Murach's ASP.NET 2.0 Web Programming with C# 2005 [Paperback]

Joel Murach (Author), Anne Boehm (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1890774316 | ISBN-13: 978-1890774318 | Publication Date: March 21, 2006

For the current edition of this book, please see Murach's ASP.NET 3.5 Web Programming with C# 2008 (ISBN 9781890774486).

Are you trying to decide which ASP.NET 2.0 book to buy?

As its title implies, this book teaches you how to develop web applications using ASP.NET 2.0. That means it teaches all the features that are new in ASP.NET 2.0, including master pages, database access using both SQL and object data sources, the new code-behind model, site navigation features, authentication using the Web Site Administration tool and login controls, profiles, themes, and web parts.
But thatÂ’s just the beginning! Here are just a few of the features that set this book apart from other ASP.NET 2.0 books:

#1: It gives you a 5-chapter section on database programming
This is an area thatÂ’s changed dramatically from ASP.NET 1.x. So this section teaches you how to use SQL data sources and the GridView, DetailsView, and FormView controlsÂ… all new in ASP.NET 2.0 Â…to develop database applications with little or no C# code. Then, it teaches how to use object data sources, also new in ASP.NET 2.0, to create 3-layer applications that let you separate the presentation code from the data access code in an application.

#2: It teaches you ASP.NET 2.0 development the way it should be done, using Visual Studio 2005
Today, no developer should miss out on the productivity features of Visual Studio 2005 by using limited tools like Notepad. So section 1 in this book teaches you how to use Visual Studio 2005 to design, code, and test multi-page web applications that get database data and manage session state. Then, later chapters cover time-saving VS tools like the Query Builder and the Web Site Administration Tool.

#3: Complete applications show you how all the pieces interact
The key to mastering ASP.NET 2.0 is to have plenty of real-world applications that guide you in using the new features youÂ’re learningÂ…and that help you avoid the problems that you can run into as you build complex web sites. ThatÂ’s why this book gives you complete applications, including the web forms, the aspx code, and the C# code.

So if you need to learn ASP.NET 2.0, we hope you'll try this book first. We're convinced that it will deliver the training you need in record time.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

During the last 30 years, many customers have asked me how it is that a small publisher in Fresno can make the best programming books. The short answer is that no other publisher works the way we do.

Instead of using freelance writers who get no training, we use a small staff of programmers who are trained in our proven writing and teaching methods. Instead of publishing 40+ books each year, we focus on just a few. Instead of showing pieces of code, we provide complete applications that have been checked and re-checked for accuracy. And instead of rushing books to market, we refuse to let schedule or budget interfere with quality. As I see it, that’s the only way to make sure that every book we publish is the best one on its subject.

That’s why I say that no other ASP.NET 2.0 book will teach you so much, so fast, or so thoroughly as ours will. Try it and see for yourself!

About the Author

Joel Murach has been writing and editing for more than 10 years. During that time, he sharpened his programming skills as a contract programmer in San Francisco and his instructional skills as a trainer for HarperCollins Publishing. He always brings a vision to his projects that leads to improved effectiveness for his readers. That's especially evident in the books that he's co-authored in the last two years on Java , C# , and now ASP.NET .

Anne Boehm has over 20 years of experience as an enterprise programmer. For the past 7 years, sheÂ’s specialized in Visual Basic and .NET programming, and sheÂ’s authored or co-authored books on VB.NET, ADO.NET, and ASP.NET.

Product Details

• Paperback: 841 pages
• Publisher: Mike Murach & Associates (March 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890774316
• ISBN-13: 978-1890774318
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #874,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very thorough; a great guide to ASP.NET 2.0!, April 26, 2006

By 

S. Waletzko (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murach's ASP.NET 2.0 Web Programming with C# 2005 (Paperback)

This book is a comprehensive tutorial that walks the reader through the basics of virtually every aspect of Web site programming in ASP.NET 2.0. The first half of the book is dedicated in part to programmers new to Web programming in general, or new to Web programming ASP.NET. The second half of the book delves deeper into more professional Web development techniques such as database access, SSL, user authentication and profiles, and even touching on Web services and reusable Web component design. Throughout, the authors do a good job of pointing out features that are new or specific to .NET 2.0, which makes this a valuable reference even for programmers with extensive ASP.NET development experience.

For every two pages in the book (it weighs in at nearly 900 pages) the content is repeated once in classic Murach style; the left-hand page is a detailed description of the concept being covered written in a conversational tone, and the right-hand page contains a recap of this discussion in bulleted-form, with screenshots and / or code samples. This layout is ideal for both novice and expert readers alike; beginners learn faster when a concept is restated / repeated, and experts can skim through the right-hand pages looking for content that is new to them.

The authors assume that the reader has a working knowledge of C# syntax (there is a VB version as well), but pretty much everything else involved in Web site development using ASP .NET 2.0 is explained in detail.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very easy to follow format, June 16, 2006

By 

Austin C# "austinvb" (Cedar Park, TX USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Murach's ASP.NET 2.0 Web Programming with C# 2005 (Paperback)

I read most of this book over a weekend and that's a first for me. Generally, computer books are dry and boring. I was yet to finish reading any of them in its entirety and I have been programming for over a decade. But this book uses a clever approach of giving you expanded information on a topic on a page (generally the left one) and a bulleted summary description on the opposite page. So you can read the explanation, which is very well written, and then recap with the description. Or you can skip the explanation all together and still undertand the concept. The examples are good and illustrate the concepts quite well. The only reason I give this book four starts instead of five is that the database for the examples was specific to the MSDE version of SQL Server. I have both SQL Server 2000 and 2005 developer edition and could not attach the database to any of them. I was forced to download MSDE from Microsoft and intall it on my system. A waste of space in my opinion. The author should make available versions of the database of a higher version of SQL Server. Other than that, I am very happy to own this book.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dynamic Web Pages the Microsoft Way, April 8, 2006

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murach's ASP.NET 2.0 Web Programming with C# 2005 (Paperback)

If you're even thinking about this book, you have an interest in or a project to do regarding connecting a database to a web site. This could be something simple like putting in a guest book, or more complex like a full fledged store. ASP.NET is Microsoft's vision of how this should be done (using purely Microsoft products of course).

The Microsoft products used in the ASP.NET approach include the operating system (Windows - possibly XP Professional, more likely Windows Server), Internet Information Service (the web server), Visual Studio (the integrated development environment that includes C# - pronounced 'C Sharp'), and the database (probably SQL Server).

The book covers these software products. It uses the Murach two-page presentation where the left hand page gives a text description of an issue, and the right hand side a more visual description of the same issue. I happen to like this format a great deal. One page tends to say the same thing in a different way. Sometimes one way is preferred (preferred means that I understand it better), sometimes the other.

If you're serious about this subject, I think you also will need a book on the SQL language for the particular database you will be using. SQL is a programming language all by itself. If you just use ASP, you will be tempted to do things in ASP that would be better done in a more complex SQL statement.

A great book, not for the total computer novice, but if you're planning a web site and want dynamic pages that have data coming out of a web site ....