ASP.NET Data Presentation Controls Essentials

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Packt Publishing (December 31, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1847193951
ISBN-13: 978-1847193957
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches







This book shows you how to get the most from the ASP.NET data presentation controls to easily display and manage complex data in your web applications

The ASP.NET Data Presentation Controls are server controls to which you can bind data to organize and display it in different ways.

This book shows you how to get the most from these controls to easily display and manage complex data in your web applications. It takes you through each of the major data presentation controls in ASP.NET, gets you started using them, and then shows you how to use them in your applications for managing your data.

• Systematic coverage of major ASP.NET data presentation controls
• Packed with re-usable examples of common data control tasks
• Covers LINQ and binding data to ASP.NET 3.5 (Orcas) controls
• Displaying tables of data with the Repeater, DataGrid, DataList, and GridView controls
• Displaying hierarchical data using ASP.NET data controls
• Paging and sorting data using the Repeater, DataGrid, and GridView controls
• Binding data to ASP.NET 2.0 controls like ObjectDataSource, AccessDataSource, and XMLDataSource
• Inserting, Updating, and Deleting data using all major data controls in ASP.NET
• Exporting GridView control to MS Excel and MS Word
• Extending the existing data controls to build custom controls
• Using LINQ to bind data to the new data controls introduced in ASP.NET 3.5 (Orcas)

This book is for ASP.NET developers who want to display or manage data in ASP.NET applications. The code examples are in C#.


User Review:

This book is clearly marked as not being for beginners to the ASP.NET framework and I would suggest potential readers follow that warning. The book is littered with helpful snippets of C# code showing you how to obtain data-driven output in your ASP.NET pages. These snippets can be confusing if you're not fairly comfortable with the ASP.NET framework and the event model. There are not that many instances of a full walk-through in the examples provided, so it's hard to follow unless you know what you're doing. I personally found no trouble in keeping up with the book. So, beginners, you've been warned. :)

The author has a clear understanding of the subject matter and it shows in this book. The topics presented cover a solid portion of data access and presentation in ASP.NET. I do wish there had been some introduction to ADO.NET at the very beginning of the book. Being as ADO.NET is the fundamental building block to this book, I think it would have been a welcome addition. The book itself is just over 200 pages that are broken down into 8 chapters. At a $40 list price in the US, that's a hard sell to many in the technology world. A chapter or two in some of the background required for the text could have helped this potential problem for would-be buyers. It will not be a concern to everyone but the technology group is quite sensitive to the "price per page" ratio found in their technical materials.

As a first edition, there are a number of formatting and technical mistakes present in this book. I noticed a specific code example towards the beginning of the book where quotations had been replaced by another character, which certainly would not compile and run for the reader. A reader with C# experience would notice this instantly, but it's a mistake that should have been corrected. The indentation of the code examples in this book are widely varied. As a developer, it's fundamental to see correct formatting in code, and a book should hold that to a higher standard. I also noticed a few instances of code that was simply formatted in such a way that made it invalid. It would not compile if sitting in Visual Studio. Again, something an experience reader would catch easily and wouldn't impede their progress through the book.

Overall, I liked the book. It contains valuable information if you need a lesson in data presentation controls for ASP.NET. If you are considering this book, I would pick it up at your local book store and determine if the content is what you're looking for and whether the list price can be justified to you. Even with the technical mistakes and being a quick read, it will be a worthwhile purchase to many developers looking to understand the data presentation controls available in ASP.NET.


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