Denver Tech Professionals eager to learn Web Application Magic.

Ever wonder what is behind the push button technology that makes web pages appear as a magical experience?

by Gerald Curtis, LeaderQuest Journalist and Systems Analyst.

Developing Web Applications Using Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 & C#

The road to the internet magic starts with a love of the subject matter. New students are given a 1000 page text book, 5 days of intensive instruction and lots of lab work with an endless pot of coffee to top if off.

When the course is completed the student has learned basic ASP .NET skills to develop applications that can query database sources, such as Microsoft SQL Server, SQL Server Express, Access, MySQL, and Oracle. But for the labs, the favored database was Microsoft SQL Server Express, which comes free with the Visual Studio .NET “Express” version of the development software.

The development software contains all of the control objects that make it possible to design a database website with the ease of “Dragging” and “Dropping” controls icons from the Toolkit onto the Form. For example dragging the “Textbox” control from the Toolkit and placing it on the Form will create a object to enter new text. Changing the properties of the Textbox border from a straight line to a “dotted-line” is possible by using the “Properties Toolkit”. The Visual Studio Development Studio creates “code behind” the design. The code is written in the C# programming language or Visual Basic, if you select the proper option when establishing the Project.

The only way to learn the many controls is to practice using them during the many labs provided in the excellent training and reference text book, “Murach’s ASP .NET 3.5 web programming with C# 2008. What makes this text book great is its unique layout. On the left side of the book is the detailed training guide and on the right side is the same concept simplified as a reference guide. Its like getting two books in one.

Without writing a single line of code, it is possible to create professional level dynamic websites that contain drop down menus, radio buttons, and login controls that access SQL, object and LINQ data sources.

Photo: Christina Hargest, MCTS, .NET, SQL student.