ASP.NET AJAX in Action

Title: ASP.NET AJAX in Action
Authors: Alessandro Gallo, David Barkol, and Rama Krishna Vavilala
Published: August, 2007
Pages: 576 pages
ISBN: 1-933988-14-2


Ajax revolutionized how users interact with web pages. Gone are frustrating page refreshes, lost scroll positions, intermittent interactions, and flat, boring pages. Instead we have a new generation of fast, rich, and intuitive web applications. The ASP.NET AJAX framework puts the power of Ajax into the hands of Microsoft ASP.NET developers. ASP.NET AJAX, formerly called Atlas, is a new free framework from Microsoft designed to easily add Ajax features to ASP.NET applications. With this technology, ASP.NET developers can easily build more interactive and highly-personalized web applications that work across all most popular browsers.

ASP.NET AJAX in Action is a fast-paced, example-rich tutorial designed for ASP.NET web developers and written by ASP.NET AJAX experts Alessandro “Garbin” Gallo, David Barkol, and Rama Krishna Vavilala. This book introduces you to Ajax applications and to the ASP.NET AJAX technology. Beginners will appreciate the clear explanations of key ideas and terminology. Intermediate and advanced ASP.NET developers will find a no-nonsense learning source and well-organized reference.

ASP.NET AJAX in Action offers a rich set of examples and meticulous explanations. The extensive code samples are accompanied by accurate and rigorous explanations of the concepts behind development with ASP.NET AJAX. In this book, you will discover how to use

Microsoft Ajax Library
Partial rendering with UpdatePanels
Advanced client and server techniques
Ajax Control Toolkit

If you are a web developer looking to bring your web pages to life and to enhance the user experience, this book is for you.

ASP.NET AJAX in Action will give you with the knowledge and tools you need to more easily craft the next generation of Ajax applications. With the help of the Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX framework, Ajax development has never been easier and more instinctive for both client-script developers and ASP.NET developers alike.

WHAT'S INSIDE:
Lots of code examples
Deep coverage of ASP.NET AJAX Extensions
Covers the ASP.NET AJAX Futures CTP
Partial page rendering with UpdatePanels
Advanced client and server techniques

About the Authors
Alessandro “Garbin” Gallo is a Microsoft MVP in the Visual ASP/ASP.NET category and has been an active contributor for the Ajax Control Toolkit project. As a .NET developer/consultant with a primary focus on ASP.NET application design and development, Alessandro has been developing with ASP.NET AJAX since the very first CTP. Notably, he won the Grand Prize at the Mash-it-up with ASP.NET AJAX contest held by Microsoft in 2006.

David Barkol is a Principal Consultant for Neudesic, one of Microsoft's leading .NET professional services firms and a Gold Certified Partner. At Neudesic David specializes in providing custom .NET solutions that leverage technologies such as ASP.NET, Web Services, Windows Forms, SQL Server, and C#. He is an MCSD in .NET and a member of the Microsoft ASP.NET Advisory Council. David resides in tropical La Palma, CA.

Rama Krishna Vavilala is a senior software developer/architect at 3C Software, a leading supplier of Cost Management Solutions. He has designed and developed three different versions of Impact:ECS™ (3C Softwares product suite). Currently, he is designing an Ajax-based web application using ASP.NET AJAX. This application will be a part of the Impact:ECS™ suite. He is a regular contributor at The Code Project and has contributed around 20 articles on wide ranging subjects


Table Of Contents

Part 1 ASP.NET AJAX basics
1 Introducing ASP.NET AJAX
1.1 What is Ajax?
1.2 ASP.NET AJAX architecture
1.3 ASP.NET AJAX in action
1.4 Summary

2 First steps with the Microsoft Ajax Library
2.1 A quick overview of the library
2.2 The Application model
2.3 Working with the DOM
2.4 Making development with JavaScript easier
2.5 Summary

3 JavaScript for Ajax developers
3.1 Working with objects
3.2 Working with JSON
3.3 Classes in JavaScript
3.4 Understanding inheritance
3.5 Understanding interfaces and enumerations
3.6 Using type reflection
3.7 Working with events
3.8 Summary

4 Exploring the Ajax server extensions
4.1 Ajax for ASP.NET developers
4.2 Enhancing an existing ASP.NET site
4.3 ScriptManager: the brains of an Ajax page
4.4 Partial-page updates
4.5 Summary

5 Making asynchronous network calls
5.1 Working with ASP.NET Web Services
5.2 The asynchronous communication layer
5.3 Consuming external Web Services
5.4 Using ASP.NET application services
5.5 Summary

6 Partial-page rendering with UpdatePanels
6.1 With great power comes great responsibility
6.2 Getting to know the UpdatePanel
6.3 Triggers
6.4 Advanced techniques
6.5 Live GridView filter
6.6 Summary

Part 2 Advanced techniques
7 Under the hood of the UpdatePanel
7.1 The PageRequestManager: the unsung hero
7.2 A client-side event viewer
7.3 UpdatePanel cookbook
7.4 Caveats and limitations
7.5 Summary

8 ASP.NET AJAX client components
8.1 The client component model
8.2 Working with client components
8.3 Behaviors
8.4 Controls
8.5 Summary

9 Building Ajax-enabled controls
9.1 Script descriptors
9.2 Introduction to Ajax-enabled controls
9.3 Extenders
9.4 Script controls
9.5 Summary

10 Developing with the Ajax Control Toolkit
10.1 A world of extenders
10.2 The Ajax Control Toolkit API
10.3 Animations
10.4 Summary

Part 3 ASP.NET AJAX Futures
11 XML Script
11.1 XML Script basics
11.2 Actions
11.3 Bindings
11.4 Summary

12 Dragging and dropping
12.1 The drag-and-drop engine
12.2 A drag-and-drop shopping cart
12.3 Summary

Part 4 Mastering ASP.NET AJAX
13 Implementing common Ajax patterns
13.1 Script versioning
13.2 Helpers, help me help you!
13.3 Logical navigation and unique URLs
13.4 Declarative data binding
13.5 Declarative widgets
13.6 Summary

Source code (12MB)
Sample Chapter 2
Sample Chapter 4
Amazon Link: ASP.NET AJAX in Action