ASP.NET

COURSE AIM

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to ASP.NET for students wishing to further develop their understanding of, and ability to creatively use the internet. By the end of the course, the student should be able to easily understand all the major aspects of ASP.NET and use it to produce their own web applications.

Microsoft explains the concept of .NET in these words:

“Microsoft® .NET is a set of Microsoft software technologies for connecting information, people, systems, and devices. It enables a high level of software integration through the use of Web services—small, discrete, building-block applications that connect to each other as well as to other, larger applications over the Internet.”

Microsoft’s ‘.NET’ platform was released in 2001 as a new feature to their Windows family of products. This affects many aspects of Information Technology because Windows products are responsible for a major share of home and office computers systems and website servers on the Internet. The technology behind .NET allows programmers (often called ‘developers’) to create software programs or applications that utilise the wide spectrum of information technology resources used every day by people around the world.

A NEW APPROACH TO BUILDING WINDOWS SOFTWARE

The .NET Framework simplifies Windows software development. It provides developers with a single approach to build both desktop applications - sometimes called ‘smart client applications’ - and Web-based applications. It also enables developers to use the same tools and skills to develop software for a variety of systems ranging from handheld smart phones to large server installations.

Software built on the .NET Framework can be easier to deploy and maintain than conventional software. Applications can be designed to automatically upgrade themselves to the latest version. The .NET Framework can also minimize conflicts between applications by helping incompatible software components coexist.

Lesson Structure

There are 11 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction
   • What is ASP.Net
   • Enhanced Performance,
   • World-Class Tool Support
   • Power and Flexibility
   • Simplicity
   • Manageability
   • Scalability and Availability
   • Customizability and Extensibility
   • Security
   • Required Software
   • Visual Web Developer Express Edition
   • Visual Studio.NET 2005
   • Internet Information Services (IIS)
   • A Simple Asp.Net Page
   • Programming Exercise -Running the Example in Visual Web Developer
2. VB.NET Essentials
   • What Are Variables?
   • Arrays
   • Kinds of Variables (Data types)
   • Integer variables
   • Long integer variables
   • Single precision floating point variables
   • Double precision floating point variables
   • Assigning Variable Values
   • Operator Precedence
   • Strings
   • Hard Coding Variables
   • Program Flow and Branching
   • branching (conditional branching, unconditional branching)
   • If Statements
   • If...Else Statements
   • Select Statements
   • Looping
   • For Loop
   • While Loops
   • Other Types of Loops
   • Looping Summary
   • Hungarian Notation
   • Functions
   • Subroutines
   • Programming Exercise -Using Variables
3. Web Forms
   • Using CSS and Master Pages
   • Master Pages
   • Content Page vs. Master Page
   • Creating a Master Page
   • Default Master Content
   • Web Forms
   • A Basic Introduction to HTTP
4. Web Server Controls
   • Server Controls
   • HTML Controls
   • ASP.NET Controls
   • Validation Controls
   • Programming Exercise -Creating a Form to Capture User Details
   • Raising and Handling Events
   • Postback Architecture
5. Form Validation
   • Required Field Validator
   • Compare Validator
   • Regular Expression Validator
   • Range Validator
   • Custom Validator
6. Classes and Namespaces
   • OOP Concepts
   • Fields, Properties, Methods, and Events
   • Encapsulation, Inheritance, and Polymorphism
   • Overloading, Overriding, and Shadowing
   • Access Levels
   • Constructors and Destructors
   • Namespaces
7. ASP.NET Applications
   • Page Lyfescycle
   • Events in the Life Cycle of Page
   • Page Methods
   • Site Model
8. Interacting with Databases
   • Database basics
   • Creating a Database
   • Connecting to a Database
   • Coding Connections
   • Reading from a Database
   • Executing the Query
   • Stepping through the SQL Result
   • Writing to a Database
   • Adding New Records
   • Updating Records
   • Closing the Connection
   • Data Binding
9. Error Handling
   • Introduction
   • Exceptions
   • Trapping Errors
   • Try "Catch"
   • Logging Exceptions
   • Using Web.config file
10. Email from Your Applications
    • System.net,mail Namespace
    • SMTP
    • Sending a Simple Email
    • Using the Mailmessage Class
11. Project: Creating an Online Store
    • Systems Development Lifecycle
    • System Request
    • Analysis and Design
    • Programming
    • Testing and Acceptance
    • Installation/ Implementation
    • Maintenance
    • Using Interface Design (UID)
    • Project

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• Understand the .NET framework and the advantages of ASP.NET over other web based languages.
• Understand the basics of Visual Basic .NET (VB.NET).
• Understand how web forms work including how and when to use them.
• Understand web server controls and how to use them to enhance asp.net web applications.
• Understand how to use web forms validation to control what information is accepted by a web form.
• Understand classes and namespaces in ASP.NET.
• Understand what web applications are and how to create them.
• Understand the basics of databases and data access technologies used in ASP.NET.
• Understand how to handle errors in your website application and how to "debug" to prevent errors.
• Understand how to send email from your web application.
• Develop a completed online store web application.

What You Will Do

• Define "code behind"
• Learn what ASP.NET is.
• Define many different types of variables.
• Define what a subroutine is.
• Define what a function is.
• Work with webforms and note advantages over traditional html forms.
• Explain how & when Web Controls are used.
• Explain the difference between ASP server side controls and standard html controls.
• Create a web form that asks for a person’s details.
• Select two validation controls and explain their benefits.
• Create code for a page that asks for a file name and then creates that file on the local hard drive.
• Define what a "namespace" is and give examples of two namespaces.
• What is the web.config file and what is it used for?
• Explain the difference between application & session events.
• Create a small ASP.NET application that uses a database, admin section and front page.
• Explain the difference between page level tracing and application level tracing.
• Create an Email contact page.
• Create an Online Shopping application.