44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Average test prep, September 3, 2002
This review is from: MCAD/MCSD Self-Paced Training Kit: Developing Web Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual C# .NET (Paperback)
Much of this book is aimed at beginners. While this gets a bit tedious for many people seeking certification, a good grasp of the basics can help each of us become better programmers. If you have programmed web apps before, you will find the first chapter to be largely a waste of time. The next three will have some useful information, but only if you have never coded any .NET applications.
Around chapter 5, you may actually start to get some useful information, as this chapter is on ADO.NET, which is core to creating Enterprise level web applications. Much of the material here is fairly basic, however.
At this point in time, it probably sounds like I detest this book. I don't! There are a couple of real gems in this work, that are reason enough to buy it, even if you do not intend on getting certified. They are:
1. Chapter 9: Building and Deploying Web Applicatins: While the material is a bit basic, this is the only book that gets down to specifics on working with applications in web farms.
2. Chapter 10: Testing Web Applications: Some of the material in this chapter is highly useful even if you do not code for the Microsoft .NET platform.
3. Chapter 11: Creating Custom Web Controls: Once again, a bit basic, but the material is solid and gave me a great head start on developing my own custom controls.
4. Chapter 15: Globalizing Web Applications: While I do not agree with some of the Microsoft theory, like using resource files (in a web app?), learning how to set up an application for different languages is priceless in the day and age of global applications.
Now, to the important question: Do I think you can pass the test with this book alone? Possibly. But, only if you really followed through on doing all of the exercises. This book, and a good sample test, is all you are likely to need to get the job done.
My personal feeling on this book is it is well worth the price I paid, as I gleaned out a couple of really great techniques. While a few pointers may not justify the price tag for everyone, I consider what my time is worth and whether or not using a book cuts time out of searching through the help files. In the case of custom controls and globalization, the answer is a firm yes.
Another strong plus is the fact that the book contains an electronic copy on the CD-ROM. There is also a practice test, but I would not rely on it alone for gauging your competence. If you do not have a copy of Visual Studio .NET, this book also comes with a DVD with a 60 day Visual Studio .NET Professional trial.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Atrocious Editing, Awful Design Recommendations, September 8, 2003
This review is from: MCAD/MCSD Self-Paced Training Kit: Developing Web Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual C# .NET (Paperback)
I usually enjoy MS Press titles, but this one was miserable. Other reviewers have mentioned the plethora of shoddy, uncompilable code, so I won't bother to mention any examples. It is worth noting, I suppose, that the VB.NET examples are in somewhat better shape than the C# examples because the authors apparently wrote their examples in VB.NET, but translated to C# without ever compiling, much less testing, their translation. How such a terrible mess could have slipped out the MS-Press door is quite beyond me.
If you are technically astute and comfortable with C#, you can probably debug your way through the sample code and derive some benefit from the book. But then we get to area where this book falls down completely: the authors seem to be completely clueless with regard to sound software design. As a service to readers, let me offer some insights into where the book misses the mark so that your code will not similarly go astray:
1. The authors describe abstract classes and interfaces, but do not describe why you would use one or the other. Of course, the key differentiator that the authors miss is that an abstract class can include default implementations of methods. Here's a rule of thumb: if derived classes can piggyback on an implementation of a common base method or methods, put the common code in an abstract class. Otherwise, use an interface.
2. The authors explain that you cannot derive a web form from another web form (i.e., there is no visual inheritance). This is true enough, but many shops, including my customers when I was an MS consultant, plus the one where I now work, use a Page-derived base class from which all page classes inherit. This allows you to provide common functionality across all the pages in your site.
3. On page 157, the authors would have us iterate through a RadioButtonList, check each one to see if it is checked, then perform some operation if it is. This is just dumb. A radio button list can have only one checked member, and it can be accessed by calling RadioButtonList.SelectedItem (or SelectedIndex or SelectedValue, depending on your situation).
4. On page 200, the page class sets stores "true" in ViewState["Changed"] in the TextBox_TextChanged event handler, then checks the value of ViewState["Changed"] in the butExit_Click event handler. Again, the code works, but it's really dumb. Both event handlers will get fired in the same postback, so you ought to give the class that implements the Page a boolean member variable with a default false value. When the TextChanged event fires, set the member variable to true. Then use the member variable in the butExit_Click method. Using ViewState in this situation is kind of like sending a package to your next-door neighbor via Fedex, rather than walking over and ringing his door bell.
5. On p. 254, the authors recommend instantiating a single database connection in global.asax and making it available for each user connection by setting a session variable in the Session_Start event handler. Supposedly, this design "conserves resources and makes it easier to maintain connection and adapter settings...." In fact, what this will do is make your web site scale miserably because every single user will have to wait in line while the others take turns sharing that single connection. **I cannot emphasize enough how bad this design is.**
Windows servers have built in connection-pooling capabilities that do a great job of conserving resources while providing good scalability. Just instantiate a new connection for every database operation, and allow the Windows infrastructure to do its magic behind the scenes. And if you're smart, you'll do this in a class (or classes) in a distinctive logical tier that most designers call the data access layer. However, the three-tier (later n-tier) design revolution that swept through the Windows software world starting about 6 years ago seems to have completely escaped the notice of our authors.
6. On p. 261, the authors use a typed dataset with a type name of dsContacts. They also have a member variable with the name of dsContacts. Does anyone else see the potential for confusion here?
7. On p. 385, the authors recommend using user name as the primary key for a user table. The problems this database design will cause are severe.
* When the second "John Smith" or "Mary Jones" tries to access your system, you'll get a database error. The only workaround is to get John or Mary to use a different name. Yeah, right.
* Using a long string as a foreign key on other tables that reference the user table leads to inefficient space utilization and terrible performance when you do joins.
Anybody who knows anything about database design knows that you set up some kind of guaranteed unique key, such as an auto-increment integer, and make name an attribute of the user.
8. The authors fail to note that if session state uses the sqlserver mode, session state will survive a reset when web.config is changed, so users will not be adversely affected.
9. On p. 408, the authors ignore the security implications of causing an authentication cookie to be written to a user's hard drive. This is a recipe for disaster for users who are accessing a web app from a public location (library, kiosk, Kinko's, etc.) because subsequent users will have access to their credentials by virtue of the authentication cookie already on the hard drive. Do your users a favor and set the createPersistentCookie parameter to false when you call RedirectFromLoginPage().
I could write a much lengthier list of "really dumb coding ideas" to accompany this list of really dumb design ideas, but space does not permit. So let me conclude by stating what should by now be obvious: if you have extensive experience with object-oriented web programming in a multi-tier design paradigm, but simply lack exposure to ASP.NET syntax, you can probably find something useful in this book. Otherwise, stay away!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Just took the beta exam., July 20, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: MCAD/MCSD Self-Paced Training Kit: Developing Web Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual C# .NET (Paperback)
I used this book almost exclusively to prepare for the beta exam (along with MSDN). Overall I'd say the book does a pretty good job of preparing you. If you really want to be sure I'd get ADO.NET, ASP.NET, and XML book(s) to complement it.
I didn't have time to run through all the labs, but the ones I did do worked just fine.
The test-prep software does have good questions, but (as other posters have mentioned) it doesn't give any feedback about if you got the question right or wrong. If you are not used to MCP exams, I'd purchase some 'third party' test-prep software also.
It is a gigantic leap forward for a MS-Press book. I've never been a fan on MS-Press's 'Test Prep' books, but this one can legitimately compete 'third party' books.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
