Microsoft® Visual Studio® LightSwitch® Unleashed
Alessandro Del Sole
Microsoft Visual Studio LightSwitch represents a breakthrough in business application development for Windows clients, the Web, and the cloud. Using this new tool, you can build powerful data-centric applications with far less code than ever before. Microsoft Visual Studio LightSwitch Unleashed is the first comprehensive, start-to-finish guide to this powerful new tool. Written by longtime Visual Basic expert and Microsoft MVP Alessandro Del Sole, this book covers everything Microsoft developers need to know to make the most of LightSwitch–from the absolute basics to the most advanced enterprise techniques.
You learn how to use LightSwitch to build modern, scalable, customized line-of-business applications that automatically leverage technologies such as Silverlight, WCF, and SQL Server Express with no effort or expertise on your part. Through hands-on examples, Del Sole guides you through building solutions that can integrate and analyze business information from virtually any source, crafting custom logic that solves your company’s unique problems, and delivering state-of-the-art usability through professional-quality user interfaces.
- Implement features such as screen navigation, data interaction, paging, and Excel export, with absolutely no coding
- Build simple data-centric applications and add power to them with relationships and details
- Rapidly create customized queries, filters, sorts, and reports
- Aggregate data from many locations, including SharePoint, SQL Server, and the cloud
- Simplify the implementation of application-level data validation
- Protect your applications with authentication and authorization
- Fine tune your code for scalability and performance
- Streamline deployment to local computers, web servers, and the Windows Azure cloud
- Use .NET code to define custom behaviors related to data and the user interface
- Understand how LightSwitch applications are architected and how they are handled by Visual Studio
- Use LightSwitch with other Visual Studio tools to manage the entire application life cycle
- Efficiently debug LightSwitch code–and create code that’s easier to debug
Category: Microsoft Programming
Covers: LightSwitch
User Level: Intermediate—Advanced
ON THE WEB:
Download all examples and source code presented in this book as they are available from informit.com/title/9780672335532
Table of Contents:
Part I Building Applications with LightSwitch
Chapter 1 Introducing Visual Studio LightSwitch 1
Who Uses LightSwitch?
A Short History of Microsoft Business Tools
Microsoft Access with Visual Basic for Applications
Microsoft Visual Basic 6
Microsoft Visual FoxPro
Microsoft Visual StudioNET (2002 to 2010)
About Visual Studio LightSwitch.
Technologies Used Behind the Scenes
Available Editions.
Companion Source Code
Setting Up the Development Machine
Operating System
Development Environment.
Server Components
Database Tools
Controls and Toolkits.
What You Need to Know About Programming
Summary.
Chapter 2 Exploring the IDE
Getting Started with Visual Studio LightSwitch
Introducing the Start Page
Creating New Projects and Exploring Solutions
The LightSwitch Designer
The Entity Designer
The Screen Designer
The Properties Window
The Query Designer
The Application Designer
The Code Editor.
Building, Running, and Debugging Applications.
Managing and Arranging Windows
Getting Help
Visual Studio 2010 with LightSwitch
Summary.
Chapter 3 Building Data-Centric Applications
Creating a New Application
Creating a New Data Source.
Adding Entity Properties.
Building a Complete Entity.
Data Storage
The User Interface: Implementing Screens
Controls Overview.
Creating a Data Entry Screen.
Creating a Search Screen.
Testing the Application on the Development Machine
Starting the Application as a Desktop Client
Adding and Editing Data
Displaying and Searching Data
Exporting Data to Microsoft Excel
Basic Screen Customizations.
Running the Application as a 3-Tier Desktop Client
Running the Application in the Web Browser.
Input-Data Validation
Required Fields Validation
String-Length Validation.
Date Validation.
Number Validation
Default Validation of Business Types
Validating Email Addresses.
Validating Phone Numbers
Validating Images.
Validating Money.
Summary.
Chapter 4 Building More-Complex Applications with Relationships and Details Screens
Creating a New LightSwitch Project
Designing Complex Data Sources.
Entities That Define Choice Lists.
Working with the Money Data Type
Adding Relationships
Using Computed Properties
More-Complex, Business-Oriented User Interfaces.
Creating Data Entry Screens
Creating Search Screens
Running the Application and Entering Data.
Editing Data with Editable Grids
Handling Master-Details Relationships with Details Screens
Editing the Screen Navigation Control
Customizing the Look and Feel of Screens
Implementing Data Validation.
Validation on Master-Details Relationships
Summary
Part II Manipulating Data
Chapter 5 Customizing Data Validation
Understanding the Validation Model
Built-In Validation Rules
Writing Custom Validation Rules
Client Validation: Validating Entity Properties
Client and Server Validation: Validating a Single Entity.
Data Validation on the Server: Validating Entity Collections
Validation in Master-Details Relationships
For the Experts: Implementing Complex Validation Rules with theNET Framework
Summary
Chapter 6 Querying, Filtering, and Sorting Data
Querying Data in LightSwitch
Applying Filters.
Applying Filters at the Data Level
Understanding the Query Event Model
Applying Filters at the Screen Level
Applying Sorting Logic
Sorting at the Data Level.
Sorting at the Screen Level
Basing Queries on Other Queries.
Summary
Chapter 7 Customizing Applications with Buttons, COM Automation, and Extensions
Customizing the Command Bars.
Adding Built-In Buttons to the Screen Command Bar
Adding and Managing Custom Buttons
Handling More-Complex Scenarios with COM Interoperability
Downloading, Installing, and Using Extensions
Extensions Types in Visual Studio LightSwitch.
Downloading and Installing Extensions.
Using Extensions
Summary
Chapter 8 Aggregating Data from Different Data Sources
Connecting to SQL Server Databases.
Installing the Sample Northwind Database.
Creating New Applications on Existing SQL Server Databases.
Aggregating Data from Existing Databases into LightSwitch Applications
Database in the Cloud: Connecting to SQL Azure
Establishing Connections to SQL Azure
Creating a SQL Azure Database
Connecting LightSwitch Applications to SQL Azure.
Collaboration: Working with Lists from SharePoint 2010
Running the Default Website
Configuring a Vacation Plan Calendar on SharePoint 2010
Extending LightSwitch Applications with SharePoint Data.
Summary
Part III Securing and Deploying Applications
Chapter 9 Implementing Authentication and Authorization
Understanding Authentication
Implementing Windows Authentication.
Setting Up the Development Environment.
Authorization: Settings Permissions
Writing the Permission Logic
Permission Logic on Entities.
Permission Logic on the User Interface.
Debugging the Application.
Creating User Roles and Administering the Application
Implementing Forms Authentication
Publishing Applications with Forms Authentication
Testing the Application with Different Credentials
Permission Elevation on Server Code
Summary
Chapter 10 Deploying LightSwitch Applications
Deployment Fundamentals
Understanding 2-Tier and 3-Tier Applications.
Preparing the Application for Deployment.
Specifying the Application Name and Logo.
Styling the Application
Runtime Settings
Localizing an Application.
Deploying 2-Tier Applications
Client Configuration
Application Server Configuration
Publish Output.
Database Connections
Prerequisites
Other Connections
Specifying a Certificate
Publish Summary
Publishing and Deploying the Application.
Deploying 3-Tier Applications
Configuring the Target Web Server
Publishing the Application
Remotely Publishing to a Web Server
Creating and Importing Packages into IIS
Deploying to Windows Azure
Preparing Applications to Deployment
Summary
Part IV Advanced LightSwitch
Chapter 11 Handling Events in Code
Working with Entities in Code.
Understanding Data Objects
Handling Data Events in Code
Handling Custom Query Events in Code
Handling Screen Events in Code
Button Methods
General Methods
Collection Methods
Launching Screens Programmatically
Opening Screens Without Passing Parameters
Opening Screens by Passing Parameters
Summary
Chapter 12 Dissecting a LightSwitch Application
Applications Architecture and Tiers
Architecture Overview
Understanding the Data Access and Storage Tiers
Understanding the Logic Tier.
Understanding the Presentation Tier
Dissecting LightSwitch Projects.
Overview of LightSwitch Solutions
Server-Side Projects
Middle-Tier Projects
Client-Side Projects
Summary
Chapter 13 Advanced LightSwitch with Visual Studio 2010
Managing the Application Life Cycle with TFS 2010.
Connecting to Team Foundation Server.
Creating New Team Projects
Submitting Projects to Source Control.
Creating and Assigning Work Items
Retrieving Specific Project Versions with Version Control
Automating Builds
Code Metrics
Unit Testing Your Helper Code
Creating a Test Project
Creating Unit Tests
Analyzing the Execution Flow with IntelliTrace
IntelliTrace Options
IntelliTrace in Action with LightSwitch
IntelliTrace Log Files
Summary
Chapter 14 Debugging LightSwitch Applications
Debugging Applications.
The Error List Tool Window.
Breakpoints and Data Tips.
Debugging in Steps
About Runtime Errors.
The Edit and Continue Feature
Advanced Debugging Instrumentation
Breakpoints and Trace Points Unleashed.
Showing a Variables Value in the Locals Window.
Evaluating Expressions in the Command Window
Understanding the Method Calls Flow in the Call Stack Window
Watch Windows
Analyzing Threads with the Threads Window.
Understanding Debugger Visualizers
Debugging in Code.
The Debug Class.
Using Debugger Attributes in Code.
Summary
Part V Extensibility
Chapter 15 Customizing the IDE
Customizing Visual Studio LightSwitch
Customizing Commands and Toolbars
Customizing an Existing Toolbar
Creating a New Custom Toolbar.
Managing User Settings
Exporting Settings
Importing Settings
Using, Creating, and Managing Reusable Code Snippets
Using Code Snippets
The Code Snippet Manager
Creating and Using Custom Code Snippets
Summary
Chapter 16 Customizing Applications with Custom Controls
Building Custom Controls
Creating Controls with Visual Studio 2010
Implementing and Aggregating Chart Controls.
Binding the User Control to Data and the Screen
Integrating Bing Maps
Claiming Your Bing Maps Developer Keys.
Making Bing Maps Available to LightSwitch
Updating Entities to Support Bing Maps
Adding Bing Maps to Screens.
Summary
Chapter 17 Implementing Printing and Reporting
Using the Office Integration Extension
Overview of the Class Library
Creating Emails and Appointments with
Microsoft Outlook
Exporting to Microsoft Word and to PDF
Importing and Exporting Data with
Microsoft Excel 2010
Using SQL Server Reporting Services
Reporting Extensions from Microsoft Partners
XtraReports from Developer Express
NetAdvantage for LightSwitch from Infragistics
OLAP Extension from Component One.
Telerik Reporting for Silverlight.
Using Custom Controls for Printing and Reporting
Creating a Visual Report as a User Control
Displaying the Report in the User Interface
Silverlight’s Printing APIs
Summary
Chapter 18 LightSwitch Extensibility: Themes, Shells, Controls, and Screens
Understanding the Extensibility Model
Creating Themes
Creating a New Extensibility Project
Setting Extension Properties
Adding a Theme to the Extensibility Project.
Editing Themes with Visual Studio 2010.
Editing Themes with Expression Blend 4
Making the Green Theme
Testing the Custom Theme.
Creating Custom Shells
Creating Extensibility Projects for Custom Shells
Editing the Official Sample from Microsoft
Sharing Custom Controls.
Available Control Types
Creating Control Extensions.
Creating Screen Templates
Designing Custom Screen Templates
Implementing the IScreenTemplate Properties
Generating the Screen Content Tree.
Adding Code to the Screen.
Testing the Screen Template
Screen Templates Tips and Tricks
Summary
Chapter 19 LightSwitch Extensibility: Data and Extension Deployment
Creating Business Types.
Implementing a New Business Type
Implementing the Data Type Definition
Implementing Data Validation.
Designing Controls
Testing the Extension
Creating and Using Custom Data Sources with WCF RIA Services
TheNET Framework for WCF RIA Services
Creating WCF RIA Services to Work with XML Data
Calling WCF RIA Services from LightSwitch Applications
Calling Stored Procedures Through WCF RIA Services
Sharing Custom Data Sources
Testing Custom Data Sources
Handling Connection Strings
Deploying Extensions to Others.
Preparing the Deployment Manifest.
Uploading VSIX Packages to the Visual Studio Gallery
Releasing Extension Updates
Summary
Appendixes
Appendix A Installing and Configuring Visual Studio LightSwitch
Installing Visual Studio LightSwitch
Managing the Offline Documentation
Appendix B Useful Resources
MSDN Resources
LightSwitch Developer Center.
LightSwitch How-Do-I Videos
LightSwitch Blogs
LightSwitch Forums
Training Kit and Starter Kits
Extensibility Center
The Visual Studio Gallery.
Code Samples
Social Networks.
Community Resources.
Visual Studio LightSwitch Help Website.
LightSwitch Video Training on MyVBProf.com
The CodeProject
StackOverflow
Italian LightSwitch Tips & Tricks Community.
Other LightSwitch Blogs and Websites.
Third-Party Extensions
Document Toolkit for LightSwitch.
RSSBus Data Providers
Infragistics NetAdvantage Light Edition
9780672335532 TOC 1/26/2012
