ASP.NET Web Forms

As explained in ASP.NET Core in Action, 3e

ASP.NET Web Forms is a server-side web application programming model based on graphical design tools and an event-driven control model.

ASP.NET Web Forms is a server-side web application model designed to help developers create applications rapidly through graphical design tools and an event-driven control model that resembles desktop application development. section 2.2

Its main characteristics include:

• Rapid application construction through a graphical designer and simple event-driven programming. section 2.2
• A stateful programming model that can become complex in larger applications. section 2.2
• Limited control over generated HTML, which makes client-side development more difficult. section 2.2
• Strong dependence on System.Web.dll, .NET Framework, and IIS. section 2.4.3 section 2.2

Web Forms is therefore difficult to convert directly to ASP.NET Core. Such a conversion generally requires rewriting the application and may also require changing its design paradigm. Gradual migration can instead use Blazor Server page by page or reduce reliance on Web Forms constructs such as ViewState while introducing web API concepts. section 2.4.3

Figure 2.2 The relationships among ASP.NET Core, ASP.NET, .NET Core/.NET 5+, and .NET Framework. ASP.NET Core runs on .NET Core and .NET 5+, so it can run cross-platform. Conversely, ASP.NET runs on .NET Framework only, so it’s tied to the Windows OS.

Use the platform relationship diagram to distinguish ASP.NET Web Forms, which runs on .NET Framework and Windows, from ASP.NET Core, which runs on newer cross-platform .NET platforms. section 2.2

How ASP.NET Core in Action, 3e covers it

How deep it goes

Defines the programming model and explains major limitations, but stops short of implementation details or a working application.

Examples

Uses graphical design tools, desktop-like event programming, ViewState, and gradual Blazor Server migration as examples.

What you can do after

Evaluate Web Forms applications and judge the effort and alternatives involved in moving them toward ASP.NET Core.

How it connects

Connects Web Forms with ASP.NET, System.Web.dll, IIS, ASP.NET MVC, ASP.NET Core, Blazor Server, ViewState, and web APIs.

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Related concepts

• Razor Pagescontrasts with · Razor Pages is an ASP.NET Core page-focused programming model in which independently addressable pages combine Razor markup with request-handling logic.
• Blazor Serveralternative to · Blazor Server is a Blazor hosting model in which component execution and event handling occur on the server while UI updates are sent to the browser.
• statefulnessimplements · Statefulness is the property of a system or operation whose behavior or results depend on information retained or changed across interactions or executions.
• mvc frameworkcontrasts with · A web application framework based on the Model–View–Controller architectural pattern, in which application concerns are separated into models, views, and controllers.

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of ASP.NET Core in Action, 3e. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.