Murach's ASP.NET 2.0 Web Programming with VB 2005

Product Details :

Author : Anne Boehm, Doug Lowe
Paperback: 841 pages
Publisher: Mike Murach & Associates (January 30, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN: 1890774324
Product Dimensions: 10.0 x 8.1 x 1.8 inches




Book Description


"This book is by far the best computer programming book I have ever bought. You can go into my upstairs closet and find 20-30 books that I have purchased since the days of VB6. All of them have a few useful pages in them, but all together, they could not add up to as much information as you have given me in the first 11 chapters of this book."(A developer’s comment on this book in an email sent to Murach Books)

If you know how to code Windows forms using Visual Basic and want to move to the next level of professional development by mastering web programming, don’t miss out on the practical ASP.NET training that’s packed into this book.

As its title implies, it teaches all the features that are new in ASP.NET 2.0, including master pages, database access using both SQL and object data sources, the new code-behind model, site navigation features, authentication using the Web Site Administration tool and login controls, profiles, themes, and web parts. And of course, it teaches all the ASP.NET features that are unchanged in this release and that you’re going to use every day.

But a lot of ASP.NET 2.0 books say they do that. So here are just a few of the reasons why professional developers like this book so much:

#1: It gives you a 5-chapter section on database programming
Database handling is crucial in business programming, yet it’s glossed over in just a chapter or two in many books. In contrast, this 5-chapter section teaches you how to use SQL data sources and the GridView, DetailsView, and FormView controls…all new in ASP.NET 2.0…to develop database applications with little or no VB code. Then, it teaches how to use object data sources, also new in ASP.NET 2.0, to create 3-layer applications that let you separate the presentation code from the data access code in an application.

#2: It teaches you ASP.NET 2.0 development the way it should be done,
using Visual Studio 2005
Today, no developer should miss out on the productivity features of Visual Studio 2005 by using limited tools like text editors. So section 1 in this book teaches you how to use Visual Studio 2005 to design, code, and test multi-page web applications that get database data and manage session state. Then, later chapters cover time-saving VS tools like the Query Builder and the Web Site Administration Tool.

#3: Complete applications show you how all the pieces interact
The key to mastering ASP.NET 2.0 is to have plenty of real-world applications that guide you in using the new features you’re learning…and that help you avoid the problems that you can run into as you build complex web sites. That’s why this book gives you complete applications, including the web forms, the aspx code, and the VB code.

#4: The distinctive "paired-pages" format* makes learning…
and reference…a breeze
A few years ago, a customer used the term "paired pages" to describe our presentation style, and the name has stuck. It means that this book presents each topic in a two-page spread. The right page gives screen shots, code, syntax, bulleted details—whatever is needed to illustrate and summarize the topic; the left page provides extra explanation and perspective as needed. That makes it easy for developers at any level to skim through material they already know and focus on what’s new to them. It means less reading for everyone. And it makes the book a quick and easy-to-use reference guide once you’re done training.

(*To see how paired pages work, you can download free chapters from the Murach web site.)

So if you need to learn ASP.NET 2.0, we hope you'll try this book first. We're convinced that it will deliver the training you need better and faster than any competing book.

From the Publisher
During the last 30 years, many customers have asked me how it is that a small publisher in Fresno can make the best programming books. The short answer is that no other publisher works the way we do.

Instead of using freelance writers who get no training, we use a small staff of programmers who are trained in our proven writing and teaching methods. Instead of publishing 40+ books each year, we focus on just a few. Instead of showing pieces of code, we provide complete applications that have been checked and re-checked for accuracy. And instead of rushing books to market, we refuse to let schedule or budget interfere with quality. As I see it, that’s the only way to make sure that every book we publish is the best one on its subject.

That’s why I say that no other ASP.NET 2.0 book will teach you so much, so fast, or so thoroughly as ours will. Try it and see for yourself!

Spotlight Reviews :

Reviewer: Stephen Rosenbach (Arnold, MD USA)
Another hit from Mike Murach & Associates, this book by Boehm & Lowe is very well-written and includes quite a lot of material.

The book follows the typical and very effective Murach style of a left-hand page of explanatory text on a specific concept and a right-hand page of code and/or illustration that is linked to the text on the facing page. I find this sort of presentation really helps me focus on the current topic. Also, eliminating the necessity of page-turning to find an accompanying example makes for a better learning experience.

The book is suitable for a programmer who is just getting into .Net development. It will also be useful for more experienced .Net programmers migrating from .Net 1.x, as it includes a lot of new material specific to .Net 2.0. The chapters on security and profiles are especially welcome.

Coverage of ADO.Net 2.0 and interfacing it with web controls is very good for beginners. Advanced users will find it a little thin in terms of being able to solve some common issues - like drop-down list controls inside a grid control. But to be fair, most of the other books I've seen don't cover this either.

The authors were highly selective in what they included. For example, you don't have to wade through 300 pages of "what is a form" and "what is an event" before you get to useful information. Even so, the book runs to about 800 pages, or about 45% "heavier" than Murach's equivalent 1st-generation book, "Murach's VB.NET Database Programming with ADO.NET". This is understandable because there is a lot of new functionality in .Net 2.0 that they had to cover.

I might have liked to see a chapter or two on how to create and use Classes in VB 2005, but that would have likely added another 200 pages, so I can understand the omission.

The bottom line is that it's $52.50 list price (and much less from Amazon and elsewhere), this book is money well spent. If you're just starting out with ASP.Net, definitely go for this book. If you are a more advanced .Net developer, at least give it a look - it may also be very worthwhile for you.