Tip #40: Did you know…How to scope master pages?
Master page is a template page that can be used to create a consistent layout for your application. First you create a master page to define the look & feel of the application and then you create the content pages that contains the content.
You can attach these content pages to the master page at the following three levels:
- Page Level: You can use the page directive on each of the content pages
<@Page Language="VB" MasterPageFile="~/Main.master"%>
Or programmatically set it in the content page Page_PreInit Event
for VB
Protected Sub Page_PreInit(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.PreInit
Me.MasterPageFile = "~/Main.master"
End Sub
for C#
protected void Page_PreInit(Object sender, EventArgs e)
{
this.MasterPageFile = "~/Main.Master";
}
- Application Level : By specifying the following in web.config file, all the aspx files will use the master page as Main.master (If aspx file does not contain a Content control, the master page won't be applied to it )
<configuration>
<system.web>
<pages masterPageFile="~/Main.master" />
</system.web>
</configuration>
[You will notice that the pages node already exists in web.config, add the masterPageFile attribute to this node]
- Folder Level: By specifying the following in web.config all the aspx files in a specified folder (admin) will use the master page as Admin.master (If aspx file does not contain a Content control, the master page won't be applied to it )
<configuration>
<location path="admin">
<system.web>
<pages masterPageFile="~/Admin.master" />
</system.web>
</location>
</configuration>
[you will notice system.web already exists, leave it as it is & add a new node 'location' with the above content under 'configuration']
By setting master page programmatically or thru web.config you may not get the Visual Studio master page design time features.
Deepak Verma
SDET | Visual Web Developer
