eager to learn said
The book is easy to read, the code is easy to implement and works exactly as explained. I found everything to be very well explained, so I never had to spend extra time on trying to figure out a missing step, which is usually what prevents me from getting the code to execute in other textbooks. The material is very well presented and organized and all the features explained are very useful. I would recommend this book to everyone who has never used ASP before and would like to quickly learn it. I have programming background, so that may be helpful for the quick and easy understanding :)
John R. Vacca said
Do you want to learn how to build rich and interactive web sites that run on the Microsoft platform? If you do, then this book is for you! Authors Cristian Darie and Wyatt Barnett, have done an outstanding job of writing the third edition of a book that shows you how to create a feature-rich, data-driven, and interactive web site.
Darie and Barnett, begin by introducing you to ASP.NET basics and the .NET platform. You'll see how to obtain and install Visual Web Developer 2008; and, get instructions for downloading and installing the free edition of Visual Web Developer 2008, called the Express Edition. Next, the authors show you how to create a new web site and how to add new elements like pages to it. Then, they show you how to make good use of how to construct ASP.NET Web pages and build Web applications. They continue by introducing you to the large number of server controls that are available, explain what they are used for, and show you how to use them. Next, the authors introduce you to programming with a strong focus on programming web pages and VB and C# programming basics. Then, they help you to centralize the looks of controls and other visual elements in your site. The authors continue by showing you how to programmatically send users from one page to another. Next, they show you how to create and use User Controls and enhance them with some programmatic intelligence. They continue by showing you how to accept, validate, and process user input using ASP.NET server controls. Additionally, they show you how to use validation controls. Next, the authors show you how to use the built-in ASP.NET Ajax features to enhance the presence of your web pages, thus resulting in a smoother interaction with the web site. Then, they show you the basics of SQL, the query language that allows you to access and alter data in a database; as well as, database design and development. They continue showing you how to use the ASP.NET data-bound and data source controls to create a rich interface that enables your users to interact with the data in the database that these controls target. Finally, the authors show you what LINQ is all about, how to use the visual LINQ designer built into Visual Web Developer; how to speak SQL; display content using data lists; explain what Ado.Net is all about; manage content by using grid view and details view; access advanced data; implement security and user authentication; and work with files and email.
This most excellent book will help you create a great foundation to build any type of web site, ranging from simple hobby-related web sites to sites you may be creating for commercial purposes. More importantly, it will show you how to obtain and install Visual Web Developer.
Jim Francis said
I had a really good look at this alongside about 10 other books (in a book store for a few hours) and it was one of two that I finally selected. What I really like is the fact that the website screenshots looks like a decent professional website. So many of these ASP.Net books show screenshots of websites that look totally amateurish and unusable in the real World. I like to see programming books that show slick results and this book fixes that problem with some very cool screenshots.
It has decent technical coverage of the material and it's very nicely laid out and easy to digest.
It's a great beginner/intermediate level book if you're just starting out.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
M. Puente said
I have the 2005 edition of this book. The 2005 edition of this book was written by an author who teaches ASP.NET in San Diego. The 2005 addition author takes time to explain concepts and the real estate of Visual Web Developer. Unfortunately, in chapter 6 the book refers to Web Data Administrator which is obsolete, so I decided to buy the latest revision. Well, the third addition was written by new authors, which seems to give only the facts with little or no explanation of concepts. The third addition is a clumsy read. I grew tired of fighting to understand what the xxxx the authors where taking about so I returned the book.***The preceding statements are not a statement of fact but merely the personal, subjective opinion of the writer.
John M. Molendyk said
I really appreciate this book for what it is, a beginner's book. Will this book be applicable to you as a seasoned developer in any language, I don't think so, it really is a "Build your own site" type of book.
For those who are interested in getting a solid foundation in many of the basics of ASP.NET 2.0, I would recommend this book. I will be following this book with Damien Foggon's ASP.NET Beginning DB Book and then moving to Chistian Darie's ASP.NET Ecommerce book finishing up with the Problem, Design Solution ASP.NET 2.0 by wrox. I tend to need alot of example to get me where I am going, and I feel like I got much more of a bang for my buck with this book as it was easy to read and follow the examples.
Now, I did run into some setup issues that produced some errors along the way. Patience and persistence paid off everytime, along with some assistance from those on the web who had the same problems before me. In no way was the book responsible for my system setup, I actually received support from the sitepoint forums, so thanks.
Looking forward to getting into the next book. BTW, I have already built 5 published sites with just the help of this book and I have more clients calling.
In summary, from html to asp.net 2.0 in 8 days with great success! Thanks for a great book!
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