Introduction

What Does This Book Cover?

In this book, I answer the following common questions:

• What s the difference between a DataList control and a DataGrid control?

• What s the difference between the global objects Cache, Application, and Session?

• What s the difference and the recommended use for custom controls and user controls?

• What s a data binding expression anyway?

• How can I make a DataGrid control editable, and how can I save changes?

• What can ASP.NET templates do for me?

• What s the best technique for caching data on the server?

• How can I arrange a master/details representation of my data?

• What s the magic behind Web services? Are they carried only by XML and SOAP?

• I was so happy with OLE DB providers. Why did they change them to .NET data providers?

• Can I save my existing ADO code when moving to .NET? If so, how can it communicate with a newer .NET system?

The official language of the book is C#, and all the sample code shown in the book is written in C#. On the companion CD, you will find many of the examples rewritten using Visual Basic .NET. Some of the most interesting examples you ll review in this book address the following issues:

• Adding new rows to a DataGrid control, mimicking the behavior of Microsoft Excel worksheets

• Creating templated columns programmatically using the DataGrid control

• Inserting summary rows in the body of a DataGrid control

• Creating enhanced DataGrid controls that page through rows and provide automatic auto-reverse sorting capabilities

• Creating master/details views

• Implementing custom data pagination for a Microsoft SQL Server database

• Resolving conflicts with an ADO.NET batch update

• Building a multiselection DataGrid control

• Selecting the rows of a DataGrid control by condition

• Using a tool to create XML DataSet objects that can substitute as a database for application demos

• Accessing file system information by using a simple data provider

What Do I Need to Use The Book s Companion CD?

I would bet the farm that 99.99 percent of readers will write .NET applications using Visual Studio .NET an excellent development environment tightly integrated with the .NET Framework and the run time. A book that at its core is about programming techniques must maintain independence from a single tool, even an incredibly powerful one such as Visual Studio .NET. I was so careful about honoring this commitment that you can rework a very large part of the code in this book using only Microsoft Notepad and Microsoft Internet Explorer. You should have SQL Server 2000 installed with the whole Northwind database. Oops, I forgot the most important part of all. You need the .NET Framework!

How Do I Use the Book s Companion CD?

To view the contents of the CD, insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive. If the startup application does not begin automatically, run StartCD.exe in the root directory of the CD. You can view the sample files from the companion CD, or you can install them on your hard disk and use them to create your own applications. Because most of the samples are Web applications, a convenient place to install the sample files would be under your IIS default Web site directory (for example, c:\inetpub\wwwroot). Installing the sample files requires approximately 5 MB of disk space. Some samples have batch files to simplify compiling and copying assemblies. If you have trouble running any of these files, refer to the Readme.txt file in the sample s directory of the CD or to the text in the book that describes these programs.

At the time this book was printed, the .NET Framework was just about to be released. The samples have been tested with .NET Framework Release Candidate 3. This may or may not be the golden version of the .NET Framework; however, in the event of a subsequent release candidate, it is highly unlikely that any changes would be made to render the samples unusable. If such a problem occurs, check the Microsoft Press support Web site for updates to the sample applications.

Note that unlike ASP, ASP.NET does not run applications within the context of the LOCALSYSTEM account. This means that samples that access the file system, for example, will explicitly need to be granted read/write permissions. Again, consult the Readme.txt file for instructions on how to configure the samples.

The CD also includes an electronic version of the book. This eBook allows you to view the book text on screen and to search its contents. For information on installing and using the eBook, see the Readme.txt file in the \eBook folder.

How to Touch Base With Me

Please feel free to send any question about the book directly to me. I can be reached via email at one of the following addresses:

• [e-mail]

• [e-mail]

You can also get in touch with me via the Wintellect Web site (http://www.wintellect.com) and the VB2-The-Max Web site (http://www.vb2themax.com).

Support

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this book and the contents of the companion CD-ROM. Microsoft Press provides corrections for books through the World Wide Web at the following address:

http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/support/

To connect directly to the Microsoft Press Knowledge Base and enter a query regarding a question or issue that you may have, go to

http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/support/search.asp

If you have comments, questions, or ideas regarding this book or the companion CD-ROM, please send them to Microsoft Press using either of the following methods:

Postal Mail:

Microsoft Press
Attn: Building Web Solutions with Microsoft ADO.NET and ASP.NET
Editor
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399

E-mail:

[e-mail]

Please note that product support is not offered through the above mail addresses. For support information regarding the .NET Framework, Visual Studio .NET, and SQL Server, please visit the Microsoft Product Support Web site at http://support.microsoft.com.