ASP.Net and C#VB.Net

ASP.Net focuses on Web site/server application development using Microsoft Visual Studio, C#, VB, Javascript, and SQL Server programming tools. Session starts with Q&A followed by a programming discussion with examples.

C#VB.Net focuses on Smart Client Windows application development using Visual Studio, VB, C#, and SQL programming tools. Starts with Q&A session followed by Object Oriented discussions and programming with examples.

Contact: Chuck Fizer or Greg Austin. Meets on 1st Wednesday, 4-6 p.m. and 7-9 p.m., at the DACS Resource Center.

Yahoo! Group: dotNET_DACS

News and Notes

The original VS2008 agenda for the meeting was partially usurped by a very interesting question regarding the presentation of a web page that also contained a child page. The idea for the question emerged from Access db (database) application development where a student form would then spawn an enrolled-in form. The enrolled-in form would be a child form of the student form. Access provides form/child form functionality in the Access IDE (Integrated Development Environment). To illustrate similar functionality presented in web pages, we looked at an VS2003 web application that uses a similar strategy. In this case, it is a customer form that provides an ability to show an order listed in an order list on the customer form. Selecting an order then depressing the Edit button on the customer form presents what appears as a child form. In this case a web form, a pseudo child form, reveals details of that particular order. Once the concept of the parent form and the child form was visibly seen, then there were a myriad of questions regarding the application code. We looked at the IDE's ASP.Net web page designer, C# application's code behind files and the Javascript files that were executed on the browser to make all this happen. The IDE's web page designer proved very interesting because what visually appeared as data grids, actually were as HTML tables. Tables were used because they provided a significant user speed improvement and many fewer bytes of data had to be transferred between the web page server and the user's browser to achieve the displayed effect. We also, saw how an AJAX ZipBack technology nicely updated the HTML tables upon the completion of an order Edit cycle.

With the foregoing resolving many questions, we then detoured back to the VS2008 agenda topic. The VS2008 discussion is a continuation of the March 2008 meeting. At hand were leftover questions about what is delivered with a VS2008 installation. It appears that Microsoft is ramping up for their Windows, SQL Server 2008 versions rumored to be unveiled at the April 17 kick off in Hartford. As such, the VS2008 installation now contain a mixture of 2005 and 2008 components. Our VS2008 installation stumbled when we tried using the AdventureWorks database. Wanting to use the most current database with our VS2008 IDE, we downloaded AdVentureWorks. What we received was an 2008 version. The SQL Server Express db delivered with VS2008 is really an SQL Server Express 2005 db. Hence when we tried to restore the AdventureWorks db to our machine, it failed. The error message was cryptic. Well, then we thought, gee maybe we should try to download a 2005 version of AdventureWorks. No again, the link said 2005 AdventureWorks but the data sent was the same as the 2008 AdventureWorks. Well, we'll just wait on this aspect of the installation.

Part of the VS2008 agenda was to start a project that anyone could participate in. We chose to work on an RSS Feed application. We have several nefarious reasons for choosing this application and one of them is the help it can provide to new developers starting work with VS2008 and web application development. Our application is the skeletal remains of a previous incarnation published in an aspNetPRO magazine as a Visual Basic application. Our initial goal is to convert the VB source code to C# and then make the application play as described in the original article. I question if it ever did work, but that doesn't matter, it will work as we continue with the project. But, and about this time, the dinner bell rang and Claude Prevots went off for the PIZZA. We took a
6-7pm PIZZA break before returning to the RSS Feed application.

As we progressed into the evening session, we looked at the conversion of the RSS Feed program written in Visual Basic converted into C# using the VS2008 IDE. This exercise required adapting code written in one language to code in the other while preserving all functions. Here the angel was in the details. Lines of code for each function had to be preserved and modified appropriately to compile effectively. A spirited discussion was generated as the expertise in the attendees was sparked. We had engaging discussions of RSS Feeds (Real Simple Syndication) and placement of user authentication in cookies. All the while there was added commentary on workings of VS2008 in contrast to VS2005. Attendee conversion participants concluded at various stages of conversion. We went on to look at more completed conversion work and assess the functionality of the RSS Feed program. John Lansdale produced a URI at CNN that was a legitimate RSS Feed address. This allowed us to access the feed and progress up to the point of saving the information, where we bumped into a Profiles issue. Our time was running out as we reached this point. Our plan for the next meeting is to progress to an operational RSS Feed program that we can then enhance using the new AJAX features of the VS2008 IDE.

The developer's educational value of this application is in the variety of application code that is implemented. The application emits three different web pages: a Login page, a NewUser page and a Default (name to be changed) page. Each of these are challenges and instructional. The Login page employs user recognition classes, the NewUser page's classes collect sufficient information to accept a new user to the application and the Default page's classes perform the RSS Feed access and display. Embodied in the overall application are many web concepts. For example, the application user will cross multiple web domains to access various RSS Feed information. Yet, the browser is prohibited from doing this. Hence, the applications’ host server needs to intervene and perform these functions on behalf of the browser. All of this technicality provides insight into the methods used to perform such activities as collecting and submitting credit card financial transactions for example. So, we plan to continue with the application and we will attempt to increase the feature value of the application in future meetings.