Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 1104 pages
- Published by: Sams
- Edition: 2nd Edition August 22, 2002
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0672324458
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0672324451
-
Book Dimensions:
9.1 x 7.2 x 2.2 inches
- Weighs: 3.8 pounds
Product Review
Ideal for anyone new to Web programming on Windows and for anyone making the leap from the older ASP to the new ASP.NET,
Sams Teach Yourself ASP.NET in 21 Days offers an approachable guide to the latest in
Microsoft .NET technologies. The author's example-packed and accessible presentation style help make this title a success.
In a three-week lesson plan (actually this book has 23 lessons, plus three extra "bonus" weekly sample programs), this text walks the reader through the essential APIs and programming techniques needed to use ASP.NET effectively. For those with some previous ASP experience, this book shows what's different (and better) in ASP.NET. (In fact, every chapter has a section marked "But That's Not ASP!" where the author points out gotchas and tips for navigating the richness and complexity of the new ASP.NET.)
After covering basic Web Forms and controls, the author looks at database support and ADO.NET, then XML, in subsequent sections. He uses an online banking application, which is enhanced after each full week, to show off techniques from each group of lessons. (His final, fanciful "BananaMobile" online application, however, might be a bit off the mark for some business readers.) Along the way, there's good coverage here of Web services and the basics of configuring and deploying ASP.NET applications on live servers. A late section on mobile controls glances at Mobile Web controls.
Like other titles in the Teach Yourself series, every lesson presents the reader with a handful of questions (usually about a half dozen), with thorough answers provided in a reference appendix. In all, this title will make ASP.NET accessible for just about anyone, with or without exposure to the older ASP standard. Clearly written and well organized, the author covers a lot of material but doesn't get bogged down with the somewhat daunting details of .NET.
--Richard Dragan
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Sams Teach Yourself ASP.NET in 21 Days, Second Edition offers an approachalbe guide to the latest in
Microsoft .NET technologies. The author's example-packed and accessible presentation style helped make the previous edition a success. The book walks the reader through the .NET Framework and teaches techniques needed to program Web applications efficiently. For experienced user of the previous version of ASP, this title will serve as an invaluable "upgrade" tool. After covering Web Forms and Server Controls, the author explores at database access with ADO.NET and XML. An application will be built throughout the book to illustrate techniques learned each day. XML Web Services are covered in detail due to their tight integration with ASP.NET applications. Overall this title will make ASP.NET accessible for just about anyone, with or without exposure to the older ASP standard.
Reader Reviews
From the introduction: "Previous programming is not required, but will help immensely" (page 1). Correction: programming experience IS required and will indeed help immensely. "The only must-have prerequisites are a basic knowledge of HTML and some familiarity with your operating system" (page 2). Correction: In order to be able to follow the examples, you need to be familiar with C#, VB, and XML programming languages and understand what .NET delivers and how to install its components on your machine because you will need all these to run your examples, exercises, and projects. Having said this, I move to state that the master ASP in 21 days does not look like a realistic goal. In fact, if you are a beginner, chances are that by day three you will be thoroughly confused (and maybe even frustrated). According to my view, the main weakness of this book lies in its overly ambitious scope. Although clearly and coherently written, despite its 900 plus pages, Teach Yourself ASP.Net... barely covers the basics and lets you hanging on at topics that need substantial coverage, for example: web forms, user controls, caching, and business objects, to name a few. It does start on an ambitious note with an impressive agenda but the author soon loses touch with his audience and starts using advanced notions without properly explaining their purpose or entangles himself in some awkward phrases: "The if statement on line 18 checks the CheckBox control's Checked property to determine if the check box is checked" (page 163). The learning process is also slowed down by lack of practicality; after going through ten listings where the "Hello World" or "Hello There" outputs are used, one starts to get a little bored. In all fairness though, the book does contain a few interesting projects, which add to its stronger features. Another feature that I disagreed with was the usage of VB and C# languages. The author starts by listing examples using both languages but soon abandons C# almost completely in favor of VB. This is clearly not a book for beginners and one absolutely needs to complement the reading with other books on the subject. As far as the 21 one days goal is concerned, I think that although not incorrect, it is deceiving. It depends on how many hours a day one can set aside for study. If the answer is 24, then, yes, the target is achievable.
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