“This book is a phenomenal start for someone new to ASP.NET, as well as a complete guide to the new features of version 2.0 for programmers familiar with an earlier version. The beginning chapters detail concepts using a hypothetical company, examining the myriad sorts of requests and situations often requested by clients. The authors deal with these in an eloquent, realistic manner. They have clearly worked in the industry and have faced real-world challenges that programmers encounter daily. The content covers everything from the most basic tasks to the most complex, and is a comprehensive collection of information on ASP.NET 2.0. Every topic is well-referenced for additional information, but contains clear examples that work. The content is technical but the clear writing makes it easy to understand. Difficult concepts are explained in such a way that this book will quickly become your favorite reference for ASP.NET!” —Ronda Pederson, consultant, Microsoft MVP Visual Developer, ASP/ASP.NET “As to be expected from two of today’s leading technical authors, this book is a cracking guide to getting the most from the ASP 2.0 Framework. Detailed chapters, concise yet practical examples, and clear explanation provide the grounding and support necessary to leverage the new features that ASP 2.0 brings to the table—all explained with a logical, no-nonsense approach. This book will be borrowed by every developer you work with, so guard it wisely!” —John Timney, Microsoft MVP, senior Web services consultant, British Telecom “This book will absolutely change the way you view ASP.NET technology. Read it and your existing Web sites will suddenly appear to be underperforming.” —Chris Carpenter, senior software engineer, L3 Communications, Inc. “The authors have worked closely with the ASP.NET team at Microsoft to makesure that this book is authoritative, accurate, and informative. Anyone usingASP.NET will find a wealth of useful information on ASP.NET 2.0.” —Scott Guthrie, general manager, .NET Developer Platform, Microsoft Corporation Developers moving to ASP.NET 2.0, the breakthrough Web development environment from Microsoft, will want to learn how to take full advantage of the new features that make this the most productive and powerful Web development environment ever. ASP.NET 2.0 Illustrated teaches developers exactly what they need to know to create exciting Web sites and applications quickly and easily using ASP.NET 2.0. Renowned authors, developers, and conference speakers Alex Homer and Dave Sussman have written a concise, detailed exploration of the “must learn” features of ASP.NET 2.0. The book’s many original examples, fully updated for the release version of ASP.NET 2.0, are all downloadable from the authors’ Web site, and many can be run live online. The authors provide detailed coverage of Connecting to databases, using data source and data display controls with SQL statements and stored procedures; creating business layers and data layers with custom classes and Typed DataSets; and providing declarative access to business and data layers Techniques for improving the scalability and responsiveness of data-driven sites, including caching techniques for data and ASP.NET pages Binding to XML, transforming XML, updating XML data, and managing XML data stored in SQL Server 2005 Building interactive Web forms with a wide variety of ASP.NET controls Understanding and using the core functionality of the Page class and key .NET Framework classes Providing a consistent sitewide look and feel using Master Pages Six ways to provide site navigation, including the new navigation controls Securing sites and implementing membership and roles Using profiles, personalization, and themes in your applications Building user-customizable Web portals with Web Parts Supporting multiple browsers, disabled users, mobile devices, and international users Creating and consuming Web services Developers will come away from this book knowing exactly how to build secure, efficient, visually consistent, easy-to-navigate, data-driven Web sites with ASP.NET 2.0.

Table of Contents:
Figures xix Tables xxix Preface xxxi Acknowledgments xxxiii About the Authors xxxv   1. Technology, Tools, and Getting Started 1 New Features of ASP.NET 2.0 2 Changes from Version 1.x 19 Obtaining and Installing .NET 2.0 19 Upgrading and Deploying Applications 21 Installing the Samples 21 Summary 22 2 Is It Really This Easy? 23 A Day in the Life of a Developer 24 Summary 52 3 Data Source and Data Display Controls 53 Databases and Connections 54 Data Source Controls 59 Data Display and Edit Controls 72 Summary 104 4 Data Binding to Business Objects 105 Two- and Three-Tier Architecture 106 The ObjectDataSource Control 113 Typed Data Sets 122 Summary 131 5 Advanced Data and Page Techniques 133 DataSource Control Events 134 GridView and DetailsView Events 144 Handling Data Editing Conflicts 145 SQL Server 2005 User-De*ned Types 159 Additions to UDTs 168 Summary 176 6 Data and Output Caching 177 Application, Session, HttpContext, and ViewState Caching 178 Output Caching 185 Data Caching 195 The Cache API 210 When to Use Caching 216 Summary 218 7 Working with XML 219 Working with XML in Visual Studio 2005 220 Databinding and Displaying XML Data 222 Transforming XML 230 Working with Raw XML 236 Converting between XML and Relational Data 247 Working with SQL Server 2005 XML Data 248 Summary 255 8 Building Interactive Web Forms 257 The ASP.NET Control Set 258 The ASP.NET Page and Postback Model 306 Summary 308 9 The Page Class and Master Pages 309 The HttpRequest, HttpResponse, HttpServerUtility, and HttpContext Classes 310 The ASP.NET Page Class 319 Sub-Classing the Page Object 343 Working with Master Pages 344 Summary 351 10 Web Site Navigation Techniques 353 Simple Navigation with Hyperlinks 354 Navigation with LinkButton Controls 358 Navigation through Browser Redirection 366 Navigation through Server-Side Redirection 369 Cross-Page Posting of Form Contents 377 Site Maps, Menus, and Navigation Path Controls 381 Summary 393 11 Security and Membership 395 Preventing Anonymous Access to Web Sites 396 ASP.NET Membership Provider and Role Manager 408 The ASP.NET Web Site Administration Tool 414 The ASP.NET Security Server Controls 441 Accessing the Membership and Roles Features in Code 451 Summary 457 12 Profiles, Personalization, and Themes 459 Configuring Profiles and Personalization 460 Storing and Using Dynamic Profile Data 471 A Simple Example of Using a Shopping Cart 474 Using Themes to Personalize Your Site 487 Summary 503 13 Building Web Portals 505 The ASP.NET 2.0 Portal Framework 506 The WebPart Manager 509 WebParts and Authorization 512 Zones and WebParts 513 Catalog Zones 523 Editor Zones 525 Connecting WebParts Together 533 Summary 545 14 Usability, Accessibility, Mobile Devices, Localization 547 Page Validation, Browser Capabilities, and Alternative Content 548 Making Your Pages Easier to Use 559 Supporting Disabled Users and Specialist User Agents 562 Building Pages for Small-Screen and Mobile Devices 587 Supporting Localization and Multiple Languages 600 Summary 616 15 Using the Framework Classes 619 The Example Application 620 Storing Data with the System.Collections Classes 628 Reading, Writing, and Compressing Data with the System.IO Classes 638 Creating Graphics and Images with the System.Drawing Classes 652 Accessing the Internet with the System.Net Classes 656 Accessing Active Directory with the System.DirectoryServices Classes 669 Encrypting Data with the System.Security.Cryptography Classes 673 Summary 678 16 Web Services 679 Web Services 680 Creating Web Services 681 Consuming Web Services 690 Controlling How Data Is Transferred in Web Services 694 Web Service Enhancements 701 The Future of Web Services 708 Summary 708 Index 711