Customer Reviews

Beginning ASP.NET 3.5: In C# and VB (Programmer to Programmer)

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've picked up copies of Beginning ASP.NET 2.0; Build Your Own ASP.NET 2.0 Web Site Using C# & VB; Beginning ASP.NET 2.0 E-Commerce in C# 2005 From Novice to Professional; and Microsoft ASP.NET 3.5 Step by Step (the only one I can recommend). With all of these, I struggled to read them and didn't feel as though I learned much, or in the case of the last, failed to get much more than an overview of ASP.NET (albeit a good one).

However, with Imar Spaanjaars' book, I finally feel comfortable with ASP.NET 3.5.

In this book Imar works through the steps of creating of an actual, fully-functional, ASP.NET 3.5 Web site, that's actually not that bad (ignoring some questionable design).

Unlike other books, Imar covers both the Express and commercial versions of Visual Studio, in a very unobtrusive way. In addition, Imar doesn't rely solely on the ASP.NET components, but gives a good deal of actual programming, in both C# and VB (in a very clean, comfortable, way).

While it's true that he references a number of other Wrox books, such as Professional ASP.NET 3.5: In C# and VB (Programmer to Programmer), there is very little that needs to be examined to get a site up and running, that would suit the majority of business needs.

Overall, my faith in the ability of Web developers to write good books has been restored by this tome (and at over 700 pages, tome it is). A Web developer Imar is, and to us, as equals, is to whom he speaks. This is clearly seen in his summaries and tips, at the end of each chapter.

I give this book 5 stars of 5. If you've read the other books and been left sad, confused, and/or angry, this is the volume to pick up.

Note: I will be reading this book twice, once I've finished with Professional ASP.NET 3.5: In C# and VB (Programmer to Programmer). There is so much in this book that bears repeating, and many things that I'm sure I missed in my first read, since it's so full of (valuable) information.

I work as a C (C++) programmer. Much of what I do uses MFC code to talk to SQL Server and Access. The company decided to migrate my software to the Internet and since it wasn't time critical, gave me the option of learning the technology and doing it myself. And so I have messed around when I had spare time for several months not really getting it to work. The two skills I felt like I really needed to acquire into order to be up and running were (1) the ability to access databases securely and reliably from a Web site (logins, etc.), and (2) the ability to call dlls (Web Services) from a Web site. This book gets me through the first, but not the second.

Part of the reason that I'm further along now is that I was using ASP.NET 2.0. Version 3.5 has added so many widgets to resolve common problems that it really feels to me from the perspective of a rank beginner like an entirely different beast, though under the hood, the fundamentals are the same. For example, the beginning ASP.NET 2.0 book I read devoted a whole chapter to Request and Response. There are just a couple references to them in this book, and they're not even mentioned in the index. Version 3.5 has been so structured that you don't need to know even these very basic details.

This is not a reference book. I couldn't easily look up how to add a background image to my master page having forgotten it, and having read it once, I'm now reading it again cover to cover and taking notes to create the reference I need, because I don't even remotely remember it all. And I will need to read the advanced book to get where I want to be.

Instead of a reference, you build a fully functional Web site throughout the course of the book. An exercise in chapter 11 may refer to a page you built in Chapter 4, so you absolutely have to follow the entire book from start to finish or you'll be lost. I do think that this is the best approach to learning ASP.NET 3.5, because I really feel like if I pay attention, I can now write a full fledged Web site. I can't see any other way to cover (in 700 pages) server controls, user controls, themes, style sheets, skins, master pages, basic C#, debugging, code behind files, Web services, databases, LINQ, security, base pages, validation, AJAX, menus, deployment... to mention a few of the biggies. None of these were even mentioned in my ASP.NET 2.0 books, mostly because they didn't exist. You can get whole books on most of these technologies, but I really feel Spaanjaars gives you a serviceable introduction to each of them. I'm also impressed by the considerable planning that must have gone into deciding what order the various tools should be presented in, and consequently how the site should be built up. For example, Cascading Style Sheets are presented before Master Pages, because it's easier to cover the 8-9 ways of modifying them if you don't yet have a master page.

In summary, this is the first beginning text on dynamic database driven Web sites that got me past that psychological barrier and convinced me that I am going to be able to migrate my life to the Internet. The text is clear and very well organized. And there are precious few errors. (I submitted most of the typos a previous reviewer complained about, because I liked the book so much I wanted it to be perfect. Sorry for the unintended effect Imar.)

Over the years I have read over 50 programming books. This easily ranks as one of the best. I am now on page 193 - and have made underlinings or notes on almost every page. First of all, it might be relevant to know that my background is classic ASP - but it's been a few years since I worked with it. Overall, the book flows beautifully and logically. Not only does the overall structure make sense, but the actual detail explanations are crystal clear. This book takes the reader on a logical course to understand all the key aspects of creating ASP.NET web sites (including key details of the Visual Web Developer interface). I am continually amazed at the flow, and the clear explanations of all relevant details. Additionally, I have posted a number of questions on the wrox forum website (look for the one that deals specifically with this book) and Imar - the author - quickly and thoroughly answered all my questions. My thanks to Imar for this work of outstanding quality - a truly helpful addition to the ASP community.

This is the best programming book I have read thus far and I am reading 4 right now! I have found the author himself to be extremely helpful at p2p.wrox.com and quick to answer my few hang-ups during my reading. Note that the only negative reviews at the time of this writing are from readers who have not gotten [much] farther than the first chapter, but the book is 18 chapters long! There are indeed a few spelling and other textual errors but that is to be expected in some degree of almost any book, and none of them have impacted the technical aspect or effectiveness of this book.

If you want to get a good grasp on the asp.net framework, buy this book... and read it!

I am using this text as the basis for a university-level business web application development course. It is a better introduction to ASP.NET 3.5 than any textbook I have found. The chapters unfold logically, each new skill building on the last. The prose is clear and relaxed. The code examples are correct and clearly presented. Imar has used the same organization and logic skills needed for good programming to produce an excellent book!

I have looked at several ASP.NET books but this particular one seems to be the best so far. The chronology of the book and the Try It Out sections are great. They force to learn by doing the hands on exercises. The book makes learning the ASP.NET subject very easy. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn the subject matter. The negative reviews that some people have levied on this book are unfounded. You can't base your opinion by reading one chapter. This book would also be a great reference material.
Good Luck.

Having been SO disappointed with most computer books, I'm happy to have found this one. This author does it "just right," with a tutorial style that flows well and provides a continuous learning experience.

Things I liked:

* The examples all work, are useful, and not tedious or trivial. You can either download them from the Wrox web site or type them in yourself (which is what I did, to reinforce the learning experience).
* The author's style is matter-of-fact, without any of the gratuitous silly humor or remarks that are so prevalent in books of this type.
* No space is wasted on describing the history of computing or trying to appeal to someone who has never used a computer before. The author doesn't assume you are a deep expert, nor does he gloss over things that you really DO need to know. Again, it's just right.
* There is the right amount of verbiage - enough to explain what's going on, but not so much that you have to read through many pages of dense text. The typical flow is a brief explanation of a new topic, followed by a quick exercise using Visual Web Developer. This really kept me moving along and gave me a feeling of continuous learning.
* As he introduces you to new things such as features of Visual Web Developer 2008, he will briefly describe some of the other options and features that you notice but don't need at the moment - another thing that appealed to my style of learning.

About the only complaint I have is that the author didn't find a way for me to learn all the material in this book in just a few hours, which, given the breadth of what one needs to know about ASP.NET, would have been impossible!

Overall this is a really solid book written by someone who clearly understands the topic, has actually used the tools he describes, and knows how to teach others how to use these things. I'm very satisfied.

This is the first book that I read on ASP.NET so perhaps my experience is limited, but I found the book well-written and very helpful. I spent a couple of weeks reading the book and working through the examples building the Planet Wrox website. Now I intend to use the book as a reference while I build my first web site at work.

In working through the book, I typed most of the code myself, but I appreciated having the source code available on the Wrox website. (Be sure to check out the Wrox site for errata as well.) I especially appreciated having the HTML source code, as my HTML and JavaScript skills were quite rusty. I was able to follow the examples, though.

I found it helpful that the code examples are in both Visual Basic and C# because at work I am switching from VB to C#. Readers who are already fluent in both languages may find the examples redundant, but there isn't a lot of code so there isn't much extra bulk.

It is appropriate that this book has "Beginning" in the title, as ASP.NET is a vast subject and no one book can cover it all. At several places in the text Mr. Spaanjaars makes recommendations for further reading, and I am already following his recommendations. I also appreciate the author's website with its articles and forum. This will not be the last ASP.NET book that I read, but it proved to be a very good first choice.

I have been programming in VB.NET and C# for several years and have just recently needed to write a program in ASP. I bought this book figuring it would get me started and i could look up the more complicated stuff online. I was able to read the book in 2 days and feel like I have a solid grasp of what I am doing. Everything is explained well, the examples are great, always written in both languages, and the results are easily seen (some books have examples where the results aren't seen for several chapters). I am actually excited to write the program now and have been looking for other projects that I can do in ASP.NET.

Have worked with ASP.NET 2.0 a bit over the past year or so. Excellent book for my level. Imar covered all of the questions I encountered as I made my way through the material. Examples were understandable and quick to implement. Very satisfied.