Overview
The introduction of .NET has blurred the lines between previously distinct programming disciplines. With so much functionality encapsulated by the .NET Framework class library, some very diverse tasks have gained a common programming interface that makes moving from one to another seem much less daunting. One area in which this change is particularly striking is web development: where ASP was the realm of script programmers, ASP.NET is implemented by a set of classes that enable you to create Internet applications using the same languages that you'd use for Windows desktop programs.In Visual Studio .NET, Microsoft has taken this idea a stage further: not only does the code look similar, but the GUI looks similar too. Visual Basic .NET's familiar form-based interface is used for the development of web applications as well as for desktop programs. If you want to, you can create a web application without ever seeing a line of HTML code, and you can do so with all the facilities for testing and debugging that Visual Studio .NET provides to programmers of all types.
In this book, we'll take what you already know about creating desktop applications using Visual Basic .NET, and show you how to apply it to the Web. We'll teach you about the different thinking that you have to employ when writing web applications, and also tell you about some of the technologies that can help in the creation of compelling web content. In particular, we'll explore:
- How the Web works: the Internet, HTTP, and the client-server architecture
- Creating dynamic web pages with web forms and web server controls
- Acquiring and displaying data using ADO.NET and Visual Studio .NET components
- Debugging and error handling in ASP.NET applications
- The importance of XML, and particularly its role in web services
- Setting up your web server efficiently and securely
- Assessing the performance of your application, and preparing it for release
Along the way, we'll be building a case study that demonstrates the use of these technologies in practice. That example, like all of the others in the book, is presented in Wrox's tried-and-tested Try It Out format.
This book is aimed at readers with some Visual Basic .NET experience who wish to begin web programming in ASP.NET using the Visual Studio .NET development environment. No previous knowledge of ASP is required.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble ReviewThousands of developers have gotten started with Visual Basic .NET, but most aren’t building new web applications with VB.NET yet. They’re in for a pleasant surprise: The .NET platform makes it easy to jump from the desktop to the Web. Since much web functionality is built into the .NET classes, building web apps is much like building desktop apps: You use Microsoft’s classes to do as much of the work as possible. Better yet, VS.NET brings the familiar visual, forms-based metaphor to web development -- finally!
If you’re ready to leverage your VB.NET skills in web programming, check out Beginning VB.NET Web Programming in Visual Studio: Essential Skills for VB.NET Programmers. It’ll help you get rolling fast, using all the visual tools and techniques you’re already comfortable with. It covers every aspect of VB.NET web programming: data access; state management; security; performance and scalability; error handling and debugging; XML; and, especially, practical development with ASP.NET Web Forms and controls. (Nope: you don’t need ASP experience.)
From start to finish, the book is full of code and step-by-step examples -- including a complete case study application. Finish that, and it’s official: You’re now a web developer. Bill Camarda
Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2000 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks For Dummies®, Second Edition.