Microsoft ASP.NET Web Matrix Starter Kit

Summary

Unlock the power of programmed, data-driven Web pages!

Have you ever gone to a great Web site and said to yourself, “I sure wish I could do that!” This hands-on book shows you exactly how. It’s a task-oriented, no-frills introduction, specifically for programming novices, to the cool world of programming the Web by using the power of Microsoft® ASP.NET Web Matrix—an easy-to-use WYSIWYG development tool for ASP.NET. You’ll go from merely posting text and graphics on a site to creating dynamic slideshows, reading and writing cookies, building interactive guestbooks and calendars, and developing other exciting Web features, all with intuitive yet powerful tools. Along the way, you’ll discover how to create programmed, data-driven Web pages for your home, hobby, or business in practically no time at all.

Topics covered include:

• Getting started: Introduction to server-based Web programming, Microsoft ASP.NET, Microsoft Visual Basic® .NET, and ASP.NET Web Matrix; and configuring ASP.NET, ASP.NET Web Matrix, and Microsoft SQL Server™ Desktop Engine (MSDE 2000)

• Basic techniques: Your first Web Forms page, creating a simple slideshow, getting and applying user preferences, creating a random quotes page, and displaying a hit counter

• More advanced techniques: Introduction to programming Web pages with data using ASP.NET Web Matrix, creating a guestbook and displaying formatted guestbook listings, creating a database-driven slideshow, updating master-detail tables, creating a calendar application, and sending e-mail notices automatically from a Web page

• Appendixes: Security vulnerabilities, good security practices, and your Web application; and deploying your application to a server

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xiii
Introduction	xv
PART I   INTRODUCTION TO WEB MATRIX AND ASP.NET
1   What Does Web Programming Mean, Anyway?	3
Server As Processor, Page as Program	4
Where Microsoft ASP.NET Fits In	6
Characteristics of Server-Based Web Programming	7
Postbacks and Round Trips	8
The Disconnected Web	8
Each Page Is New	9
Web Amnesia: Stateless Pages	9
Browser-Based Programming	10
Browser Compatibility	12
2   Overview of Web Matrix, ASP.NET, and Visual Basic .NET	15
Web Programming and ASP.NET	15
A Peek Inside the .NET Framework	17
Web Matrix: Enabling Web Programming for the Rest of Us	18
Web Matrix and Community	19
Using Visual Basic .NET with Web Matrix	20
Basics of Visual Basic .NET	23
Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)	23
3   Getting Ready to Program with ASP.NET and Web Matrix	29
Working with ASP.NET Web Pages	29
Options for Testing and Running ASP.NET Web Pages	30
Working with ISPs	30
Finding an ASP.NET-Friendly Hosting Site	31
Hosting the Site Yourself	31
Providing Data Access for Your Web Pages	33
Installing and Configuring the Required Software	33
Installing Windows	34
Setting Permissions for a Web Site	34
Installing IIS	35
Installing Internet Explorer	35
Installing the .NET Framework	36
Installing Web Matrix	37
Installing MSDE 2000	37
PART II   LEARNING THE BASICS OF PROGRAMMED WEB PAGES
4   Getting to Know Web Matrix	43
Before You Start	43
Looking Around the Web Matrix Development Environment	46
Adding Text and Controls to the Page	49
Working with Different Views of a Document	50
Positioning Text and Elements	51
Absolute Positioning	51
Controlling the Grid	53
Setting Properties for Controls	55
Programming the Button	57
Testing the Page	57
Examining How Event Handlers Work	59
Reviewing Round Trips and Postback	61
Rendering Controls	61
5   Creating a Simple Slideshow	65
How the Slideshow Works	65
Got Pictures?	66
Creating the Page	66
Building the Slide List	68
Loading the Slide List and Initializing the Page	69
Testing the Page	70
Adding Slide Navigation	71
Maintaining the Slide Number in Viewstate	71
Programming the Next and Previous Buttons	74
Adding a Navigation Bar	77
Adding Captions to the Slideshow	80
6   Maintaining User Preferences	85
Creating the Preferences Page	86
Populating the DropDownList Control	88
Programming the Preview Button	91
Turning Captions On and Off	91
Previewing the Current Color	92
Previewing the Font	93
Reviewing the Preview Handler	94
Testing the Preview Button	95
Saving the Preferences	95
About Cookies	95
Programming the Save Preferences Button	96
Displaying the Slideshow Page	97
Reading the Preferences	98
Reading the Cookie and Setting Values	98
Linking Back to the Preferences Page	100
Adding the Immediate Preview Feature	101
7   Creating a Random Quotes Page	103
Creating the Quotations Text File	104
Creating the Quotations Page	105
Finding the Quotations File	107
Reading the Quotations File	107
Defensive Coding: Error Handling	109
Generating a Random Number	110
Getting and Displaying the Quotation	111
Testing the Page	113
Caching the Quotations When the Application Starts	114
8   Creating a Page Hit Counter	117
Counting Visitors to Your Pages	117
What Is a Hit?	119
Tracking Unique Hits	120
Creating a Page That Counts Hits	121
Creating the Counter Logic	123
Getting the Current Counter	125
Checking the Cookie and Incrementing the Counter	126
Displaying the Counter	128
Testing the Counter	130
Creating Graphical Numbers	131
Creating the Graphics Files	132
Displaying the Graphical Numbers	134
PART III   PROGRAMMING WEB PAGES WITH DATA
9   Show Me the Data!	139
Using Databases with Your Web Applications	139
Getting Acquainted with ASP.NET Data Access Objects	141
Understanding the Connection Object	142
Understanding the Command Object	143
Understanding the Data Reader Object	144
Preserving Data During Round Trips	145
About Data Binding	146
Creating a Database in Web Matrix	146
Creating the Database	147
Creating a Simple Data-Display Page	153
Customizing the Data-Display Grid	155
Examining Data Components in the Page	156
10   Creating a Guestbook	159
Creating the Guestbook Database Table	160
The Guestbook Page	163
Creating Code to Add a Guestbook Entry to the Database	164
Sending the Visitor’s Input to the Database	167
Creating a Simple Guestbook Listing	170
Validating User Input	173
Understanding Validator Controls	174
Adding Validation to the Guestbook	176
11   Creating a More Flexible Guestbook Listing	183
Overview of Templates and Data Binding	183
Creating a Second Guestbook Listing Page	187
Binding Controls	191
Defining Additional Templates	194
Programming the DataList Control	195
Testing the Page	196
Adding an Alternating Template	197
Examining Templates in HTML View	198
Examining Data Binding	199
Working with the Repeater Control	201
12   Creating a Database-Driven Slideshow	205
Collecting Pictures for the Slideshow	206
The Slideshow Database Structure	207
Creating the Slideshow Tables	209
Creating a Slideshow Picker Page	212
Programming the Slideshow Picker Page	214
Data and State Management	216
Understanding Datasets	217
Caching Data in the Session Object	218
Creating the Slideshow Viewer Page	219
Programming the Slideshow Viewer Page	221
Programming the Dataset	222
Displaying the Current Slide	226
Navigating Between Slides	228
Testing the Slideshow Viewer Page	229
13   Updating Master-Details Tables	231
Creating the Slideshows Master Page	232
Inserting Slideshow Records into the Database	235
Navigating to the Details Page	238
Creating the Slide Details Page	240
Reading the Slideshow Name from the Master Page	242
Inserting Individual Slides into the Database	243
Displaying Slides for the Current Slideshow	245
Deleting Existing Slides	248
Editing Existing Slides	250
Programming the Edit Buttons to Update the Database	252
Testing Editing Capabilities	255
Maintaining Master-Details Integrity	256
14   Creating a Web-Based Calendar	259
Creating the Calendar Database Table	260
Creating a Calendar Entry Page	261
Programming Date Selection with the Calendar	264
Adding a Calendar Record to the Database	265
Creating a Page to View the Calendar	268
Highlighting Appointment Days in the Calendar	269
Displaying Appointment Details	272
15   Sending E-Mail Messages from Your Web Application	277
Configuring an E-Mail Server	278
How the SMTP Virtual Server Works	278
Installing and Configuring the SMTP Virtual Server	279
Creating a Simple Page to Send E-Mail Messages	285
Creating Code to Send E-Mail Messages	288
Sending E-Mail Alerts from Your Guestbook	291
Allowing Users to E-Mail Pictures from Your Slideshows	294
Adding a Send This Picture Button to the Slideshow	295
Creating a Page for Sending the Picture	296
Adding Code to Display the Picture	298
Adding Code to Send the Picture as an E-Mail Attachment	299
Testing the Send Picture Page	300
PART IV   APPENDIXES
A   Security and ASP.NET Web Applications	305
Protecting Your Computer	307
Restricting Access to Your Computer	307
Restricting Access to Resources on the Computer	308
Staying on Top of Security	309
General Recommendations	310
Securing Your Web Applications	310
Understanding the ASPNET Account	310
Protecting Against Malicious User Input	312
Guarding Secrets	314
Authenticating Users	315
Accessing Databases Securely	317
Thinking Securely	320
B   Deploying Web Matrix Applications	321
Deploying Web Pages on a Local Web Site	321
Configuring IIS for a Local Web Site	322
Configuring Database Access for a Local Web Site	324
Deploying Web Pages to a Hosting Site	325
Copying Web Pages to a Hosting Site	325
Copying Database Tables to a Hosting Site	328
GLOSSARY	337
INDEX	345