Dave Webster's WebLog : ASP.Net 2.0

A simple Org chart app

davewebster — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 11:20:00 GMT

A couple of years ago at Teched South Africa I presented a session originally done by the great Jeff Prosise around the provider model in ASP.Net. I remember suggesting that this was not only a neat way to handle membership, roles and whatever in ASP.Net...(read more)

slides and demos for the ASP .Net 2.0 tour

davewebster — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 13:51:00 GMT

Links to ASP tour slides and demos...(read more)

More on migrating to ASP.Net 2.0 - a picture data object

davewebster — Mon, 25 Jul 2005 20:18:00 GMT

This video shows how to create a simple (everything I do is simple) data object to retrieve a generic list of pictures in the ProductImages folder. I use this data object to bind a datalist where we can see the picture itself and its name.

http://davewebster.members.winisp.net/picturemanager/picturemanager.html

Migrating to ASP.Net 2.0 - the default page

davewebster — Mon, 25 Jul 2005 20:07:00 GMT

Hi Folks here is a link to a video of migrating the opening page of www.giftbaskets4u.co.uk

In this video I show how to do custom databinding. I create an initial page using a masterpage file.

Let me know if there are other things you would like to see.

BTW the running site is still on asp.net 1.1 but that will change probably next weekend.

http://davewebster.members.winisp.net/the%20defualt%20page/the%20defualt%20page.html

More on migrating to ASP.Net 2.0

davewebster — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 15:05:00 GMT

Hi again folks. Well I have spent some of my convalescence migrating my wifes web site to ASP.Net 2.0.

On the whole it was pretty easy to get the migration done however some issues needed addressing. These were nearly all to do with badly formed HTML markup in the aspx pages such as using MSO schemas without referencing them correctly. So I probably spent about an hour fixing all my bad markup.

I then decided to migrate from the Access database to SQL server 2005. I only have a few tables in the original database, including a user/customer table that I can delete and use the provider stuff for SQL instead. So I am left with :

a Products table,
a Categories table and
a linking table CategoryProduct that manages the many many relationship between products and categories. (Janine wanted the products to be in more than one category).

Migrating the schema was done by hand and I also took the opportunity to add some admin pages to enter descriptions and managed the product-category relationship.

The main things I have noticed so far are that if you are happy with 2-tier programming you really dont have to write any code at all. The wizards will even write your stored procedures for you. And if you want to use three tier data access with middle tier business objects then that is still trivial.

I spend most of the time now configuring data stores or middle tier objects in fact. One thing I wanted to do was to allow an admin page to list all the pictures in the ProductImages folder in the site.

I wrote a simple peice of code for my App_Code folder...

Imports Microsoft.VisualBasic

Imports System.Collections.Generic

Public Class PictureInfo

Private _ImageUrl As String

Public Sub PictureInfo()

End Sub

''' <summary>

''' url for the two images

''' </summary>

Public Property ImageURL() As String

Get

Return Me._ImageUrl

End Get

Set(ByVal value As String)

Me._ImageUrl = value

End Set

End Property

End Class

Public Class PictureHelper

Public Shared Function GetProductImages() As List(Of PictureInfo)

Dim ret As New List(Of PictureInfo)

Dim fullpath As String = System.Web.HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath("..\ProductImages")

Dim files() As String = System.IO.Directory.GetFiles(fullpath, "*.jpg")

For Each file As String In files

Dim info As New PictureInfo

info.ImageURL = StripFileName(file)

ret.Add(info)

files = System.IO.Directory.GetFiles(fullpath, "*.gif")

For Each file As String In files

Dim info As New PictureInfo

info.ImageURL = StripFileName(file)

ret.Add(info)

Return ret

End Function

Private Shared Function StripFileName(ByVal fullname As String) As String

Dim sep As String = "/\"

Dim segments() As String = fullname.Split(sep.ToCharArray)

Return segments(segments.GetLength(0) - 1)

End Function

End Class

So I have a helper class that looks in the file system and generates generic List(Of ProductInfo). I will add some more stuff to the productinfo class in due course such as the size of the image and so forth. But for now its useful enough.

Next I created a page that used the PictureHelper class as a data source, and used the GetProductImages() shared function to return the list of ProductInfo.

Copy it over and give it a try.

Now many people have asked me about this data access stuff, especially using a middle tier object. Here are the rules.

It is preferable to have a shared/static method on the helper class although you can use an instance method if you wish and the framework will create an instance.
For the class that you return in a list make sure that you have ACCESSOR METHODS not just public fields. It wont work if you only use fields.
Have an update method that takes the elements of the object not an object itself ie Update(productID as integer, categoryID as integer, description as string) rather than Update(stuff as myClass)

I have also ripped out most of the code behind for the regular pages for customers to view the products. With templates on the data controls I really dont need to write any code. The only real code left in the project is specific data access wrappers in app_code and also fragments of code to embedded into the aspx pages. I will give an example of that in my next post.

Teched Europe - Limping around Amsterdam.

davewebster — Fri, 01 Jul 2005 14:29:00 GMT

Well I am still in some discomfort after the back injury. There are three things going on:

Shooting pains down the left leg.
A limp in the left leg
Numbness in parts of the foot and leg

My physio told me that this is most likely to be because of compression of the nerve that although is now clear can take several months to heal. I had another MRI scan a couple of days ago and it looks like the op went fine.

My question is now whether I will make it to Teched Europe next week, - the hotels are full now and I cannot really walk across town each day, I can also only sit for 20 mins at a time. I am the technical track owner for Dev tools and Web development. Although I am not talking next week anymore there are still some speakers that I would really like to meet, either again or for the first time. Here are some suggestions for you:

Hacked! by Jeff Prosise. Yes security can be fun you just need to present it right, and Jeff will do just that. The bad guys already know this stuff but the good guys don't. Go if you get the chance.
Regular Expressions by Roy Osherove. This is about what you can do with regular expressions in .Net. Lets face it we all parse stuff and hand write the code again and again.
Dave Platt. www.rollthunder.com will be there. I have asked Dave to present on whats new in the framework and also a nice technical talk on Exception handling.

Ok if I get a nice hotel near the venue then I will see you there. I am the tall guy with white hair and a limp.

Migrating to ASP.Net 2.0

davewebster — Thu, 23 Jun 2005 04:55:00 GMT

Well Janine has stepped out for a while so I can break convalesence and do some of the migration and of course blog about it. At this point Janines Gift Basket Business is as much a hobby for me as anything else - it certainly isn't making much money!

I installed ASP.Net 2.0 on my media PC. NB there is no IIS on this OS.
I copied the entire ASP.Net 1.1 app for giftbaskets4u onto a compact flash card from the working machine, and transferred it to a folder on the Media PC.
Opened Visual Studio 2005 beta 2

Then I located the solution file in directory I just created and dragged it onto VS. The conversion wizard kicked in but when it was all done I could not find or load the converted project. It must have been my back pain meds that made me try this (voices in the head). Don't do it this way people! Instead...

In VS I opened a web project from the file system, and located the folder where my project had been copied
The convesion wizard kicked in, made a backup and TRALA! loaded the project.
There was a lengthy conversion report mostly about the new partial classes.
There was one warning about a missing global.asax file but I don't have one in any case.
All my utility classes were placed in the App_Code folder.
My Access database file was not moved to App_Data.

Well thats it, its loaded on the machine, it compiles but there are still some things to do.

I need to create the ODBC system name for the access database.
When I have replicated functionality I will migrate the Accces Database to a SQL Server Express 2005 MDF file and drop it into the App_Data folder.
I will remove the login tables from the database and use the SQL 2005 provider.

I am still looking for a host for the business that will support ASP.Net 2.0 and let me call Web Services and give me some latitude BCentral does not do this as it is not geared to more (ahem) experimental customers like me. I know I can find a hoster one but I would love to hear about your recommendation. When I have moved to the new host I will give you guys a login that will show you more information about the running of the app and the business. And of course I will zip up the source code and let you have it to play with. Currently btw it is based on IBuySpy which was ported to Access - the 1.1 code has been around the block a bit so to speak.

Still I had better turn off the Fathers Day campagne now I am out of hospital. Check it out http://www.giftbaskets4u.co.uk at the date of posting it is still the ASP1.1 app.

Cheers

My Wifes Gift Basket business

davewebster — Thu, 09 Jun 2005 06:49:00 GMT

I mentioned on the ASP.Net 2.0 tour that I was working on an ecommerce site for my good wife Janine. Janine who is american noticed a gap in the market when we moved back to the UK - selling gift baskets to the great british public from her site www.giftbaskets4u.co.uk. So as I said in my tour I can come home after a week on the road and do some more work at the weekend!

Anyway its been a very interesting experience. In Microsoft we tend to think big company thoughts and do big company things so its interesting to see how a small company works. And believe me Janines company is small. She is hosting the site on www.bcentral.com which is Microsofts small business service. Like most hosting companies they restrict what you can do and what you get. Janine has an access database, email, storage and support for ASP.Net.1.1. However she cannot call external DLLs or call or provide web services. And of course there is no ASP.Net 2.0 yet which for me is most frustrating.

So I am now looking for a hosting company that will allow her to use ASP.Net 2.0 so I can go through the migration process and report to you here. If anyone would like to recommend one please let me know. It would be great to do some web services and I also will write a click once app to handle the client side of the fullfilment process.

So here are the key things I really want to do to www.giftbaskets4u.co.uk when I migrate:

Use the SQL 2005 membship provider so I can separate off the admin functions from the rest of the site and create a community.
Use Master Pages (please oh please let me do this!). I have spent hours at the weekend making all the pages have the same look and feel.
Migrate from the Access database to SQL Server Express 2005. Those MDF files are just like MDB's but more powerful. Then use the cool new caching features.
Rewrite the admin pages that use the master-details reports.

Of course I am having way too much fun with this but it beats having to mow the lawn on a saturday.

Back from the ASP.Net 2.0 tour

davewebster — Thu, 09 Jun 2005 06:42:00 GMT

Well I am back in the UK after a terrific few months tourning Europe Middle East and Africa telling people about ASP.Net 2.0. Here is the list of cities:

February Vienna, Tel Aviv (Ramat Gan), Lisbon, Zurich, Warsaw, Olso, Copenhagen, Brussels, Dublin.

I had help from my good friend David Platt http://www.rollthunder.com

Then it was off to Ljubliana in Slovenia. Then Rejkyavik and to crown it all Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.

I would like to thank all the thousands of you who turned up to hear me talk. You were a great audience.

Its amazing that although we all live far apart and in different cultures we all share the interests of getting our web sites to work.