Interfacing with the User Using .NET

In your previous career life, prior to your move toward reformation , you created user interfaces. Perhaps you used the Customer Information Control System (CICS) or the Interactive System Programming Facility (ISPF) to design and build useful screens. These screens provided the "face" in the word "interface." Welcome to the .NET world. You now have a new set of .NET tools for creating your graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Also, with .NET you will be creating nongraphical "program interfaces."

The User Is Still Always Right!

Regardless of the platform (mainframe or Windows/Web), all of the same "interface" design considerations apply. You will still want to clearly identify your target user group (those users who will interface with your application). Your interface should provide targeted users with the most pleasurable (hassle-free) experience. Although the term "user-friendly" may sound old-fashioned, to the user community this word is as fresh as ever. In some cases, you may find that the Windows/Web users are more demanding (remember, they do have a PC on their desk). In other cases, you may find just the opposite (with users being willing to do more on their own). The point being, you should learn the new .NET tools for developing application interfaces and remember to allow some time to under-stand the needs and expectations of your application's target audience.

Going forward with the "What is .NET?" question, this section discusses .NET in the following contexts:

Windows, Web, and XML Web services development
Use of a Toolbox during development
State and event management
Report creation and information delivery
Deployment improvement

Cross-Reference

Part Four of this book further discusses the topics in this section.

.NET Is Windows, Web, and XML Web Services Development

This section explores a few additional .NET definitions that I have come across. These are my favorite so-called .NET definitions. Why? Because early on I recall using each of them myself .

.NET Is Windows Development

Windows programming on the .NET platform is an exciting sandbox to play in. Though the Windows Form may not get as much attention as its cousin the Web Form, Windows programming is more alive than ever.

Although you were able to develop Windows applications with previous versions of Visual Basic and Visual Studio, your development experience just got (much) better. For example, your .NET desktop applications can now leverage the full power of the .NET Framework. On top of that, you can now easily deploy Windows and desktop applications over the Internet directly to the remotely located user. Make sure to spend some time in the area of creating great applications for the desktop.

Portable Devices Have Windows

You may find yourself developing applications for portable devices ”not just portable computers, but also personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, and wristwatches. In other words, .NET, when combined with the .NET Compact Framework and Smart Device Extensions for Visual Studio .NET, is a development platform for portable devices.

Windows development with .NET is a broad and exciting area to be in. Some developers will even include Microsoft Office objects (Word, Excel, and so forth) in their application solutions. In addition, collaborative workflow “type applications are gaining popularity. Although these solutions were possible prior to the existence of .NET, the enhancements that .NET brings to the table will make these types of implementations that much more attractive. Use .NET to build Windows applications ”it is all possible.

.NET Is Web Development

In the previous section, I mentioned that Web Forms tend to get a lot of attention. As the Internet is very popular, the technologies used to create Web sites should follow that popularity. Becoming proficient in this area will have you learning about ASP.NET and HTML, along with many other technologies. If you have built mainframe CICS applications, ASP.NET and HTML will reintroduce you to many familiar concepts. You will find that the learning curve is not that steep, especially with the help of the great book in your hands. ^[5] Considering the popularity of Web sites and Web site development, it is easy to see why this particular answer for the question "What is .NET?" is a common one.

Cross-Reference

Chapter 4 delves deeper into the topic of HTML.

.NET Is XML Web Services Development

What is .NET? Here is one very popular answer: XML Web services. Notice the three words: "XML," "Web," and "services." When combined (as in "XML Web services"), they equate to what is becoming the answer. Certainly , XML Web services are something to get excited about. However, for our purposes here, if .NET is XML Web services, then what are XML Web services?

Again, let's refer back to mainframe CICS application development. In the past, you may have created a special CICS transaction that didn't have an actual screen associated with it. This special CICS transaction was usually referred to as a started task. You would use a CICS START command to execute the started task, possibly passing data to the started task using the FROM option.

If you are familiar with this type of advanced mainframe CICS programming, you are already acquainted with the general idea of XML Web services. Obviously, there is more to the CICS started task technology. Likewise, XML Web services are very powerful and require further explanation.

Cross-Reference

Chapter 13 drills down further into Windows, Web, and XML Web services development.

.NET Is Using a Rich Toolbox During Development

As you dive deeply into VS .NET, you will explore the Toolbox. You will find that depending on the type of application that you are creating, the contents of the Toolbox will vary. For example, a Windows application may have certain types of controls (Toolbox contents) that are not applicable to a Web application and vice versa. The Toolbox can contain visual controls as well as other types of controls and components , such as data controls.

The Toolbox is designed to be exactly what its name implies: a container to hold tools that help you build applications. In Chapter 1, I mentioned rapid application development (RAD). Certainly, the Toolbox plays a large role in the RAD approach, especially when a developer fully leverages the contents offered in the Toolbox. The concept of having a Toolbox may be a bit strange at first for the reformed mainframe programmer. The good news is, you will quickly get used to using the Toolbox. To help get you started, I will present an analogy.

Imagine that you are developing a mainframe CICS application. At some point, you typically will create a screen for the user to interact with. This step requires that you create a BMS mapset and all of the corresponding map information. Now, suppose you have a PDS library available to you with several "pieces" of BMS mapsets that you could drag and drop to help you create your CICS screen. You can see how this type of reuse could lead to increased productivity and consistency (which also promotes maintainability).

Confused? Don't worry, you'll understand and master this feature later.

Cross-Reference

Chapter 14 explores the Toolbox and its contents in more detail.

.NET Is Enhanced State and Event Management

Let's go back to your mainframe CICS development to understand state and event management. Recall the CICS DFHCOMMAREA and the CICS RETURN command. Together, these two CICS technologies provided a way to pass data from one execution of a transaction/program to the subsequent re-execution of the same transaction/program. In mainframe terms, these CICS technologies supported the idea of a transaction/program being pseudo-conversational. Well, the idea of saving this data while conducting a "conversation" with the user is a very general hint at what state management involves.

On .NET, you could define state management as a methodical approach by which you first identify an established conversation (being held between your application and your users). Once you identify the conversation, you will need to keep track of (manage) selected data specific to the established conversation (interaction) for any given user. Fortunately, .NET has some really cool features to make state management rather simple. You will learn more about them in Chapter 15.

Let's return to the mainframe CICS application analogy for a moment. To help explain what events are, I'll use one term: events. That's right. Well, in all fairness, when you do mainframe CICS development, you sometimes would use the phrase "event and response." You would use the Attention Identifier (AID) keys to determine what events had taken place.

On the mainframe, do you recall that there was an event/response chart you used when designing CICS programs to help manage the expected events and responses? Good ”most programmers would have used this event/response chart right after the traditional flowchart was completed. This chart and the accompanying focus given to events and responses when designing a CICS program have prepared you for the type of event management awaiting you on the .NET platform. Even though the phrase "event management" is rarely used on the .NET platform, events are events, whether on the mainframe or off the mainframe. What's more, you'll need to manage your use of .NET's events. It's the same idea and concept, yet a very different implementation, as you'll see.

Cross-Reference

Chapter 15 further discusses state and event management.

.NET Is Report Creation and Information Delivery

I mentioned the mainframe COBOL Report Writer module earlier in this chapter. Recall how useful the COBOL Report Writer module was (when properly used). As mentioned before, the .NET Framework also has reusable classes to give you a big head start in creating reports .

For those of you who equate the phrase "report generation" with something that you get to do only when you are being punished, fear not. .NET has come to your rescue. Report generation has returned to reclaim its rightful distinction of being a glamorous endeavor.

With the .NET Framework objects and the built-in Crystal Reports objects, your interest in creating reports will be recharged as you create charts , spreadsheets, PDF documents, and other types of reports. You will see why the topic of report generation is now starting to blend in with the phrase "information delivery." Once again, you can hold your head high and proudly say that you are implementing a report generation (er, rather, an information delivery ) application. If it sounds like I am getting excited about .NET, I am ”and so will you.

Cross-Reference

Chapter 16 covers report generation and information delivery.

.NET Is Improved Deployment for .NET

You may have read about .NET's new XCOPY deployment feature. Next to .NET's improved packaging feature, the XCOPY feature is certainly highly regarded by many Web/Windows developers. Coming from the mainframe world, your reaction to this feature will certainly be different from the average pre-.NET Windows/Web developer's reaction. You see, the deployment that takes place on the mainframe already looks like XCOPY deployment. That is, as long as you are talking about offline batch program deployment. If you switch over to the mainframe CICS online type of program deployment, then, as you know, things get rather complicated.

So, when you see your new Windows/Web developer peers getting excited about .NET's improved deployment approach, try to get excited with them. You can feel fortunate that you are getting involved with the Windows/Web development world at a time when something like .NET exists. Hopefully, you will not have to maintain any legacy Web/Windows application. Then maybe you will never have to find out just why .NET deployment advances really are a big deal. If you had to live through what was called "DLL Hell," you too would gladly include this topic when answering the question "What is .NET?"

Cross-Reference

Chapter 17 further explores .NET deployment.

Considering each subsection covered in this larger section, you may be surprised to find out that the next section deals with advanced .NET technologies. Yes, many of the previously discussed .NET explanations may have appeared advanced. Nevertheless, these previous sections were excluded from the advanced section. This is not to say that the topics covered up to this point are not important or even technologically superior ”they are. This simply points out how enormous the .NET platform really is (and why it takes an entire chapter just to answer the question "What is .NET?"). In other words, .NET is not a toy. It is a real enterprise-caliber tool. So, please continue on to the next section to discover which topics are actually considered advanced.

^[5] Pardon me. Thanks.