Advanced ASP.NET AJAX Server Controls For .NET Framework 3.5

Microsoft .NET Development Series

 

“Supported by the leaders and principal authorities of core Microsoft technologies, this series has an author pool that combines some of the most insightful authors in the industry with the lead software architects and developers at Microsoft and the developer community at large.”

– Don Box

Architect, Microsoft

 

“This is a great resource for professional .NET developers. It covers all bases, from expert perspective to reference and how-to. Books in this series are essential reading for those who want to judiciously expand their knowledge base and expertise.”

–John Montgomery

Principal Group Program Manager,

Developer Division, Microsoft

 

“This foremost series on .NET contains vital information for developers who need to get the most out of the .NET Framework. Our authors are selected from the key innovators who create the technology and are the most respected practitioners of it.”

–Brad Abrams

Group Program Manager, Microsoft

 

 

ASP.NET AJAX server controls can encapsulate even the most powerful AJAX functionality, helping you build more elegant, maintainable, and scalable applications. This is the first comprehensive, code-rich guide to custom ASP.NET AJAX server controls for experienced ASP.NET developers. Unlike other books on ASP.NET AJAX, this book focuses solely on server control development and reflects the significant improvements in ASP.NET 3.5 AJAX and the latest Visual Studio 2008 features for streamlining AJAX development

 

Adam Calderon and Joel Rumerman first review the core Microsoft AJAX Library and JavaScript techniques needed to support a rich client-side experience. Next, they build upon these techniques showing how to create distributable AJAX-enabled controls that include rich browser-independent JavaScript client-side functionality. The authors thoroughly explain both the JavaScript and .NET aspects of control development and how these two distinct environments come together to provide a foundation for building a rich user experience using ASP.NET AJAX.

 

• Create object-oriented cross-browser JavaScript that supports .NET style classes, interfaces, inheritance, and method overloading
• Work with components, behaviors, and controls, and learn how they relate to DOM elements
• Learn Sys.Application and the part it plays in object creation, initialization, and events in the Microsoft AJAX Library
• Build Extender and Script controls that provide integrated script generation for their corresponding client-side counterparts
• Localize ASP.NET AJAX controls including client script
• Discover ASP.NET AJAX client and server communication architecture and the new support for Windows Communication Foundation (WCF)
• Understand ASP.NET AJAX Application Services
• Create custom Application Services
• Design controls for a partial postback environment
• Understand the AJAX Control Toolkit architecture and the many features it provides
• Develop highly interactive controls using the AJAX Control Toolkit
• Understand AJAX Control Toolkit architecture and build controls that utilize the toolkit

 

Foreword xxv

Preface xxvii

Acknowledgments xxxv

About the Authors xxxix

 

Part I: Client Code

Chapter 1: Programming with JavaScript 3

Chapter 2: Microsoft AJAX Library Programming 51

Part II: Controls

Chapter 3: Components 121

Chapter 4: Sys.Application 169

Chapter 5: Adding Client Capabilities to Server Controls 207

Chapter 6: ASP.NET AJAX Localization 255

Chapter 7: Control Development in a Partial Postback Environment 317

Part III: Communication

Chapter 8: ASP.NET AJAX Communication Architecture 371

Chapter 9: Application Services 425

Part IV: AJAX Control Toolkit

Chapter 10: ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit Architecture 481

Chapter 11: Adding Client Capabilities to Server Controls Using the ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit 513

Appendixes

Appendix A: JavaScript in Visual Studio 2008 547

Appendix B: Validating Method Parameters 555

Appendix C: ASP.NET Handlers and Modules 559

Appendix D: Client Error Handling Code 569

 

Index 577

 

 

 

Adam Calderon is a C# MVP and the Application Development Practice Lead at InterKnowlogy. He is an accomplished software developer, author, teacher, and speaker with more than 14 years of experience designing and developing solutions on the Microsoft platform. His involvement with ASP.NET AJAX began in late 2005 with his participation in the ASP.NET ATLAS First Access program and later as a member of the UI Server Frameworks Advisory Council. Adam was one of the fortunate few who were able to work on a production application that utilized ASP.NET AJAX in its alpha form and experienced firsthand the trials and tribulations of working in “beta land” on this exciting technology. Visit Adam's blog at http://blogs.interknowlogy.com/adamcalderon.

 

Joel Rumerman is a Senior .NET Developer at the CoStar Group, where he develops ASP.NET applications to support the company’s commercial real estate information business. He is an adept software developer with more than eight years of experience developing .NET applications and is active in the San Diego .NET community as an author and speaker. Joel has been working with ASP.NET AJAX since late 2005 when he started work on a large-scale application for a worldwide independent software vendor. This initial entry into the ASP.NET AJAX world provided him invaluable experience as he worked closely with Microsoft as a member of the ATLAS First Access program and participated in a Strategic Design Review of the technology. Joel has gone on to implement many more solutions using ASP.NET AJAX, including a Virtual Earth mash-up that maps commercial real estate properties. Visit Joel's blog at http://seejoelprogram.wordpress.com.