362
Storing and Processing XML Documents ~ 363
Reading and Parsing Using the XmlTextReader Class ~ 364
Parsing an XML Document: ~ 365
Navigating through an XML Document to Retrieve Data ~ 367
Writing an XML Document Using the XmlTextWriter Class ~ 370
Generating an XML Document Using XmlTextWriter ~ 370
Exploring the XML Document Object Model ~ 373
Navigating through an XmlDocument Object ~ 374
Parsing an XML Document Using the XmlDocumentObject ~ 376
Using the XmlDataDocument Class ~ 378
Loading an XmlDocument and Retrieving the Values of Certain Nodes ~ 379
Using the Relational View of an XmlDataDocument Object ~ 381
Viewing Multiple Tables of a XmlDataDocument Object ~ 383
Querying XML Data Using XPathDocument and XPathNavigator ~ 388
Using XPathDocument and XPathNavigator Objects ~ 390
Using XPathDocument and XPathNavigator Objects for Document Navigation ~ 392
Transforming an XML Document Using XSLT ~ 396
Transforming an XML Document to an HTML Document ~ 397
Transforming an XML Document into Another XML Document ~ 400
Working with XML and Databases ~ 405
Creating an XML Document from a Database Query ~ 406
Reading an XML Document into a DataSet ~ 408
Summary ~ 410
Solutions Fast Track ~ 410
Frequently Asked Questions ~ 414

Chapter 9 Debugging ASP.NET ~ 417
Introduction ~ 418
Handling Errors ~ 418
Syntax Errors ~ 419
Compilation Errors ~ 419
Runtime Errors ~ 420
Unstructured Error Handling ~ 421
Structured Error Handling ~ 423
Logic Errors ~ 426
Page Tracing ~ 426
Using the TraceClass ~ 427
Sorting the Trace Information ~ 430
Writing the Trace Information to the Application Log ~ 432
Application Tracing ~ 432
Using Visual Studio .NET Debugging Tools ~ 434
Setting Breakpoints ~ 434
Enabling and Disabling Debug Mode ~ 435
Viewing Definitions Using the Object Browser ~ 436
Using the Class Viewer ~ 436
Summary ~ 438
Solutions Fast Track ~ 438
Frequently Asked Questions ~ 439

Chapter 10 Web Services ~ 441
Introduction ~ 442
Understanding Web Services ~ 443
Communication between Servers ~ 448
.asmx Files ~ 450
WSDL ~ 455
Using XML in Web Services ~ 460
An Overview of the System.Web.Services Namespace ~ 461
The System.Web.Services.Description Namespace ~ 461
The System.Web.Services.Discovery Namespace ~ 461
The System.Web.Services.Protocols Namespace ~ 462
Type Marshalling ~ 464
Using DataSets ~ 466
Summary ~ 469
Solutions Fast Track ~ 469
Frequently Asked Questions ~ 471

Chapter 11 Creating an XML.NET Guestbook ~ 473
Introduction ~ 474
Functional Design Requirements of the XML Guestbook ~ 475
Constructing the XML ~ 476
Adding Records to the Guestbook ~ 478
Understanding the pnlAdd Panel ~ 482
Adding a Thank-You Panel with PnlThank ~ 484
Exploring the Submit Button Handler Code ~ 484
Viewing the Guestbook ~ 488
Displaying Messages ~ 488
Advanced Options for the Guestbook Interface ~ 490
Manipulating Colors and Images ~ 491
Modifying the Page Output ~ 495
Summary ~ 498
Solutions Fast Track ~ 498
Frequently Asked Questions ~ 500

Chapter 12 Creating an ADO.NET Shopping Cart ~ 501
Introduction ~ 502
Setting Up the Database ~ 502
Setting Up the Table 'Books' ~ 505
Setting Up the Table 'Categories' ~ 505
Setting Up the Table 'Customer' ~ 505
Setting Up the Table 'Orders' ~ 505
Setting Up the Table 'BookOrders' ~ 506
Creating an Access Database ~ 506
SQL Server Database ~ 510
Creating the Stored Procedures ~ 512
Creating the Web Services ~ 518
Overview of the Book Shop Web Services ~ 518
Creating the Data Connection ~ 520
Creating a Web Service ~ 521
Testing a Web Service ~ 527
Using WSDL Web References ~ 531
Building the Site ~ 533
Site Administration ~ 533
Creating the Administration Login (adminLogin.aspx) ~ 535
Creating the Administrator Page (adminPage.aspx) ~ 537
Retrieving the Data: Creating the getBooks.AllBooksWeb Method ~ 537
Displaying the Data: Binding a DataGrid to the DataSet ~ 540
Adding New Books to the Database: Creating the allBooks.addItem Web Method ~ 541
Deleting Books: Deleting from the DataGrid and the Database ~ 541
Updating Book Details: Updating the DataGrid and the Database ~ 542
Creating the addBook Page (addBook.aspx) ~ 543
Customer Administration ~ 543
Creating the Customer Admin Section ~ 543
Creating the loginCustomer Page ~ 544
Creating the updateCustomerInfo Page ~ 545
Creating an ADOCatalog ~ 547
Creating the BookCatalog Class ~ 548
Creating the CreateSummaryTable Method ~ 549
Creating the InitCatalog Method ~ 550
Creating the Catalog Method ~ 550
Creating the catalogItemDetails, catalogRange, and catalogByCategory Methods ~ 550
Creating the catalogRangeByCategory Method ~ 551
Building an XMLCart ~ 553
Creating the User Interface ~ 556
Creating the start.aspx Page ~ 556
Rendering the Catalog ~ 558
Rendering the Cart ~ 559
Creating the Code ~ 559
Summary ~ 562
Solutions Fast Track ~ 562
Frequently Asked Questions ~ 566

Chapter 13 Creating a Message Board with ADO and XML ~ 567
Introduction ~ 568
Setting Up the Database ~ 568
MSAccess Database ~ 569
SQL Server Database ~ 572
Designing Your Application ~ 576
Designing Your Objects ~ 579
Creating Your Data Access Object ~ 579
Designing the UserClass ~ 581
Designing the BoardClass ~ 591
Designing the ThreadList Class ~ 599
Designing the Thread class ~ 603
Designing the PostList Class ~ 606
Designing the PostClass ~ 608
Designing the MessageBoard Class ~ 611
Designing the User Interface ~ 612
Setting Up General Functions ~ 614
Building the Log-In Interface ~ 621
Designing the Browsing Interface ~ 628
Board Browsing ~ 628
Thread Browsing ~ 631
Message Browsing ~ 635
Creating the User Functions ~ 638
Editing the Member Profile ~ 638
Creating Threads and Posts ~ 641
Building the Administrative Interface ~ 645
Summary ~ 658
Solutions Fast Track ~ 658
Frequently Asked Questions ~ 661

Index ~ 663