Cool Tips and Tricks with ASP.NET 2.0

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Cool Tips and Tricks with ASP.NET 2.0

• Stefan Schackow
• Program Manager
• ASP.NET Team
• Microsoft Corporation

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Agenda

• Cross Page Post-backs
• Validation Groups
• Wizard Control
• URL Rewriting/Mapping
• Compilation Build Providers and .WSDL Files
• No-Compile Pages
• Building CMS System w/ File System Provider
• Securing non-ASP.NET web content with Forms
  Authentication
  
• Client Script Goodies, Client Callbacks
• XML Databinding

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Cross Page Posting

• 2.0 Supports Cross Page Postbacks
• Scenario Search or lookup button at top of page
• Postback target via PostBackUrl property
• runatserver/
  
• Can be declaratively or programmatically set
• Postback target page has full access to server
  controls for originating page
  
• Access controls via Page.PreviousPage property

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Cross-Page Postback Example
natserver ge OnClickBtn1_Click runatserver/
runatserver/ 2 PostBackUrlpage2.aspx runatserver/
Page2.aspx D
im MyCalendar as Calendar PreviousPage.FindContr
ol(MyCalendar) Label1.Text You selected
MyCalendar.SelectedDate alPathpage1.aspx Label1.Text You selecte
d PreviousPage.Exposed Property
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Cross Page Postback
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Validation Groups

• Enable validation controls to only apply in
  response to a specific button/action
  
• Today validation controls apply all or nothing
• Indicated via ValidationGroup property
• Supported by all Validation and Postback
  controls
  
• Controls in ValidationGroup validate with
  postback
  
• Programmatic Support for Validating Groups
• If (Page.Validate(group_name)) Then
• Page.IsValid evaluates ValidationGroup Postback

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ValidationGroup Example

• runatserver/
  
• ValidationGroupGroup1
  
• ErrorTextNeed to Fill in Value!
  
  
• ControlToValidateTextBox1
• 
  runatserver/
  
• ValidationGroupGroup2
  
• ErrorTextNeed to Fill in Value!
  
  
• ControlToValidateTextBox2
• 
  runatserver/
  
• ValidationGroupGroup1 runatserver/
  
• oup2 runatserver/
  

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Validation Groups
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Control

• Enables linear and non-linear navigation
• Developer defines templated steps within
  control
  
• Control state maintained throughout wizard steps
• Ideal for multi-step gathering workflow
• Example Usage Customer Registration
• built w/ Wizard
• Flexible Wizard Control Navigation Model
• MoveTo(wizardStep), ActiveStepIndex, etc
• Events can fire both on individual steps and
  completion
  
• Controls in wizard templates flattened to page
• Enables direct control access w/o template fishing

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Example

• OnFinishButtonClickFinishBtn_Click
  
• titleStep 1
  
• Enter Name idName runatserver/
  
• titleStep 2
  
• Enter State idState runatserver/
  
• Congrats! The
  registration is complete!
  
• Sub FinishBtn_Click(Sender as Object, E as
  WizardNavigationEventArgs)
  
• Label1.Text Hi Name.Text you are
  from State.Text
  
• End Sub

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Wizard Control
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URL Rewriting/Mapping

• Built-in UrlMapping Module for rewriting paths
• Enables vanity URLs instead of querystrings
• Enables easy moving of pages without 404s
• Useful Performance Tip
• Enables kernel level http caching on IIS6 for
  dynamic pages that would need querystrings

spx?tab0 /
mappedUrl/Catalog.aspx?catid1 /

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URL Rewriting
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Compilation Build Providers

• 2.0 introduces concept of Build Providers that
  participate in compile process
  
• Enable declarative file formats as code
  resources
  
• Example Providers Built-in Whidbey
• .WSDL (web service proxies)
• .XSD (data components)
• .RESX (resource files)
• Model of declarative files partial types
  enables rich functionality w/ rich extensibility

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Compilation Build Providers

• To build your own custom build provider
• Subclass System.Web.Compilation.BuildProvider
• Register file extension in web/machine.config

defaultLanguage"vb"

type"System.Web.Compilation.PageBuildProvider"
/
type"System.Web.Compilation.UserControlBuildProv
ider" /
To"Web" type"System.Web.Compilation.MasterPageBu
ildProvider" /
pliesTo"Web" type"System.Web.Compilation.WebServ
iceBuildProvider" /
x" appliesTo"Web" type"System.Web.Compilation.We
bHandlerBuildProvider" /
".soap" appliesTo"Web" type"System.Web.Compilati
on.WebServiceBuildProvider" /

ources" type"System.Web.Compilation.ResXBuildProv
ider" /
"Code" type"System.Web.Compilation.WsdlBuildProv
ider" /
"Code" type"System.Web.Compilation.XsdBuildProvid
er" /
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Compilation Build Providers
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No-Compile Pages

• New feature in 2.0 to enable .ASPX pages to be
  executed without compilation
  
• V1 .aspx pages always dynamically compiled
• Two primary scenarios
• Enable site administrators to lockdown ability of
  content owners to write code on portions of site
  
• Enable better scaling for sites with thousands of
  pages dont require separate type for each
  
• Note This is independent of the new
  pre-compilation tool which compiles the pages
  prior to deployment

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No-Compile Config

• mode Always, Never, Auto
• // Default Always

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No-Compile Pages
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File System Provider

• 2.0 enables web content to be served from
  non-file system locations
  
• Example Database or CMS system
• Developers sub-class VirtualPathProvider
• GetCacheDependency()
• GetFileHash()
• GetFile()
• GetDirectory()
• Tip Can leverage new SqlCacheDependency object
  to enable SQL Cache Invalidation

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Simple CMS DB-Driven File Provider
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Securing Non-ASP.NET Content

• 2.0 enables devs to use ASP.NET forms
  authentication for non-ASP.NET files
  
• Static Files .html, .jgp, .gif, .xml, etc
• Dynamic Files .ASP, .PHP, .JSP
• Requires IIS 6.0 (new ExecuteUrl feature)
• ASP.NET executes resource first, then passes
  execution flow to originating ISAPI

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Web.Config Security Permissions
/ ystem.web
Admin/

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IIS 6.0 MMC Configuration
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Securing ASP Pages with ASP.NET
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Client Script Goodies

• Client-side click event handlers on controls
• Focus mechanisms
• Page.SetFocus(control)
• TextBox.Focus()
• Default button and focus

OnClickButton1_Click OnCl
ientClickClientButton1_Click
runatserver /
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Client Script Goodies

• Validation Error Focus
• SetFocusOnError property
• Auto-scroll maintenance on postback
• Ideal for large pages no code required
• Simplified Client Script Registration
• Page.ClientScript helper methods
• Client-side Event Callbacks
• ICallBackEventHandler interface
• Used by TreeView, GridView controls

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Client Script Goodies
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XML Databinding

• control enables data source
  binding against XML files
  
• Optional XPath expression to scope results
• supports binding against
  
  
• Use XPath(expression) statement in templates
• XPathSelect(expression) selects a node list
• Combine two to build simple RSS Reader

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RSS Reader Using XML Databinding
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Summary

• Enormous number of new features in ASP.NET 2.0
• Tons of additional cool features out there
• Visit http//www.asp.net/whidbey to download
  slides and samples
  
• Start exploring ASP.NET 2.0 today!

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ASP.NET Community

• http//www.asp.net/whidbey has whitepapers,
  samples, slides and forums dedicated to ASP.NET
  2.0
  
• http//beta.asp.net/quickstart has tons of
  samples and source code
  
• Email
• bradmi_at_microsoft.com

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