Exploring ASP.NET 2.0 Using Visual C# 2005 Beta 2

asp:review

Exploring ASP.NET 2.0 Using Visual C# 2005 Beta 2

An Effective Tool for Visual Learners

By Mike Riley

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then 24 movingframes per second is equivalent to 1,440,000 words per minute. Although AppDev sExploring ASP.NET 2.0 Using Visual C# 2005 Beta 2, presented on six CD-ROMs ora single DVD-ROM and featuring more than nine hours of video, doesn t quiteextrapolate to billions of words using this poetic analogy, it nevertheless canbe a more effective way of learning the new features of ASP.NET 2.0 for peoplewho prefer to learn visually (a VB.NET 2005 version is also available inExploring ASP.NET 2.0 Using Visual Basic 2005 Beta 2). Even for those whoprefer the less expensive path of reading a book, the assurance of watching theexpected behavior on screen is absorbed much faster than the printed word.

Ken Getz, a longtime and well-known developer and educatorof Microsoft application development technologies, and Andy Baron and MaryChipman introduce and guide viewers through six learning modules. The contentin both Visual C# and Visual Basic editions are identical sans the specificcode example programming sections and sample files that can be installed.

Module 1 provides an overall introduction to ASP.NET 2.0features. Module 2 dives into the deeper facets of membership services,including demonstrations of the LoginStatus, LoginView, ChangePassword,PasswordRecovery, and CreateNewAccount controls. Module 3 features postingtechniques ranging from standard, XMLHTTP, and cross-page postbacks. Validationcontrols and database binding techniques are also covered in this module. The fourthmodule discusses ASP.NET 2.0 s membership and profile capabilities. This modulealso covers the programmatic implementation of Web parts for additional portalpersonalization needs. Module 5 provides a detailed view of how to programMicrosoft s new GridView control. This section also covers themes and skins andconcludes with a demonstration of Master Pages. The series closes with Module 6,which covers Web site navigation via the new navigation controls, including demonstrationsof SiteMapDataSource, Menu, SiteMapPath, and TreeView. Cache dependencies,profiles and result sets are also discussed and demonstrated.

The presentation interface, dubbed the AppDev LearningEngine (ALE), is clean and intuitive, but is also not without some problems(see Figure 1). First, ALE runs at a fixed 1024x768 resolution, which isannoying for laptops running a lower resolution or desktops running a highersetting. More bothersome is the fact that ALE fails to disable the Windowsscreen saver, forcing users to either jiggle the mouse every so often or togglethe screen saver before and after each viewing. Viewing controls can only bedriven by the mouse, which I found aggravating since I ve become accustomed tousing the Windows Media Player keyboard shortcuts. CTRL+P failed to pause/playand CTRL+SHIFT+G failed to play back at a faster speed, which is something I dowhen scrubbing over a lengthy video presentation searching for a particularitem of interest. ALE also doesn t support bookmarks; this is a realdisadvantage when trying to reference material for later playback. What sreally disappointing is that all these features (and plenty more) wereavailable in Microsoft s own CBT CD-ROMs that they marketed during the VisualBasic 4.0 days, at a time when the predominant Windows video format was AVI. Atleast the video playback quality has dramatically improved since those earlierdays.

Figure 1: The AppDev Learning Engine(ALE) interface, running at a static 1024x768 resolution, is simple andintuitive to navigate.

The content on each CD-ROM takes up only a small amount oftotal space on each disc and the DVD-ROM version is questionable as the sixmodules can fit on a single CD-ROM. Regardless, the video quality is excellentand can be presented in full screen with minimal artifacts. As for the qualityof the content, the presenter s accomplished oratory skills are polished andthey are quite enthusiastic about the subject matter; perhaps even a bit tooenthusiastic at least during the face-shot introductions (see Figure 2). Smile,you re on camera. Smile bigger, you re talking about .NET. Smile! At least thepresenters seem more natural when they re narrating over the computer screenmovie captures, complete with the occasional um and you know fillers. Theseinstructors are comfortable with the material and this confidence puts theviewer at ease. The rotation of presenters between modules also wards off the fatigueof listening to the same voice and speaker s dynamics. AppDev obviously put alot of thought into providing the most optimal audiovisual training materialfor learning ASP.NET 2.0 (see Figure 3). They also did a great job withselecting which technologies to demonstrate and the progression of the moduleinstruction.

Figure 2: Presenter Andy Baron isreally happy about the subject matter. I ve never met anyone this happy or excited about writing C#or VB.NET code.

Figure 3: Large code fonts and crispscreen movie captures help to minimize eye strain, especially during longstretches of power-learning.

If AppDev spent more time polishing the ALE interface, orbetter yet, integrated ALE as a Visual Studio 2005 plug-in, the quality of theinterface would have matched the quality of instruction. However, because themain focus of the product is the visual content being delivered, the problemsassociated with the interface are minor compared to the overall quality andeffectiveness of the series. Developers seeking an effective audiovisualASP.NET 2.0 learning tool will be generally pleased with what AppDev has tooffer.

MikeRiley is anadvanced computing professional specializing in emerging technologies and newdevelopment trends. He also is a contributing editor for asp.netPRO. Readers may contact him at mailto:[email protected].

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Price: US$595