ASP.NET AJAX Programmer's Reference: with ASP.NET 2.0 or ASP.NET 3.5 (Programmer's Reference (Wrox)) (Paperback)

~ Dr. Shahram Khosravi (Author)
Key Phrases: update panel, protected mode, proxy classes, Untitled Page, Page Language, Asynchronous Partial Page Rendering (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

• Ajax is one of the hottest changes in Web development methods in years; Microsoft's ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX (formerly known as "Atlas") provides Ajax add-ins for ASP.NET developers, and this comprehensive Wrox reference offers coverage of all the ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX pieces
• Readers will find the hands-on, code-based technical discussions they need on ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX client-side Framework, writing OO-style JavaScript code, using ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX client-side controls, ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX XML, and advanced ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX topics including how ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX uses the ASP.NET 2.0 server control architecture
• ASP.NET developers will learn to add Ajax techniques into the ASP.NET applications by prebuilding some of the underlying components and using a standardized tool-set

From the Back Cover

ASP.NET programmers are familiar with the rich server-side programming in the ASP.NET/.NET Framework. ASP.NET AJAX adds many similar client-side features giving ASP.NET developers a feature-rich client-side framework for the first time. This book explains how ASP.NET AJAX simulates many of the rich programming features of the ASP.NET/.NET Framework on the client side. Packed with extensive real-world examples, in-depth descriptions, and code walkthroughs—all tested with both ASP.NET 2.0 and ASP.NET 3.5—this book provides thorough coverage of both the ASP.NET AJAX client-side and server-side frameworks. You'll learn how these frameworks harmonize to meetyour AJAX-enabled application needs. This hands-on approach gives you the skills and knowledge you need to develop real ASP.NET AJAX applications.

What you will learn from this book

• How to write ASP.NET AJAX code that works with both ASP.NET 2.0 and ASP.NET 3.5

• JavaScript® Object-Oriented programming and type description extensions

• Techniques for event programming and event bubbling

• Ways to develop client components, controls, and behaviors

• Networking programming and Web services bridges and transformers

• How to develop script and extender server controls

• Internals of asynchronous partial page rendering and triggers and using UpdatePanel in user controls and custom controls

• Techniques for extending xml-script parsing

• ListView internals and how to develop data controls, templates, templated controls, and templated data controls

Who this book is for

This book is for ASP.NET developers who are looking to add AJAX to their repertoire.

Wrox Programmer's References are designed to give the experienced developer straight facts on a new technology, without hype or unnecessary explanations. They deliver hard information with plenty of practical examples to help you apply new tools to your development projects today.

Enhance Your Knowledge
Advance Your Career

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1522 pages
• Publisher: Wrox; Pap/Onl edition (September 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047010998X
• ISBN-13: 978-0470109984
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #302,443 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #50 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Programming > Languages & Tools > Ajax
  #74 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Web Development > Programming > ASP

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good coverage for advanced user, July 19, 2008

By	Ying Jin "geektrick" (Gaithersburg,MD) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The ASP.NET Ajax library is more than UpdatePanel. UpdatePanel gets you up and running in Ajax quickly, but it is not true Ajax. Ajax is about re-emphasize client, empowering modern day browser to take up more work of user interaction. In one word, Ajax is about JavaScript. Microsoft's ASP.NET Ajax library, like any other mature Ajax libraries out there, provides a rich framework of client side JavaScript. And if you build on top it, you need to understand this layer to be able to fully leverage it. And this book provides much-needed help with understanding this library. Clearly author understands it and covers a lot of ground. MSDN is still catching up on this library, so if you are living on the cutting-edge of ASP.NET Ajax, get a copy of this book.
A caution though: This book is not for beginner of JavaScript. You need to have fairly good understand of JavaScript as a language to fully appreciate the help this book provides.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Desktop reference but not for beginners, October 30, 2008

By	Colin Brown "Colin Brown Microsoft MVP" (Birmingham, Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Asp.Net Ajax Programmers Reference weighs in at a hefty 1500+ pages. Most other books I've read on Microsoft's Asp.Net Ajax weigh in at between 300 and 500 pages. So are all the extra pages just filler or is the content actually worth it?

This book definitely is not for the light hearted or beginners. You need to have a very good grasp of Javascript to get anywhere with this book.

After a brief introduction on what Ajax is and the methods and thought processes behind Ajax the book jumps straight in with how Microsoft have extended Javascript to give it a .Net Framework style of programming so those used to Asp.Net code behind and the .Net Framework will be more at home. Dr Khosravi doesn't just give you brief explanations as to how Microsoft have extended Javascript but also gives you an in-depth explanation with code as to how Microsoft actually done it. Basically he takes apart the Javascript that Microsoft has used and explains step by step what they have done. This is where a lot of the extra 1000+ pages come from. Most programmers, whilst they might be interested in the actual internals, won't actually need this in-depth an explanation of each of the features and therefore you could argue that a lot of this is just filler in the book. Some programmers however will eat this up as it shows not only how Microsoft has extended Javascript but also gives you a base as to how you can extend it too using the best practices that Microsoft has employed.

The reading also is not lightweight and is something more like what you would find in a university classroom than a normal textbook, however Dr Khosravi does get the pertinent points across and with the sheer level of detail that he goes into, you'd be hard pressed to find another book of this magnitude.

The book is up to date covering Asp.Net Ajax as released in it's original form as an add-on to the .Net framework and also the newer .Net 3.5 integrated Asp.Net Ajax (there were some enhancements made although it is backwards compatible). The book also covers everything you would need from the extensions Microsoft has made to the base Javascript types, to communicating with Web Services, using the out of the box Update Panel control to developing your own custom client controls with Ajax. Basically everything you would need to know about Asp.Net Ajax is covered in this book and covered in detail.

So given that this book is basically a one stop shop for Asp.Net Ajax, why not give it a 5 out of 5 rating? The reasons for this I've outlined above. It is not the easiest book in the world to read and for a lot of programmers there is no real need to dissect every extension Microsoft has made to Javascript with the actual code that they have used. There is this feeling that this will be an excellent book to have at your computer beside you when you're actually coding however to start learning Asp.Net Ajax you'd also want to pick up another book that quite go into the detail of this book and one that is slightly easier to read. That said, if you already know Asp.Net Ajax and want to know more or are looking for a good book to have handy when you're coding your project, then this is the book to have.

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book as a reference, October 29, 2008

By	Evan Larsen - See all my reviews

Just as the title says this is a reference book. Its like pulling teeth reading this book, because its like reading a dictionary. Its not for a beginner AJAX programmer because this book starts off fast and jumps right into Javascript and .NET. It expects you already know how to program using both and jumps right into how to start doing AJAX. I bought this to try and learn ajax but I relized I had to buy an easier book first. I bought AJAX by oreily which got me a good start then this book began to make sense.

But besides my short commings this book is jammed packed full of information making it the perfect reference.