Chapter 7. Data Binding

This chapter covers the process of binding data to controls. ASP.NET introduces a new syntax for data binding that is convenient to use in conjunction with the ADO.NET DataSet and DataReader classes. While data can be bound to any control, several controls simplify the common case of data presentation, including the DataGrid , Repeater , and DataList controls. We look in detail at these three controls for data presentation, with particular focus on how to customize each control's appearance using templates.

This chapter focuses on the controls used in data binding and less on the details of ADO.NET. For a complete treatment of ADO.NET, see the book Essential ADO.NET , by Bob Beauchemin (Boston, Massachusets: Addison-Wesley, 2002).