Background
Web Architecture
PC/Mac/Unix/...
Client
+ Browser
Request:
http://www.digimon.com/default.asp
Network HTTP, TCP/IP
Response:
<html>….</html>
Server Web Server
Background
Web Development Technologies
Client-side technologies
XHTML, CSS, DOM, JavaScript
Server-side technologies
ASP (Active Server Pages)
ASP.NET is the next generation of ASP
Background
What is ASP?
Server-side programming technology
Consists of static HTML interspersed with script
ASP intrinsic objects (Request, Response,
Server, Application, Session) provide services
Commonly uses ADO to interact with databases
Application and session variables
Application and session begin/end events
ASP manages threads, database connections.
Background
What is ASP?
HTTP request HTTP response
(form data, HTTP HTML, XML
header data)
ASP page
(static HTML,
server-side logic)
Background
Example: HelloWorld.asp
<html>
<head><title>HelloWorld.asp</title></head>
<body>
<form method=“post">
<input type="submit" id=button1 name=button1
value="Push Me" />
<%
if (Request.Form("button1") <> "") then
Response.Write "<p>Hello, the time is " & Now()
end if
%>
</form>
</body>
</html>
Background
ASP Challenges
Coding overhead (too much code)
Everything requires writing code!
Code readability (too complex; code and UI intermingled)
Maintaining page state [After submit button is clicked, if
we click the back button, we expect to maintain scroll
position, maintain which control had focus, and restore
focus, or allow server code to focus a new control ]
requires more code
Session state scalability and availability
Limited support for caching, tracing, debugging, etc.
Performance and safety limitations of script
Outline
Background
ASP.NET Overview
Programming Model
Programming Basics
Server Controls
Data Binding
Conclusion
ASP.NET Overview
ASP.NET provides services to allow the
creation, deployment, and execution of
Web Applications and Web Services
Like ASP, ASP.NET is a server-side technology
Web Applications are built using Web Forms
Web Forms are designed to make building
web-based applications as easy as building
Visual Basic applications
ASP.NET Overview
Goals
Keep the good parts of ASP and improve the rest
Simplify: less code, easier to create and maintain
Multiple, compiled languages
Fast
Scalable
Manageable
Available
Customizable and extensible
Secure
Tool support
ASP.NET Overview
Key Features
Web Forms Session management
Web Services Caching
Built on .NET Framework Debugging
Simple programming Extensibility
model Separation of code and UI
Maintains page state Security
Multibrowser support Simplified form validation
XCOPY deployment Cookieless sessions
XML configuration
Complete object model
ASP.NET Overview
Example: HelloWorld.aspx
<%@ Page language="c#" %>
<html>
<head></head>
<script runat="server">
public void B_Click (object sender, System.EventArgs e) {
Label1.Text = "Hello, the time is " + DateTime.Now;
}
</script>
<body>
<form method="post" runat="server">
<asp:Button onclick="B_Click" Text="Push Me”
runat="server” /> <br>
<asp:Label id=Label1 runat="server" />
</form>
</body>
</html>
ASP.NET Overview
Architecture
ASP.NET is built upon
.NET Framework
Internet Information Server (IIS)
ASP.NET Overview
Architecture
Internet Information Server (IIS)
IIS MMC Snap-In (Internet Services Manager)
z Tool to manage IIS
Virtual Directories
z Provides a mapping between URL and file path
z E.g., on my machine the URL:
http://localhost/CS6910
maps to the file path:
C:\cs6910Summer06
ASP.NET Overview
Architecture
VB C++ C# JScript …
Visual Studio.NET
Common Language Specification
ASP.NET: Web Services Windows
and Web Forms Forms
ADO.NET: Data and XML
Base Classes
Common Language Runtime
Outline
Background
ASP.NET Overview
Programming Model
Programming Basics
Server Controls
Data Binding
Conclusion
Programming Model
Controls and Events
Server-side programming model
Based on controls and events
Just like Visual Basic
Not “data in, HTML out”
Higher level of abstraction than ASP
Requires less code
More modular, readable, and maintainable
Programming Model
Controls and Events
Button code
Button ...
List code
List ...
Text code
Text ...
Browser ASP.NET Event handlers
Programming Model
ASP.NET Object Model
User code executes on the web server in
page or control event handlers
Controls are objects, available in
server-side code
Derived from System.Web.UI.Control
The web page is an object too
Derived from System.Web.UI.Page which is a
descendant of System.Web.UI.Control
A page can have methods, properties, etc.
Programming Model
Postbacks
A postback occurs when a page generates an
HTML form whose values are posted back
to the same page
A common technique for handling form data
In ASP and other server-side technologies the
state of the page is lost upon postback...
Unless you explicitly write code to maintain state
This is tedious, bulky and error-prone
Programming Model
Postbacks Maintain State
By default, ASP.NET maintains the state of all
server-side controls during a postback
Can use method="post" or method="get"
Server-side control objects are automatically
populated during postback
No state stored on server
Works with all browsers
Programming Model
Server-side Controls
Multiple sources of controls
Built-in
3rd party
User-defined
Controls range in complexity and power: button,
text, drop down, calendar, data grid, ad rotator,
validation
Can be populated via data binding
Programming Model
Automatic Browser Compatibility
Controls can provide automatic browser
compatibility
Can target UpLevel or DownLevel browsers
UpLevel browsers support additional functionality,
such as JavaScript and DHTML
DownLevel browsers support HTML 3.2
Programming Model
Automatic Browser Compatibility
IE 4
Button
Menu
Text
Netscape Button Control Button code
Button ...
Menu
Text
Menu Control Menu code
...
IE 5.5
Button
Text Control Text code
Menu
Text
...
IE 6
Button
Menu ASP.NET Event handlers
Text
...
Programming Model
Code-behind pages
Two styles of creating ASP.NET pages
Controls and code in .aspx file
Controls in .aspx file, code in code-behind page
z Supported in Visual Studio.NET
Code-behind pages allow you to separate the
user interface design from the code
Allows programmers and designers to work
independently
<%@ Codebehind=“WebForm1.cs”
Inherits=WebApplication1.WebForm1” %>
Programming Model
Automatic Compilation
Just edit the code and hit the page
ASP.NET will automatically compile the code
into an assembly
Compiled code is cached in the CLR
Assembly Cache
Subsequent page hits use compiled assembly
If the text of the page changes then the code
is recompiled
Works just like ASP: edit, save and run
Programming Model
Automatic Compilation
Outline
Background
ASP.NET Overview
Programming Model
Programming Basics
Server Controls
Data Binding
Conclusion
Programming Basics
Page Syntax
The most basic page is just static text
Any HTML page can be renamed .aspx
Pages may contain:
Directives: <%@ Page Language=“C#” %>
Server controls: <asp:Button runat=“server”>
Code blocks: <script runat=“server”>…</script>
Data bind expressions: <%# %>
Server side comments: <%-- --%>
Render code: <%= %> and <% %>
z Use is discouraged; use <script runat=server> with code in
event handlers instead
Programming Basics
The Page Directive
Lets you specify page-specific attributes, e.g.
AspCompat: Compatibility with ASP
Buffer: Controls page output buffering
CodePage: Code page for this .aspx page
ContentType: MIME type of the response
ErrorPage: URL if unhandled error occurs
Inherits: Base class of Page object
Language: Programming language
Trace: Enables tracing for this page
Transaction: COM+ transaction setting
Only one page directive per .aspx file
Programming Basics
Server Control Syntax
Controls are declared as HTML tags with
runat=“server” attribute
<input type=text id=text2 runat=“server” />
<asp:calendar id=myCal runat=“server” />
Tag identifies which type of control to create
Control is implemented as an ASP.NET class
The id attribute provides programmatic identifier
It names the instance available during postback
Just like Dynamic HTML
Programming Basics
Server Control Properties
Tag attributes map to control properties
<asp:button id=“c1" Text="Foo" runat=“server”>
<asp:ListBox id=“c2" Rows="5" runat=“server”>
Tags and attributes are case-insensitive
Control properties can be set programmatically
c1.Text = “Foo”;
c2.Rows = 5;
Programming Basics
Maintaining State
By default. controls maintain their state across
multiple postback requests
Implemented using a hidden HTML field:
__VIEWSTATE
Works for controls with input data (e.g. TextBox,
CheckBox), non-input controls (e.g. Label,
DataGrid), and hybrids (e.g. DropDownList,
ListBox)
Can be disabled per control or entire page
Set EnableViewState=“false”
Lets you minimize size of __VIEWSTATE
Programming Basics
Maintaining State
Example: MaintainingState.aspx
Programming Basics
Server Code Blocks
Server code lives in a script block marked
runat=“server”
<script language="C#" runat=server>
<script language="VB" runat=server>
<script language="JScript" runat=server>
Script blocks can contain
Variables, methods, event handlers, properties
They become members of a custom Page object
Programming Basics
Page Events
Pages are structured using events
Enables clean code organization
Avoids the “Monster IF” statement
Less complex than ASP pages
Code can respond to page events
e.g. Page_Load, Page_Unload
Code can respond to control events
Button1_Click
Textbox1_Changed
Programming Basics
Page Event Lifecycle
Initialize Page_Init
Restore Control State
Load Page Page_Load
Control Events
1. Change Events Textbox1_Changed
2. Action Events Button1_Click
Save Control State
Render
Unload Page Page_Unload
Programming Basics
Page Loading
Page_Load fires at beginning of request after
controls are initialized
Input control values already populated
protected void Page_Load(Object s, EventArgs e) {
message.Text = textbox1.Text;
}
Programming Basics
Page Loading
Page_Load fires on every request
Use Page.IsPostBack to execute conditional logic
If a Page/Control is maintaining state then need only
initialize it when IsPostBack is false
protected void Page_Load(Object s, EventArgs e) {
if (! Page.IsPostBack) {
// Executes only on initial page load
Message.Text = "initial value";
}
// Rest of procedure executes on every request
}
Programming Basics
Server Control Events
Change Events
By default, these execute only on next action event
E.g. OnTextChanged, OnCheckedChanged
Change events fire in random order
Action Events
Cause an immediate postback to server
E.g. OnClick
Works with any browser
No client script required, no applets,
no ActiveX® Controls!
Programming Basics
Wiring Up Control Events
Control event handlers are identified on the tag
<asp:button onclick="btn1_click“ runat=server>
<asp:textbox onchanged="text1_changed“ runat=server>
Event handler code
protected void btn1_Click(Object s, EventArgs e) {
Message.Text = “Button1 clicked”;
}
Programming Basics
Event Arguments
Events pass two arguments:
The sender, declared as type object
z Usually the object representing the control that generated
the event
z Allows you to use the same event handler for
multiple controls
Arguments, declared as type EventArgs
z Provides additional data specific to the event
z EventArgs itself contains no data; a class derived from
EventArgs will be passed
Programming Basics
Page Unloading
Page_Unload fires after the page is rendered
Don’t try to add to output
Useful for logging and clean up
protected void Page_Unload(Object s, EventArgs e) {
MyApp.LogPageComplete();
}
Programming Basics
Import Directive
Adds code namespace reference to page
Avoids having to fully qualify .NET types and
class names
Equivalent to the C# using directive
<%@ Import Namespace="System.Data" %>
<%@ Import Namespace="System.Net" %>
<%@ Import Namespace="System.IO" %>
Programming Basics
Page Class
The Page object is always available when
handling server-side events
Provides a large set of useful properties and
methods, including:
Application, Cache, Controls,
EnableViewState, EnableViewStateMac,
ErrorPage, IsPostBack, IsValid, Request,
Response, Server, Session, Trace, User,
Validators
DataBind(), LoadControl(), MapPath(),
Validate()
Outline
Background
ASP.NET Overview
Programming Model
Programming Basics
Server Controls
Data Binding
Conclusion
Server Controls
ASP.NET ships with ~50 built-in controls
Organized into logical families
HTML controls
z Controls / properties map 1:1 with HTML
Web controls
z Richer functionality
z More consistent object model
Server Controls
HTML Controls
Work well with existing HTML designers
Properties map 1:1 with HTML
table.bgcolor ="red“;
Can specify client-side event handlers
Good when quickly converting existing pages
Derived from
System.Web.UI.HtmlControls.HtmlControl
Supported controls have custom class,
others derive from HtmlGenericControl
Server Controls
HTML Controls
Supported controls
<a> <textarea>
<img> <button>
<form> <input type=text>
<table> <input type=file>
<tr> <input type=submit>
<td> <input type=button>
<th> <input type=reset>
<select> <input type=hidden>
Server Controls
HTML Controls
Example: HTMLControls.aspx
Basic page lifecycle with HTML Controls
Server Controls
Web Controls
Consistent object model
Label1.BackColor = Color.Red;
Table.BackColor = Color.Blue;
Richer functionality
E.g. AutoPostBack, additional methods
Automatic uplevel/downlevel support
E.g. validation controls
Strongly-typed; no generic control
Enables better compiler type checking
Server Controls
Web Controls
Web controls appear in HTML markup as
namespaced tags
Web controls have an asp: prefix
<asp:button onclick="button1_click“ runat=server>
<asp:textbox onchanged="text1_changed“ runat=server>
Defined in the System.Web.UI.WebControls
namespace
This namespace is automatically mapped to the
asp: prefix
Server Controls
Web Controls
Web Controls provide extensive properties to
control display and format, e.g.
Font
BackColor, ForeColor
BorderColor, BorderStyle, BorderWidth
Style, CssClass
Height, Width
Visible, Enabled
Server Controls
Web Controls
Four types of Web Controls
Intrinsic controls
List controls
Rich controls
Validation controls
Server Controls
Intrinisic Controls
Correspond to HTML controls
Supported controls
<asp:button>
<asp:radiobutton>
<asp:imagebutton>
<asp:linkbutton> <asp:image>
<asp:hyperlink> <asp:label>
<asp:textbox> <asp:panel>
<asp:checkbox> <asp:table>
Specify AutoPostBack=true to make change
events cause a postback
Server Controls
List Controls
Controls that handle repetition
Supported controls
<asp:dropdownlist>
<asp:listbox>
<asp:radiobuttonlist>
<asp:checkboxlist>
<asp:repeater>
<asp:datalist>
<asp:datagrid>
Server Controls
CheckBoxList & RadioButtonList
Provides a collection of check box or
radio button controls
Can be populated via data binding
<asp:CheckBoxList id=Check1 runat="server">
<asp:ListItem>Item 1</asp:ListItem>
<asp:ListItem>Item 2</asp:ListItem>
<asp:ListItem>Item 3</asp:ListItem>
<asp:ListItem>Item 4</asp:ListItem>
<asp:ListItem>Item 5</asp:ListItem>
</asp:CheckBoxList>
Server Controls
Intrinisic & Simple List Controls
Example: WebControls.aspx
Assorted intrinsic and list controls with
AutoPostBack
Server Controls
Rich Controls
Custom controls with rich functionality
Supported Controls
<asp:calendar>
<asp:adrotator>
More will be added
3rd party controls are coming
Example: RichControls.aspx
Server Controls
Validation Controls
Rich, declarative validation
Validation declared separately from input control
Extensible validation framework
Supports validation on client and server
Automatically detects uplevel clients
Avoids roundtrips for uplevel clients
Server-side validation is always done
Prevents users from spoofing Web Forms
Server Controls
Validation Controls
<asp:RequiredFieldValidator>
Ensures that a value is entered
<asp:RangeValidator>
Checks if value is within minimum and maximum values
<asp:CompareValidator>
Compares value against constant, another control or data type
<asp:RegularExpressionValidator>
Tests if value matches a predefined pattern
<asp:CustomValidator>
Lets you create custom client- or server-side validation function
<asp:ValidationSummary>
Displays list of validation errors in one place
Server Controls
Validation Controls
Validation controls are derived from
System.Web.UI.WebControls.BaseValidator,
which is derived from the Label control
Validation controls contain text which is displayed
only if validation fails
Text property is displayed at control location
ErrorMessage is displayed in validation
summary
Server Controls
Validation Controls
Validation controls are associated with their
target control using the ControlToValidate
property
<asp:TextBox id=TextBox1 runat=server />
<asp:RequiredFieldValidator id="Req1"
ControlToValidate="TextBox1"
Text="Required Field" runat=server />
Can create multiple validation controls with the
same target control
Server Controls
Validation Controls
Page.IsValid indicates if all validation
controls on the page succeed
void Submit_click(object s, EventArgs e) {
if (Page.IsValid) {
Message.Text = "Page is valid!";
}
}
Server Controls
Validation Controls
Display property controls layout
Static: fixed layout, display won’t change if invalid
Dynamic: dynamic layout
None: no display; can still use ValidationSummary
and Page.IsValid
Type property specifies expected data type:
Currency, Date, Double, Integer, String
Server Controls
Validation Controls
Can force down-level option
Only server-side validation
<% @ Page Language="c#"
ClientTarget="DownLevel" %>
Server Controls
Validation Controls
Example: ValidationControls.aspx
