Beginning ASP.NET 4 in C# 2010

1018 Pages·2010·20.44 MB·English

by  Matthew MacDonald

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Beginning ASP.NET 4 in C# 2010
Beginning
Dear Reader,
A
Welcome to the most up-to-date and comprehensive beginning ASP NET book
you’ll find on any shelf. As you probably already know, ASP.NET is a framework
for developing modern web applications. In the right hands, ASP.NET produces S
web applications that are secure, blisteringly fast, and highly scalable. Best of
Beginning
all, ASP.NET includes a huge set of ready-to-use features like website naviga- P
Matthew MacDonald, tion, data binding, themes, and user management. ASP.NET allows you to cre- .
Author of ate everything from a dynamic personal website to a full-scale e-commerce
N
Pro ASP.NET 4 in C# 2010 storefront.
In this book, I assume that you have only basic knowledge of C#, although
Pro Silverlight 4 in C# ASP.NET 4
those coming from a more experienced background will find that the basics are E
Pro WPF in C# 2010
reviewed quickly and efficiently. As you explore ASP.NET, you’ll learn the key
ASP.NET: The Complete database, security, and performance principles you need to know in order to T
Reference
design a solid web application. My book will also teach you to use techniques

such as object-oriented programming and code-behind development from the
4
beginning, rather than fake it with simplified techniques that won’t work well
in real life.
in C# 2010
Once you’ve reached the end of the book, you will have mastered the core
i
techniques of website programming, and you’ll have the knowledge necessary
n
to begin work as a professional ASP.NET developer.

Welcome aboard!
C
Matthew MacDonald (Microsoft MVP, MCSD)
#

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Beginning ASP.NET 4
in C# 2010

■ ■ ■
Matthew MacDonald
Beginning ASP.NET in C# 2010
Copyright © 2010 by Matthew MacDonald
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
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For my wonderful family,
Faria, Maya, and Brenna

■ CONTENTS

Contents

About the Author..................................................................................................xxv
About the Technical Reviewer.............................................................................xxvi
Acknowledgments..............................................................................................xxvii
Introduction.......................................................................................................xxviii
Part 1: Introducing .NET...........................................................................................1
■ Chapter 1: The .NET Framework..........................................................................3
The Evolution of Web Development.................................................................................3
HTML and HTML Forms..........................................................................................................................3
Server-Side Programming......................................................................................................................6
Client-Side Programming.......................................................................................................................7
The .NET Framework.......................................................................................................9
C#, VB, and the .NET Languages..........................................................................................................11
The Common Language Runtime.........................................................................................................13
The .NET Class Library..........................................................................................................................14
Visual Studio.........................................................................................................................................15
The Last Word................................................................................................................16
■ Chapter 2: The C# Language..............................................................................17
The .NET Languages......................................................................................................17
C# Language Basics......................................................................................................18
Case Sensitivity....................................................................................................................................18
Commenting.........................................................................................................................................18
Statement Termination.........................................................................................................................19
v
■ CONTENTS

Blocks...................................................................................................................................................20
Variables and Data Types..............................................................................................20
Assignment and Initializers..................................................................................................................22
Strings and Escaped Characters..........................................................................................................24
Arrays...................................................................................................................................................24
Enumerations.......................................................................................................................................26
Variable Operations.......................................................................................................27
Advanced Math.....................................................................................................................................29
Type Conversions.................................................................................................................................29
Object-Based Manipulation...........................................................................................31
The String Type....................................................................................................................................32
The DateTime and TimeSpan Types.....................................................................................................34
The Array Type......................................................................................................................................36
Conditional Logic...........................................................................................................37
The if Statement...................................................................................................................................38
The switch Statement...........................................................................................................................39
Loops.............................................................................................................................40
The for Loop..........................................................................................................................................40
The foreach Loop..................................................................................................................................41
The while loop......................................................................................................................................42
Methods.........................................................................................................................43
Parameters...........................................................................................................................................44
Method Overloading.............................................................................................................................45
Optional and Named Parameters..........................................................................................................46
Delegates..............................................................................................................................................47
The Last Word................................................................................................................48
■ Chapter 3: Types, Objects, and Namespaces.....................................................49
The Basics About Classes..............................................................................................49
Static Members....................................................................................................................................50
A Simple Class......................................................................................................................................51
vi
■ CONTENTS

Building a Basic Class...................................................................................................51
Creating an Object................................................................................................................................53
Adding Properties.................................................................................................................................54
Automatic Properties............................................................................................................................56
Adding a Method..................................................................................................................................56
Adding a Constructor............................................................................................................................57
Adding an Event....................................................................................................................................59
Testing the Product Class.....................................................................................................................60
Value Types and Reference Types.................................................................................63
Assignment Operations........................................................................................................................63
Equality Testing....................................................................................................................................64
Passing Parameters by Reference and by Value..................................................................................64
Reviewing .NET Types..........................................................................................................................65
Understanding Namespaces and Assemblies................................................................67
Using Namespaces...............................................................................................................................68
Importing Namespaces.........................................................................................................................69
Assemblies...........................................................................................................................................70
Advanced Class Programming.......................................................................................71
Inheritance............................................................................................................................................71
Static Members....................................................................................................................................73
Casting Objects.....................................................................................................................................74
Partial Classes......................................................................................................................................76
Generics................................................................................................................................................77
The Last Word................................................................................................................79
Part 2: Developing ASP.NET Applications...............................................................81
■ Chapter 4: Visual Studio.....................................................................................83
The Promise of Visual Studio.........................................................................................83
Creating Websites..........................................................................................................84
Creating an Empty Web Application.....................................................................................................85
vii
■ CONTENTS

Websites and Web Projects..................................................................................................................89
The Hidden Solution Files.....................................................................................................................90
The Solution Explorer...........................................................................................................................91
Adding Web Forms...............................................................................................................................92
Migrating a Website from a Previous Version of Visual Studio.............................................................93
Designing a Web Page...................................................................................................95
Adding Web Controls............................................................................................................................96
The Properties Window........................................................................................................................98
The Anatomy of a Web Form.......................................................................................100
The Web Form Markup.......................................................................................................................100
The Page Directive..............................................................................................................................101
The Doctype........................................................................................................................................102
The Essentials of XHTML....................................................................................................................104
Writing Code................................................................................................................110
The Code-Behind Class......................................................................................................................110
Adding Event Handlers.......................................................................................................................110
Outlining.............................................................................................................................................112
IntelliSense.........................................................................................................................................113
Code Formatting and Coloring............................................................................................................117
Visual Studio Debugging..............................................................................................118
The Visual Studio Web Server............................................................................................................118
Single-Step Debugging.......................................................................................................................119
Variable Watches................................................................................................................................124
The Last Word..............................................................................................................125
■ Chapter 5: Web Form Fundamentals................................................................127
The Anatomy of an ASP.NET Application.....................................................................127
ASP.NET File Types.............................................................................................................................128
ASP.NET Application Directories.........................................................................................................129
Introducing Server Controls.........................................................................................130
HTML Server Controls.........................................................................................................................131
viii