ASP.NET Tips, Tutorials, and Code

The first thing one usually notices about software engineering books with more than two authors is a presumed over-abundance and variety of subjects incorporated within. The next obvious question is whether or not they are all necessary. In this case, the answer was decidedly 'yes.' This is one of the first tutorials in a long line of ASP.NET books from SAMS. Many things have changed in the new ASP.NET compared to ASP. ASP.NET Tips, Tutorials, and Code is an excellent guide to most of these changes.

As with any programming language, data structures and controls are the first things about which you are taught. Chapters 1-5 cover the basic coding techniques and user controls. It becomes increasingly evident that the form input controls are very important when creating user interfaces. Presenting data from XML files and databases are most thoroughly presented in chapters 6-8 and they may required more than one re-read.

Debugging and error handling are essential to prevent your ASP applications from crashing and these are subjects that are covered very well in this offering. ASP.NET takes more time to deploy than the standard ASP and the depth with which this is covered - i.e., deploying and configuring - will cut your allocated time in half once you have read through and analyzed chapters 11-12.

Integration of other programming languages into ASP.NET is one of the primary changes from ASP so that now you can write VB code in your ASP application in order to provide more functionality. There is even a chapter on mobile controls in order to reach the wireless platforms, a field that has the potential to eclipse the Internet as we know it today.

All in all, ASP.NET Tips, Tutorials, and Code addresses every aspect of ASP.NET and I would recommend this book to any ASP developer seeking to upgrade their web site(s) or any beginning developer wishing to add server-side web pages to their web site.