ASP.NET 2.0 is the latest version of Microsoft’s current ASP.NET 1.1 technology. ASP.NET 1.1 is fast becoming the accepted technology standard for creating dynamic web pages on the Windows platform, and is now used across the board from start-ups to blue-chip multi-national corporations. ASP.NET 2.0 is building on this solid foundation and adding new improvements. The new technology will be faster to code, offer a more powerful set of tools (i.e. MasterPages and Generics), and run faster when deployed, so that customers enjoy a significantly better user experience.

Pro ASP.NET 2.0 in C# follows the well-regarded Pro ASP.NET 1.1, rooted in the same best-practices and pragmatic style. Matthew MacDonald explains how ASP.NET 2.0 works for the professional programmer – covering both new innovations and the features carried over from the previous version. And while new features are important, MacDonald stresses the importance of the technology as a cohesive whole. His broad-based approach shows how all of the features inter-relate. This gives readers the solid understanding they need to code real applications.

Further chapters show off ASPs in action in a sample online bookstore application, which includes processing orders, an online catalog, and a magazine. (The accompanying CD-ROM includes full source code.) Other chapters tackle e-mail systems using Microsoft and Transaction Server, which can provide reliable transaction processing and better scalability for Web sites. As the authors note here, no developer can afford to concentrate on only a single programming language or tool. This book does a fine job of providing all you need to get started linking technologies and tools in the Microsoft line of products for successful Internet development.

The Web application infrastructure ASP.NET, introduced as part of version 1.0 of the Microsoft .NET Framework, provides the thin-client counterpart to Microsoft Windows® client development. With dramatic improvements in performance, productivity, and security features, Microsoft Visual Studio® 2005 and ASP.NET 2.0 deliver a simplified, high-performance, and powerful Web development experience. ASP.NET 2.0 features a new set of controls and infrastructure that simplify Web-based data access and include functionality that facilitates code reuse, visual consistency, and aesthetic appeal. Now you can teach yourself the essentials of working with ASP.NET 2.0 in the Visual Studio environment—one step at a time. With STEP BY STEP, you work at your own pace through hands-on, learn-by-doing exercises. Whether you’re a beginning programmer or new to this version of the technology, you’ll understand the core capabilities and fundamental techniques for ASP.NET 2.0. Each chapter puts you to work, showing you how, when, and why to use specific features of the ASP.NET 2.0 rapid application development environment and guiding you as you create actual components and working applications for the Web, including advanced features such as personalization.