Chapter 1. Getting acquainted with ASP.NET 4.0

 

This chapter covers

  • An introduction to ASP.NET
  • Understanding ASP.NET Web Forms
  • What’s new in ASP.NET 4.0

ASP.NET is used to build web applications, and it’s the preferred choice when using Microsoft technologies. It was built by Microsoft in the early 2000s as part of the .NET Framework initiative, which offered a unified environment in which to build and run applications for Windows developers. If you think of .NET Framework as a house, then ASP.NET is the rooms.

As ASP.NET approaches its fifth version (counting minor and major releases), the community of developers around ASP.NET is much more mature than it was ten years ago. In the beginning, ASP.NET developers came from backgrounds in Active Server Pages (ASP) or Visual Basic (VB) 6, so topics like design, architecture, and patterns were often ignored. But this isn’t the case today. We’ve found ways to build better web applications and how to overcome challenges we face daily when we’re working in ASP.NET. This book will explore how to solve common problems in ASP.NET, but before we get to the prize, everyone needs to be on the same footing.

1.1. Meet ASP.NET

1.2. Typical architecture in ASP.NET applications

1.3. Your first ASP.NET Web Form

1.4. What’s new in ASP.NET 4.0

1.5. ASP.NET Web Forms in practice

1.6. Summary