Sebastopol, CA--Of all the changes Microsoft has introduced with .NET 2.0, perhaps no part of the framework has undergone as many tweaks, tune-ups, and enhancements as ASP.NET, the popular product for building dynamic server-generated web pages. "The goal was to reduce the coding required to build web applications by seventy percent compared with ASP.NET 1.1," explains Jesse Liberty, coauthor of Programming ASP.NET (Third edition, O'Reilly, US $49.95). "With the latest tools, developers can focus on the business logic of their applications while drag and drop controls provide virtually all the plumbing."
Co-written with Dan Hurwitz, a contract developer and ASP.NET expert, this new expanded edition of Liberty's bestselling tutorial shows experienced .NET and ASP developers how to use ASP.NET 2.0 in conjunction with Visual Studio 2005 and C# 2.0 to build a new generation of interactive web applications and services--and in much less time than they're accustomed to. Programming ASP.NET 2.0 offers concise instruction and exercises, succinct examples, and salient advice to help readers be productive with the new tool right away.
"ASP.NET 2.0 is arguably the fastest, most efficient, most reliable, and best supported way to create interactive web applications," Liberty contends. "The difficulty is that it's so complete and flexible that there are many pieces that must be woven together to build something robust, scalable, and efficient. I would argue that the increment from ASP.NET 1.x to 2.0 is nearly as great as the increment from ASP Classic to ASP.NET."
Among the most important new aspects of ASP.NET 2.0, Liberty points out, are simplified data access using new data controls, simplified forms-based security using new membership and authorization controls, and controls that allow users to personalize a web site's interface. The book provides detailed chapters on ASP.NET 2.0's new and improved controls, events, the life cycle of ASP.NET web pages, and other concepts fundamental to using the framework. There's also a hands-on tour of Visual Studio 2005 and its Rapid Application Development (RAD) techniques.
"It always shocks me that developers spend so much of their time working in Visual Studio but invest so little time learning all its tricks and traps," Liberty remarks. "VS2005 is the single point of development, testing, and deployment of their entire web application."
Other topics new to Programming ASP.NET 2.0 include creating a consistent look and feel with master pages; adding site navigation, including site maps and bread crumbs; and ways to simplify the configuration and deployment of applications.
"As with all of my books," says Liberty, "I fully support Programming ASP.NET on my web site (www.LibertyAssociates.com), which provides extensive pre-purchase information, source code, an errata and FAQ, and a link to my free online support forum."
ASP.NET 2.0 is so intuitive that some developers may want to open Visual Studio 2005 and start building an application by dragging and dropping controls onto forms right away, referring to appropriate chapters in the book when they need help or deeper understanding of a topic. That approach is fine, Liberty says, but the book is designed to give readers concepts and tools in a sequence that will help them build more complex skills as they go.
"There is no more important subject for programmers today," Liberty insists. "Web applications are the core of development today, and Microsoft ASP.NET is the most popular platform for developing such applications."
Additional Resources:
Programming ASP.NET, Third Edition
Jesse Liberty and Dan Hurwitz
ISBN: 0-596-00916-X, 930 pages, $49.95 US, $69.95 CA
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