Professional ASP.NET 2.0 Design: CSS, Themes, and Master Pages...

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 474 pages
• Published by: Wrox; Pap/Onl edition September 11, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0470124482
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0470124482
• Book Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
• Weighs: 1.6 pounds

Product Description
Themes are a way to allow programmers to establish "skinnable" websites that can be programmatically adjusted for various purposes. A webmaster may decide that there should be a certain look and feel for site administrators while registered users see a different look and the remaining users see still a different view when they visit the site. This could include, among other things, completely different controls, graphics, and/or color schemes for each group. Users may want to set up a theme specifically targeted to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that removes all images and background colors and leaves the pages in stark contrast for that particular user group. Or maybe the developer just wants to let people choose the way they experience the site each time they visit.

Themes are very powerful and this book aims to highlight the potential of ASP.NET 2.0 Themes as well as their relationship to master pages and CSS in web applications today and illustrate many of the facets that can and should be included in theme development. While not specifically a designer's book, an overview of good web design and even a cheater's guide to PhotoShop will be included with the intent of taking the average ASP.NET Programmer and given them the knowledge to be "Renaissance Men and Women" of web design.

Specific topics covered in the book include:

• Browser, bandwidth, and accessibility considerations
• Use of color, fonts, multimedia
• CSS classes, elements, and Visual Studio CSS tools
• Master pages, child pages, and inheritance
• Consistent navigation and Site Maps
• Theme files, skin files, and applying themes
• A mobile theme example
• Basic PhotoShop tricks for Web Developers

Back Cover Copy
With ASP.NET 2.0, .NET developers finally have the tools in their hands to effortlessly create aesthetically pleasing web application interface designs that can be easily carried forward to create a consistent look and feel to their site. In this book you'll see how to join these new ASP.NET tools with universal web standards like CSS, color, graphics, and accessibility in the planning of any of your web projects. This combination will provide you with unique skills in the art of making powerful ASP.NET pages look as amazing as the technology that drives them.

Before delving into the new Navigation Controls, Master Pages, and Themes, ASP.NET programmers get a thorough grounding in basic web design considerations, including colors and fonts, Photoshop basics, and the basics of CSS standards. With these tools in hand, ASP.NET developers can expand their programming horizons to make ASP.NET sites that are not only well-designed but attractive and easy-to-use.

What you will learn from this book

• How adding visual and interface design skills to your data access and business logic skills makes you a well-rounded and valuable developer
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  How properly structured navigation controls can not only allow for the globalization of your site but can increase the security of your pages through integration with the ASP.NET Membership API
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  How Master pages can be used to template the look and feel of your site and how other pages can then inherit them
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  How to make ASP.NET controls render accessible CSS code rather than tables
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  How to create a new theme for only mobile devices using new graphics, CSS rules, and master pages
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  A preview of Microsoft's newest web developer technologies, including SilverLight and Visual Studio 2008

Who this book is for

ASP.NET developers who want to learn about using ASP.NET for web interface design. Examples are written in C# but should be easily understandable for experienced VB developers as well.

Wrox Professional guides are planned and written by working programmers to meet the real-world requirements of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job.

Reader Reviews
Let me get the bad out of the way first, so I can tell you why I think you should still consider buying this book. 1. Spends a bit of time on superfluous issues. For some of you, this might be a godsend, however, as development is often more than just coding these days. 2. Some fairly long code samples that fluff up the book without adding a huge amount. One illustration of CSS versus tables would be sufficient. 3. Not a lot of highlighting in code to point you to the points that have changed. 4. Some of the explanations are thin for those without a lot of experience in this particular topic. Now that I got that out of the way, let's look at why this book should be a welcome addition to your shelf. Reason 1 is it is the only book that focuses on this particular topic. Reason 2 is this topic is extremely important, although more often overlooked. If you have an ugly, unusable personal site, it is not a big deal, as your mom will still visit. But, with business, it can be devastating. And, now, with accessibility lawsuits, it can be costly, as well. Let's start from the beginning (a very good place to start, I hear). The first few chapters are a bit of overview and express the importance of things like CSS, accessibility and good web design. None of these will make you an expert, but they will likely push those of you still in table design over to the dark side (CSS). The arguments for accessibility, including information about recent legal actions against websites, may be the kicker. Chapter 3 also focuses on using Photoshop for designing a nice looking site. Some of the techniques will not apply to other image manipulation tools, but the basic ideas are useful for all. Chapters 4 and 5 focus on CSS. In particular, chapter 4 talks about setting up a site that appears "tabled" in CSS and chapter 5 gives you a great overview, and some practical advise, about the CSS Friendly ASP.NET controls. Chapter 6 talks about navigation and gives great practial advise on the web.sitemap file. This chapter was a godsend to me, as it finally gave me an epiphany on why roles were not working. This was actually a portion that fit #4 on my bad list, but sometimes seeing an example is enough to clue you in. :-) Chapter 7 is focused on master pages. One of the biggest aids here will be the bits on design. The pages on passing information from master to child is also very useful. Chapters 8 and 9 focus on themes. If you have a site that can be "skinned" different ways (by user or "site"), these chapters may well be worth the price of admission. Finally, chapter 10. This is one of the best chapters in the book, as it brings all of what you have learned together. It shows how to use a single code base to work with a wide variety of browser targets, including mobile devices. And, unlike many books, it does it in a very practical, real world way. There are also bonus appendices on Orcas (Visual Studio 2008) and Silverlight. Summary: Overall, this is an average book. As the only book on the topic, however, it gets a slightly higher nod. As this is a topic I have tried to drill into people's heads (i.e., building a site is as much about user experience as making things work), I would like to see as many people pick up this book as possible. Someone might come out with a better one at some time, but learning this material is a wise thing.