Chapter 2. Is It Really This Easy?

2. Is It Really This Easy?

In the previous chapter, you saw how ASP.NET 2.0 contains a raft of new features that reduce the code you need to write and save you time and effort when building dynamic and interactive Web pages and applications. To further illustrate this, and so that you get a better feel for the way all these features combine to provide the overall ASP.NET 2.0 development experience, this chapter presents a scenario-based demonstration focused on a day in the life of a developer who is in the process of fulfilling the requirements of a fictional customer.

Although this may seem a contrived approach, it actually follows the general process of evolving your applications to meet the needs of the users. More than that, it shows you how all the various features in ASP.NET 2.0 fit together and interact to give you improved productivity and a simpler development process. Along the way, you will see the process steps required for:

• Using a data source control and GridView to display data
  
  
• Enabling sorting and paging for the rows
  
  
• Providing a row editing feature
  
  
• Adding filtering to select specific sets of rows
  
  
• Displaying single rows in a form for editing
  
  
• Working with data exposed through a business object
  
  
• Caching the data to reduce database access
  
  
• Using a master page to give a consistent look and feel
  
  
• Adding a menu and other navigation features
  
  

By the end of this chapter, you will have a good understanding of the main features in ASP.NET 2.0 that make your life as a developer much easier.