Filtering Records

The video lecture shows how to use several data controls on several tables to allow data filetring an using more complex data operations in general. The lecture shows only the min plumbing for this purpose but the students can use all their front end knowledge and skills in order to create pages useful for their projects.

Simple Database

In this video you will see how easily you create a database with your own table, fill it with data, and run the required queries on your table (doesn't have to be a book database).
After that you will create a Web form with a table rendering data from your database.
See the video here

Navigation Controls

Here you will find two videos showing a very simple way of creating a web site with a hierarchy of pages. Then you will use Mater Pages to make all pages look from the same site and place navigation controls on this master page so that you can go to any page from any page. The videos show a different view of creating web sites with navigation controls, which might explain their essence better...

ASP.NET has many very useful and easy to use server controls with navigation being one of the easily solvable problem. The whole trick is in the creation of a special file Web.sitemap where you describe the structure of your site, how pages are being grouped and what hierarchies they form. Then a special element: SiteMapDataSource control connects various navigation controls to thee site description in Web.sitemap. You just have to pick a navigation control of interest and drop it onto the proper section (usually it is a Sidebar section of the master page. And... this is it!

G2 can just follow the video, if it seems simpler, modify some of its elements and, mostly important, creating pages with their own HTML content (text, art, etc.). If you want to use a lot of server controls - you will need a form, and at the current level of your knowledge it might be easier to use some of the pages without the coverage of the master page but linked by html links from other pages. There you can have all controls you want.
Part1. Here you will see how to create a master page with the side bar ready for placing navigation controls on it.
Part 2. This part shows how to create Web.sitemap description and connect navigation controls to it by using SiteMapDataSource control


   

Master Pages. Three Sections.

This video shows the easiest way of completing the work on master pages for both G1 and G2. The difference is that G2 students should read the text on both topics: master pages and themes with good understanding. The post will be updated later to include other parts of the lecture where you can change the picture in a theme and how you can create aspx and master pages just using a Notepad right from your mobile phone.

• Here is video lecture on Part 1
• In this section of the video presentation I am showing the way of changing the existing themes, including the banner pictures (will be good for your projects)
• Here you can find a very simple explanation of the master page mechanism and use. The simple pages can be created from your mobile devices without even the use of Visual Studio (if you remember some HTML).

Server Controls

While working on chapter 4 you will see the use of server controls that make the creation of complex web pages so easy. Although they look like controls in VB from forms designed for Windows, the big difference is in the complexity of the code provided for you for free that works behind the scene making all easy. ASP.NET creates Web pages working over the network and allowing for client-server , client-browser, and client cloud communications.
To make further learning more differentiated, I am creating two groups: G1 and G2. G2 will be the group where students will take the easier path having somewhat different tasks and goals. G1 students are the students that would want deeper knowledge and are preparing for the situation when they can get a job in web development using ASP.NET. G1 has A as a highest grade, while G2 has an A- as the possible highest grade. When submitting your tasks to the forums you should have a prefix stating G1 or G2 attempt. The highest grade in G1 is possible ONLY when ALL the tasks will be done for G1. G2 students can periodically attempt to do G1 tasks but without all of them done will not get an A grade (while getting the better level of .NET handling).

So for chapter 2 those who read this post can already do the work for G2 which is easier than the one shown in the tasks. This work will include following my ServerControls video and somehow modifying it. Following the textbook is not necessary, although reading it is recommended. The project part for G2 is the same as described in the tasks.

Below I am offering two video lectures. The first one (which should be viewed first) is about the most important concept in server controls = postback. The second one shows how to use several server controls on one page. G2 has to follow and modify it. It also helps to design the initial look of your project. Although later you will be able to change/modify it.

Here is video lecture 1 on postback
Here is video lecture 2 on server controls

Chapter 2

Do not skip the text in chapter 2 by jumping right to the labs. The material is extremely important and I encourage you to experiment with it until you feel comfortable with VS tools. Just the HTML editing can be extremely useful for any HTML work even outside of the VS.


In this chapter you learn the basic mechanics of web site design with various types of files, folders, and views. The rest of the first half of the semester you will see how easy will be adding of some very good and powerful controls to the site with a couple of clicks and 5-second tweaking. They will make your  site look professional as well as allowing you to modify it quickly on user's whimsy. This is Rapid Application Development in the flesh. And the basis is in the use of a good integrated development environment (IDE) such as Visual Studio and a Framework (.NET) which gives you a lot of free code hidden behind each control and .NET element that offer a very rich set of attributes, behaviors, and other code features.


But you need to understand all words and sentences in the book since none of them is just for the good mood. Every skipped sentence is missing knowledge of something that will inevitably haunt you later.


A good idea might be to re-read the chapter and experiment more on it. If you will not be comfortable with the material - you will be spending much more time/efforts in the coming weeks.

HTML Video Lecture

I hope that by now you've read HTML from w3schools site recommended in the tasks. For those who still have problems in understanding of the tag approach in HTML, I can recommend a really introductory video lecture on a few simple HTML elements with some possibly used in your HTML- adding task.