Programming the Web with Visual Basic .NET

921 Pages·2002·37.37 MB·English

by  Lynn Torkelson

Programming the Web
with Visual Basic .NET
LYNN IDRKELSON, CONSTANCE PETERSEN, AND ZAC IDRKELSON
APress Media, LLC
Programming the Web with Visual Basic .NET
Copyright © 2002 Apress
Originally published by SoftMedia Artisans, Inc.
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ISBN 978-1-59059-027-0 ISBN 978-1-4302-1102-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4302-1102-0
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To Allen Ray Torkelson, father and grandfather, who taught his
family to seek out the great challenges that life offers, and who,
by example, instilled the courage to meet those challenges. And
to the memory ofH elen Lindseth Torkelson, mother and
grandmother, who taught us that making beautiful music
requires not only talent but also study and practice.
To Freda Suzanne Petersen, mother and grandmother, who
proudly encouraged her daughter's "mechanically inclined"
nature and taught us all to cherish family times. And to the
memory ofS teve Arthur Petersen, father and grandfather, who
found joy in crafting precision machine parts and taught us to
strive for accuracy and perfection in our own craft.
Contents at a Glance
Foreword ................................................................................................................ xiii
About the Authors ............................................................................................... xv
Acknowledgments ................................................................................................ xvii
Introduction ....................................................................................................... xix
Chapter 1 Meeting the Challenges of the Web ................................ 1
Chapter 2 Creating a Web Application ............................................. 37
Chapter 3 Creating a Web Page ............................................................. 93
Chapter 4 Using the HTML Controls .................................................. 139
Chapter 5 Using the Web Server Controls ..................................... 223
Chapter 6 Using the Validation Controls ..................................... 303
Chapter 7 Using Data-Bound Controls ............................................. 341
Chapter 8 Developing an XML Web Service ..................................... 401
Chapter 9 Accessing Relational Data ............................................. 453
Chapter 10 Creating a User Control .................................................. 531
Chapter 11 Creating a Rendered Control ......................................... 575
Chapter 12 Creating a Composite Control ....................................... 613
Chapter 13 Building a Web Application ........................................... 639
Chapter 14 Configuring and Deploying a Web Application ...... 719
Chapter 15 Creating a Web Site ........................................................... 767
Appendix A Web Design and Usability: Tips and Tricks ........... 833
Appendix B HTML Quick Reference ........................................................ 851
Appendix C XML Quick Reference ........................................................... 863
Appendix D Setting Up Your Own Development Server ................. 875
Index ...................................................................................................................... 879
v
Contents
Foreword ............................................................................................................... xiii
About the Authors .......................................................................................
xv
Acknowledgments .......................................................................................... xvii
Introduction .................................................................................................. xix
Chapter 1 Meeting the Challenges of the Web .................. 1
What Are the Challenges of Web Development? ....................................... 1
Creating Multitiered Applications for the Web .................................. 2
Using HTML and XML ............................................................................................. 9
Programming in the Internet Environment .............................................. 17
ASP. NET Names paces ........................................................................................... 27
Recap ........................................................................................................................ 36
Chapter 2 Creating a Web Application .................................. 37
Starting a Web Project ................................................................................... 38
Using the Global. as ax File .......................................................................... 53
Cascading Style Sheets ................................................................................... 69
Instrumentation and Tracing ........................................................................ 83
Recap ........................................................................................................................ 91
Chapter 3 Creating a Web Page ....................................................
93
Understanding the ASP. NET Control Tree ................................................ 94
Unraveling the Page Processing Sequence ............................................ 101
Understanding Web Form Classes ............................................................... 120
Recap ...................................................................................................................... 137
vii
Contents
Chapter 4 Using the HTML Controls ......................................... 139
The HTMLControls Namespace ......................................................................... 140
Using Image Controls ...................................................................................... 144
Using Container Controls ............................................................................. 152
Using Input Controls ...................................................................................... 201
Using Client Events ........................................................................................ 217
Recap ...................................................................................................................... 221
Chapter 5 Using the Web Server Controls ......................... 223
Understanding the Capabilities of Web Server Controls .............. 224
The Web Controls Namespace ......................................................................... 228
Using Basic Web Server Controls .............................................................. 242
Using Complex Web Server Controls ......................................................... 285
Recap ...................................................................................................................... 301
Chapter 6 Using the Validation Controls ......................... 303
Adding a Validation Control to a Web Page ........................................ 304
The Validation Base Classes ...................................................................... 307
Validating Required Fields ......................................................................... 311
Validat:j.ng Field Formats ............................................................................. 312
Validating Field Values ............................................................................... 321
Performing Custom Validation .................................................................... 326
Using the ValidationSummary Control ..................................................... 332
Recap ...................................................................................................................... 339
Chapter 7 Using Data-Bound Controls ................................... 341
Data Binding ....................................................................................................... 341
Using the Collection Controls .................................................................. 350
Recap ...................................................................................................................... 399
Chapter 8 Developing an XML Web Service ........................ .401
Describing an XML Web Service .................................................................. 402
Communicating with an XML Web Service ................................................ .405
Locating an XML Web Service ...................................................................... 409
Creating an XML Web Service ...................................................................... 411
Accessing an XML Web Service .................................................................... 423
Returning an Array from a XML Web Method .......................................... 433
Returning a Structure from a Web Method ............................................ 435
viii
Contents
Exchanging Objects with a Web Method .................................................. 437
Using SOAP Headers ......................................................................................... 439
Recap ...................................................................................................................... 451
Chapter 9 Accessing Relational Data ...................................
453
What Is Special About ADO.NET? ............................................................... 454
The ADO.NET DataSet Class .......................................................................... 455
Data Providers .................................................................................................. 458
Accessing a Database from a Dataset .................................................... 462
Populating a Database ................................................................................... 483
Using a Data Reader ....................................................................................... 496
Improving Column Names via Mapping ...................................................... 501
Using Data Views .............................................................................................. 504
Accessing a Dataset via an XML Web Service ..................................... 508
Editing a Database Table from a DataGrid ......................................... 509
Validating Data Table Entries ................................................................. 517
Recap ...................................................................................................................... 529
Chapter Creating a User Control ........................................
10 531
Understanding User Controls ...................................................................... 532
Creating a Simple User Control ............................................................... 537
Exposing User Control Properties ........................................................... 542
Changing Content Dynamically .................................................................... 547
Handling User Control Client Events .................................................... 553
Converting a Web Form to a User Control ............................................ 560
Caching Output for Reuse ............................................................................ 561
Recap ...................................................................................................................... 573
Chapter Creating a Rendered Control ..............................
11 575
Creating a Web Control Library ............................................................... 575
Creating a Simple Rendered Control ...................................................... 577
Registering and Using a Custom Control .............................................. 585
Using Web Control Properties .................................................................... 594
Rendering Content Changes Dynamically ................................................ 598
Handling PostBack Events ............................................................................ 602
Recap ...................................................................................................................... 610
ix
Contents
Chapter 12 Creating a Composite Control ............................ 613
Creating a Simple Composite Control ..................................................... 613
Varying Styles Within a Composite Control ........................................ 617
Raising an Event from a Composite Control ........................................ 624
Creating a Template Control ...................................................................... 630
Recap ...................................................................................................................... 636
Chapter 13 Building a Web Application .................................
639
Updating a Database from a Web Application ...................................... 640
Authenticating a Visitor ............................................................................. 665
Viewing Database Information from a Web Site ................................. 692
Recap ...................................................................................................................... 717
Chapter 14 Configuring and Deploying
a Web Application ........................................................
719
Configuring a Web Application .................................................................. 720
Securing a Web Application ......................................................................... 738
Deploying a Web Application ...................................................................... 751
Recap ...................................................................................................................... 765
Chapter 15 Creating a Web Site ................................................... 767
Working with a Professional Designer ................................................... 767
Implementing a Web Design ........................................................................... 775
Encapsulating Design Elements in Controls ........................................ 784
Personalizing Web Pages ............................................................................... 809
Reading Database Information Efficiently .......................................... 817
Inviting Spiders} Crawlers} and Surfers ............................................ 825
Recap ...................................................................................................................... 831
Appendix A Web Design and Usability:
Tips and Tricks .............................................................
833
Gain Trust Through Clear Writing ........................................................... 833
Create Effective} Useful Web Links ....................................................... 838
Make Web Pages Easy to Navigate .............................................................. 841
Add Value with a Web Site Search Tool ................................................. 843
Produce Fast-Loading} High-Quality Graphics ................................... 845
Make Your Web Site More Accessible ....................................................... 848
Recap ...................................................................................................................... 849
X
Contents
Appendix 8 HTML Quick Reference ................................................
851
The Doctype Declaration .............................................................................. 851
The html Section .............................................................................................. 852
The head Section .............................................................................................. 852
The body Section .............................................................................................. 854
Formatting Web Pages with HTML ............................................................... 854
Appendix C XML Quick Reference ..................................................
863
Document Object Model ................................................................................... 864
Node Trees ........................................................................................................... 864
Nodes ...................................................................................................................... 866
Appendix D Setting Up Your Own
Development Server .....................................................
875
Hardware Requirements for Windows 2000 Server .............................. 878
Source Code Control ....................................................................................... 878
Index ...................................................................................................................
879
xi