ASP.NET 2.0 Demystified (Paperback)

~ James Keogh (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

There’s no easier, faster, or more practical way to learn the really tough subjects

ASP .NET 2.0 Demystified explains how to write server-side components for dynamic, interactive Web pages and powerful Web-based applications that are easy to develop and modify. This self-teaching guide comes complete with key points, background information, quizzes at the end of each chapter, and even a final exam. Simple enough for beginners but challenging enough for advanced students, this is a lively and entertaining brush-up, introductory text, or classroom supplement.

From the Back Cover

The fast and easy way to learn ASP.NET 2.0

Get up to speed on ASP.NET 2.0 in no time using this easy-to-follow guide. ASP.NET 2.0 Demystified shows you how to write server-side components for dynamic, interactive web pages and powerful web-based applications. Step-by-step instructions with lots of examples help you learn quickly.

First, you’ll find out how web applications and programming languages work, then you’ll learn the fundamentals of ASP.NET 2.0, including forms, objects, and variables. Next, it’s on to generating dynamic web pages, using databases, managing sessions, handling errors, and debugging programs. Featuring end-of-chapter quizzes and a final exam, this book will have you programming in ASP.NET 2.0 right away.

Simple enough for a beginner, but challenging enough for an advanced student, ASP.NET 2.0 Demystified is your shortcut to mastering this powerful web development tool.

This one of a kind self-teaching text offers:

• An easy way to understand ASP.NET 2.0
• A quiz at the end of each chapter
• A final exam at the end of the book
• No unnecessary technical jargon
• A time-saving approach

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072261412
• ISBN-13: 978-0072261417
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,138,151 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Needs an editor, October 18, 2005

By	TheCafeWriter (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

On page 2 of the introduction, it says "You can copy examples illustrated in this book from our web site" - which is where? Because nowhere in this book can I find any kind of URL. It could be the publisher's at [...], but once you get there, this book isn't listed for either code downloads or for errata (and it should be on both web pages).

And I wouldn't need to find their web page at all if it weren't for the errors, starting with the first web application project in Chapter 3.

For example, you're told to name the property ID you assign to a button as CreateAccount. But when you write the server-side code a couple of pages later, the property in the instructions is now called CreateNewAccount. For someone totally new to this material, following it exactly - and in a book supposedly intended for those people - it's these kinds of details that can mess you up. Also, in the step-by-step instructions, you can't "set the Read Only Property to Read Only" as you're being told to do. The Read Only property is either "true" or "false."

(In chapter 2, you create the famous "Hello, world." By why does the author use aging HTML tags like "< b >" instead of XHTML or XML tags like "< strong >"?)

I'm only 3 chapters in and I'm already disappointed. What should have been an accessible book for beginners is a potential nightmare journey of not knowing when something went wrong because of something you did or because the book has led you astray.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars For the non programmer or non technical reader, June 7, 2006

By	S2 - Candle Trader (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

The title should be asp.net 2.0 Demystified for the Clueless. It assumes you know nothing about programming then trys to explain loops, sub routines, functions and data types; if you understand these this book isn't for you.

Besides the errors mentioned in other reviews this book continually let's you know you can build ASP.NET sites using notepad, while technically true who would want to when VWD Express Edition is available Free and even comes on CD with the 24 hours book.

A better starter book would be ASP.NET 2.0 for Dummies by Bill Hatfield. If you are a bit higher on the learning curve try ASP.NET 2.0 in 24 Hours by Scott Mitchell.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Confusing, incomplete, inaccurate, May 27, 2006

By	Sean - See all my reviews

After the first 2 chapters, it was painfully clear this book was not written by someone familiar with the release version of Visual Studio 2005 - which this book references and recommends for following along with the examples. I will give the author the benefit of doubt on this - and assume that he simply tried to write this book too early using a pre-release version of Visual Studio 2005. Regardless, the result is an extremely confusing tour of ASP.NET 2.0. This is particularly disappointing given the intended audience for this book.
I could find none of the downloadable examples mentioned, but even more frustrating was that I could find no errata on the McGraw-Hills Web site or on Jim Keogh's Web site.
I strongly suggest you avoid this book. I will be returning it today.