ASP.NET For Dummies

• Exploring Visual Basic Essentials
• Understanding Objects
• Building User Interfaces
• Killing Bugs and Handling Errors
• Accessing databases
• Handling User Input
• And more...

Introduction

I Know Who You Are . . .

About ASP.NET

About ASP.NET For Dummies

How This Book Is Organized

Part I: Getting Started

Part II: Speaking the Language

Part III: Classy Objects and Methodical Properties

Part IV: Creating Interactive Web Applications

Part V: Casting a Wider ASP.NET

Part VI: Tapping the Database

Part VII: Really Cool ASP.NET Applications

Part VIII: The Part of Tens

Bonus Part: Napoleon (Get It?) -- On the CD

On the CD

How to Use This Book

ASP Me, I Might . . .

Help! It Doesn't Work!

Conventions Used In This Book

Icons Used In This Book

Where to Go From Here

Chapter 1: ASP.NET -- Let's Do It!

Everything You Need to Get Started

Watch Your Language!

Where's the Development Environment?

Preparing to Develop and Test Your ASP.NET Pages

Deciding on an ASP.NET Web server

Setting up the environment

Saving your pages: The .aspx extension

Testing your pages

Getting Your ASP in Gear: Creating Your First ASP.NET Page

How Does It Work?

Modifying, Retesting, and Creating New Pages, and Converting Old Pages

Chapter 2: Putting ASP.NET in Its Place

Boring, Dumb, Static HTML

Forms and CGI

Server APIs

Lofty ASPirations

ASP: Good, But Not Perfect

The New ASP: ASP.NET

The Bigger Picture: Microsoft's .NET Framework

ASP, as Easy as 1, 2, 3

How Does ASP.NET Differ from Client-Side Technologies?

Chapter 3: VB.NET Essentials: Juggling Information and Firing Off Functions

Getting Started with Programming

What is a programming language?

Compiling and running

The ASP.NET Process

Power -- In Time . . .

Delimiters -- Keeping Your Tags and Your Code Apart

The ASP.NET Page Header

Creating and Using Variables

Making your own variables with objects you can find around the house

Displaying variable values

Can you use a variable you didn't create?

Forcing the point

She's not my data type

Don't string me along . . .

Give it a value when you create it

Cantankerous Constants

Keep Your Comments to Yourself

Understanding How Functions Function

Getting a date

Let the arguments commence!

Rolling Dice and Cutting Cards -- Using Functions in Formulas with Rnd and Int

More Common Functions

Playing with string

If you wanna date, I got the time . . .

Chapter 4: VB.NET Essentials: Asking Questions and Jumping Through Loops

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions: Using If...Then

IF you want cool Web pages, THEN use conditionals

Using Boolean variables with conditions

Inequalities: A fact of life

Creating a compound If...Then

Lies! All lies! Or, what to do if it isn't true

Handling multiple conditions

Developing your nesting instincts

Get Off My Case!

A simple case

A tougher case

When Should You Use Select Case Instead of If...Then...ElseIf?

Updating Your Site -- Automagically!

Loop the Loop

Counting with For...Next

Watch where you Step

Nesting loops

Doobee-Doobee-Do...Loop

Exit, stage left

Arrays: Information Juggling Revisited

Creating and using arrays

Using For Each...Next with arrays

Chapter 5: Divide and Conquer: Structured Programming

Wrestling with Monolithic Applications

Simplifying Your Life: Structured Programming and Functions

Giving Your Functions a Place to Live: The Script Tag

Creating Functions

Calling Functions

Opening Arguments

Functions in All Shapes and Sizes

Creating and Using Subroutines

Making a Quick Exit

Oh! The Places Your Variables Will Go . . .

Three places to create variables

Two places you can use variables

What does it all mean?

Chapter 6: OOPs -- No Mistake Here!

A Real-World Example: My Car

Oh, Great Master, What's the Meaning of This Parable?

Programming Objects

Creating a Class

Using the Class to Make an Object

Using the Properties and Methods in an Object

Creating Multiple Instances

Jargon Watch

Get Out! This is Private Property

Objects Inside of Objects Inside of . . .

But, Really, So What?

Chapter 7: Cool Stuff You Can Do With ASP.NET Objects

ArrayList: The Super, Handy-Dandy, Array-Type Thingy

Working over my friends

Tell me more!

There's Nothing Illegal about the HashTable

Hashing out a dictionary with a HashTable

Directly adding and changing elements

Tell me more!

Using Automatically Created Objects

The Input and Output Objects: Request and Response

The scribe: Response.Write

Web roulette with Response.Redirect

Request.QueryString goes long for the pass

Request.Browser: Forms? Tables? KitchenSink?

Just one more small request

Application and Session: More Variable Scope Options

The application versus the session

Variable scope review

It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's a super-global Session variable!

Even-more-super Application variables

What's the difference?

Do Application and Session objects work like a HashTable?

Chapter 8: Interfacing With Your Users

HTML Forms? Forget It . . .

Examining Web Forms and Server Controls

A simple form

Capturing events and changing properties

If You Were a Dog: In action

Manipulating Server Control Properties

Changing properties in code and in the tag

Using enumeration properties to assign values

Using enumeration object methods

Working with sub-object properties

Chapter 9: Turn the Page

Page Me!

The problem: Initializing with a function

The solution: The Page_Load event

Page_Load: First time or every time?

Server Round-Trips Make Your Page's Head Spin

A puzzling example: The no-count counter

Examining the page

The answer to the mystery

ViewState to the rescue

An easier way . . .

Chapter 10: Basic Server Controls: Labels, Textboxes, and Buttons

Don't Label Me!

A splash of color

A border dispute

The font of youth

Here comes crazy label!

Sizing up your label with Height and Width

ToolTip: Don't run with scissors!

Enabled and Visible

Shadowboxing? No, Textboxing!

He's only half illiterate -- He's ReadOnly

Put TabIndex A in SlotIndex B

The many faces of TextMode

SingleLine size matters with MaxLength and Columns

Using a password textbox to create a login page

Multiple line textboxes

TextBox's TextChanged event and AutoPostBack property

Button, Button -- Who's Got the Button?

Chapter 11: Making a List Control (And Checking It Twice)

Checking for Checkboxes

A CheckBoxList example: Know Your Primes

A prime example

Common CheckBoxList members

The CheckBox control

Common CheckBox members

Radio for Help on Radio Buttons

A RadioButtonList example: More gazillionaire trivia

A RadioButton example: Notification options

Common RadioButtonList and RadioButton members

Your Kiss Is On My ListBox!

A ListBox example: The Personalize Your PC page

Common ListBox members

An Add/Remove/Clear example: The Grocery List page

Searching the grocery list with FindByText

Dropping in on the DropDownList

It's a listbox! No, it's a button!

A DropDownList example: Site navigation

Common DropDownList members

Chapter 12: Even More User Interface Goodies

A Few Image, Link, and Button Controls

Your image consultant

Click me -- I'm beautiful: ImageButton

A button disguised as a link: LinkButton

The hysterical HyperLink

Marking Time with the Calendar Control

A Calendar example: Unborn Baby Age Calculator

Common Calendar members

Rotating Banner Ads Made Easy

An AdRotator example

The XML AdvertisementFile

How it works

Other possibilities

Do It Yourself: User Controls

Creating a reusable page header

Using the page header

Rolling your own dice

Yacht. See?

Chapter 13: Getting It Right: Validating User Input

Validation -- The Old Way

Rethinking Validation: Validation Server Controls

Making Sure They Filled It In: RequiredFieldValidator

Using it with a TextBox

Using it with a DropDownList

Making Sure It's on the Mark: CompareValidator

Comparing with a value

Comparing with another control

Making Sure It's in the Ballpark: RangeValidator

Checking the range with two values

Checking the range with other controls

Validation -- The New Way!

Client Versus Server Validation

Chapter 14: Taking Validation to the Next Level

CustomValidator: The Mod Squad Buys Soda

A CustomValidator server subroutine

A CustomValidator client subroutine

CustomValidator: Lots of potential!

Getting the Formatting Right: RegularExpressionValidator

Displaying the Results: ValidationSummary

Manipulating Validation Controls from Code

Summary of Validation Controls and Properties

Chapter 15: Variables and Data Types: Preaching to the Converted

Meet the Players

Whole numbers

Numbers with a decimal point

Other elementary data types

Automatic Type Conversion -- Bad!

Your Conversion Function Arsenal

Standard conversion functions

The CType function

Other conversion functions

Be Strict: Spare the Rod, Spoil the Programmer

Chapter 16: Exploring the .NET Framework Class Library

The Great Organizer: Namespaces

Sending E-mail from Your ASP.NET Page

Okay, So Where's the Big Chart?

ASP.NET -- It's In There!

System Does Higher Math

System.IO Accesses Files on the Server

The power to create and the power to delete

Copying and moving files

The System.Web Makes Cookies

What's a cookie?

No, I mean, what is an Internet cookie?

Baking your own cookies

Getting your cookies and eating them, too

Chapter 17: Real-World Web Application Issues

What's a Web Application?

Identifying Your Web Application

The Global.asax File

Application and Session events

Global directives: @ Import

The Configuration File

The machine.config versus web.config

How does XML work?

The web.config file

Your own application settings in the web.config file

Chapter 18: Accessing a Database with ADO.NET

Classy Classifieds

Meet the ADO.NET objects

Exotic objects, imported from ADO.NET

The Connection object

The Command object

The DataAdapter object

The DataSet object

Data Bound (and Gagged)

The DataGrid: Your Data's Bound to Show Up!

All Right! Let's Do It!

Getting the database

There's no place like home (click, click, click)

The Category page

Revisiting the DataGrid

Narrowing the list of columns

Adding the link

One last detail

Chapter 19: Updating the Database

More Examples from Classy Classifieds

Editing a Row

Presenting: EditAd.aspx

What a body!

Retrieving the row

Filling in the textboxes

Applying the user's changes to the database

Adding a New Row

Presenting: PlaceAd.aspx

What's changed?

Why do a GetAd(0)?

Adding the row

Deleting a Row

ADO.NET Quick-Reference

Chapter 20: A Quick Look at the Café Chat Room

The Café Entrance

The Chat Room's Primary Page

Who's here? Entering and leaving

Making conversation

Chapter 21: A Quick Look at Classy Classifieds

Your Classy Home

Pick Your Category

Devilish Details

Is It Really You?!?

Just a Quick Edit -- It Won't Hurt . . .

Delete! Delete -- Darn Spot!

Now Where Did I Put That Ad?

Chapter 22: The Ten Best Places to Get Answers

RTFM: Read the Flippin' Manual!

Books

Technical Journals

Newsgroups and ListServs

Web Sites

Microsoft Web Technical Support

Microsoft Telephone Support

ASP.NET Geeks

User Groups

Conferences

Microsoft Tech-Ed

Microsoft Professional Developers Conference (PDC)

VBits and VSLive!

ASP.NET Connections

Others

Chapter 23: The Ten Coolest Web Sites for ASP.NET Developers

Microsoft's ASP.NET

Microsoft's GotDotNet.com

The EdgeQuest Web Site

123ASPX.com Directory

ASPNG.com

ASPNextGen.com

DotNetWire.com

ASPFree.com

AngryCoder.com

IBuySpy.com

Appendix: About the CD System Requirements

Using the CD

What You'll Find on the CD

Bonus Part: Napoleon (Get It?) -- On the CD

Source code from the book

Demos, Shareware, and Freeware

Troubleshooting
Bonus Part: Napoleon (Get It?) -- On the CD-ROM CD
Bonus Chapter 1: Inside the Café Chat Room CD-1

Before You Start CD-1

What Techniques Does the Café Demonstrate? CD-2

The Blueprint for the Café CD-4

Sharing information between visitors CD-4

Updating the browsers with new information CD-4

Push! Push! CD-5

Pull! Pull! CD-5

The Café solution CD-5

Putting together the pieces CD-5

Building the Café, Brick-by-Brick CD-7

The Café Entrance: Default.aspx CD-7

Is the Café full? CD-8

Add the user to the Café CD-9

The Frame Page: Cafe.aspx CD-10

Speaking Your Mind: Say.aspx CD-12

Sharing in the Conversation: CafeConvo.aspx CD-13

Getting a Head Count: Users.aspx CD-15

Updating the current user CD-16

Looking for those who've moved on CD-17

Displaying the updated user list CD-18

Making It Better CD-19
Bonus Chapter 2: Inside Classy Classifieds CD-21

Before You Start CD-21

What Techniques Does Classy Demonstrate? CD-22

Why Classifieds? CD-23

Planning to Create Classy Classifieds CD-23

What classified ad categories should you use? CD-24

Asking the tough questions . . . CD-24

Exactly what will it do? CD-25

What pages do you need? CD-25

What technologies will you use? CD-26

A Word about Chapters 18 and 19 CD-27

Getting Ready CD-27

Home, Home on the Web: Default.aspx CD-28

The application and page banners CD-30

More links than you can shake a chain at! CD-30

Headers Up: Header.ascx CD-31

I Categorically Deny It: Category.aspx CD-34

Getting the ads from the database CD-35

Binding to the DataGrid CD-37

Why no ClassyAd? CD-38

Delegate the Detail: Detail.aspx CD-39

She's Got a ClassyAd.ascx CD-42

The ClassyAd properties CD-45

The GetAd method CD-46

The private PostErrors subroutine CD-48

The PlaceAd method CD-48

The private CopyToDS subroutine CD-49

The EditAd and DeleteAd methods CD-49

Authentication! Boo! CD-50

Confirmation Required: Confirm.aspx CD-51

The invisible ClassyAd CD-53

You'd forget your head if it wasn't tied on with ViewState CD-53

The Editor: EditAd.aspx CD-55

The body of Edit Ad CD-59

The Page_Load event CD-63

The Submit_Click event CD-64

Sold! Time to Delete: DelAd.aspx CD-66

Have You Seen This Ad? Search.aspx CD-69

Making It Better! CD-75
Bonus Chapter 3: Collecting Visitor Feedback with a Guestbook CD-77

Kicking It Off CD-77

Signing In CD-78

Viewing the Guestbook's Roster CD-81

A Guestbook Maintenance Page CD-82
Bonus Chapter 4: ASP.NET for Classic ASP Developers CD-85

Where to Begin? CD-85

To Migrate or Not To Migrate . . . CD-86

The Overview: What's New? CD-86

The Sequence of Events CD-87

Page Structure CD-87

User Interaction CD-89

Language Changes CD-90

Variable data types CD-91

New variable assignment syntax CD-92

Function and subroutine calls CD-92

Common function and subroutine name changes CD-93

Creating and working with objects CD-93

ASP Objects and the .NET Framework Class Library CD-94

Configuration CD-95

Classic ASP Developer's Roadmap to This Book CD-96
Bonus Chapter 5: A Crash Course in Database Basics CD-99

What's a DBMS? What's a Database? CD-99

Tables, Rows, and Columns CD-101

Primary Keys and Surrogate Keys CD-101

Relationships between Tables CD-102

Speaking Database-ese: SQL CD-103
Appendix