"This book is by far the best computer programming book I have ever bought. You can go into my upstairs closet and find 20-30 books that I have purchased since the days of VB6. All of them have a few useful pages in them, but all together, they could not add up to as much information as you have given me in the first 11 chapters of this book."(A developers comment on this book in an email sent to Murach Books)
If you know how to code Windows forms using Visual Basic and want to move to the next level of professional development by mastering web programming, dont miss out on the practical ASP.NET training thats packed into this book.
As its title implies, it teaches all the features that are new in ASP.NET 2.0, including master pages, database access using both SQL and object data sources, the new code-behind model, site navigation features, authentication using the Web Site Administration tool and login controls, profiles, themes, and web parts. And of course, it teaches all the ASP.NET features that are unchanged in this release and that youre going to use every day.
But a lot of ASP.NET 2.0 books say they do that. So here are just a few of the reasons why professional developers like this book so much:
#1: It gives you a 5-chapter section on database programming
Database handling is crucial in business programming, yet its glossed over in just a chapter or two in many books. In contrast, this 5-chapter section teaches you how to use SQL data sources and the GridView, DetailsView, and FormView controlsall new in ASP.NET 2.0to develop database applications with little or no VB code. Then, it teaches how to use object data sources, also new in ASP.NET 2.0, to create 3-layer applications that let you separate the presentation code from the data access code in an application.
#2: It teaches you ASP.NET 2.0 development the way it should be done, using Visual Studio 2005
Today, no developer should miss out on the productivity features of Visual Studio 2005 by using limited tools like text editors. So section 1 in this book teaches you how to use Visual Studio 2005 to design, code, and test multi-page web applications that get database data and manage session state. Then, later chapters cover time-saving VS tools like the Query Builder and the Web Site Administration Tool.
#3: Complete applications show you how all the pieces interact
The key to mastering ASP.NET 2.0 is to have plenty of real-world applications that guide you in using the new features youre learningand that help you avoid the problems that you can run into as you build complex web sites. Thats why this book gives you complete applications, including the web forms, the aspx code, and the VB code.
#4: The distinctive "paired-pages" format* makes learningand referencea breeze
A few years ago, a customer used the term "paired pages" to describe our presentation style, and the name has stuck. It means that this book presents each topic in a two-page spread. The right page gives screen shots, code, syntax, bulleted detailswhatever is needed to illustrate and summarize the topic; the left page provides extra explanation and perspective as needed. That makes it easy for developers at any level to skim through material they already know and focus on whats new to them. It means less reading for everyone. And it makes the book a quick and easy-to-use reference guide once youre done training.
(*To see how paired pages work, you can download free chapters from the Murach web site.)
So if you need to learn ASP.NET 2.0, we hope you'll try this book first. We're convinced that it will deliver the training you need better and faster than any competing book.
