Book description
This book begins with you working along as Scott Guthrie builds a
complete ASP. NET MVC reference application. He begins NerdDinner by
using the File->New Project menu command within Visual Studio to
create a new ASP. NET MVC Application. You'll then incrementally add
functionality and features. Along the way you'll cover how to create a
database, build a model layer with business rule validations, implement
listing/details data browsing, provide CRUD (Create, Update, Delete)
data form entry support, implement efficient data paging, reuse UI using
master pages and partials, secure the application using authentication
and authorization, use AJAX to deliver dynamic updates and interactive
map support, and implement automated unit testing.
From there, the bulk of the rest of the book begins with the basic
concepts around the model view controller pattern, including the
little history and the state of the MVC on the web today. We'll then
go into the ways that MVC is different from ASP. NET Web Forms. We'll
explore the structure of a standard MVC application and see what you
get out of the box. Next we dig deep into routing and see the role
URLs play in your application. We'll deep dive into controllers and
views and see what role the Ajax plays in your applications. The last
third of the book focuses entirely on advanced techniques and
extending the framework.
In some places, we assume that you're somewhat familiar with ASP. NET
WebForms, at least peripherally. There are a lot of ASP. NET WebForms
developers out there who are interested in ASP. NET MVC so there are a
number of places in this book where we contrast the two technologies.
Even if you're not already an ASP. NET developer, you might still find
these sections interesting for context, as well as for your own
edification as ASP. NET MVC may not be the web technology that you're
looking for.
It's worth noting, that ASP. NET MVC is not a replacement for ASP.
NET Web Forms (aka just "ASP. NET"). Many web developers
have been giving a lot of attention to other web frameworks out there
(Ruby on Rails, Django) which have embraced the MVC
(Model-View-Controller) application pattern, and if you're one of
those developers, or even if you're just curious, this book is for you.
MVC allows for (buzzword alert!) a "greater separation of
concerns" between components in your application. The book goes
into the ramifications of this, but if it had to be said it in a quick
sentence: ASP. NET MVC is ASP. NET Unplugged. ASP. NET MVC is a
tinkerer's framework that gives you very fine-grained control over
your HTML and Javascript, as well as complete control over the
programmatic flow of your application.
Rob Conery works at Microsoft on the ASP. NET
team. He is the creator of SubSonic and was the chief architect of the
Commerce Starter Kit (a free, Open Source eCommerce platform for
.NET). He lives in Kauai, Hawaii, with his wife and two daughters
(Maddy and Ruby).
Scott Guthrie is corporate vice president of Microsoft's .NET
Developer Division, where he runs the development teams responsible
for delivering Microsoft Visual Studio developer tools and Microsoft
.NET Framework technologies for building client and Web applications.
A founding member of the .NET project, Guthrie has played a key role
in the design and development of Visual Studio and the .NET Framework
since 1999. Guthrie is also responsible for Microsoft's web server
platform and development tools teams. He has also more recently driven
the development of Silverlight - a cross browser, cross platform
plug-in for delivering next generation media experiences and rich
Internet applications for the Web. Today, Guthrie directly manages the
development teams that build the Common Language Runtime (CLR), ASP.
NET, Silverlight, Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), IIS, Commerce
Server, and the Visual Studio Tools for web, client, and Silverlight
development. Guthrie graduated with a degree in computer science from
Duke University.
Phil Haack is a senior program manager with the ASP. NET team
working on the ASP. NET MVC project. Prior to joining Microsoft, Phil
worked as a product manager for a code search engine, a dev manager
for an online gaming company, and a senior architect for a popular
Spanish language television network, among other crazy pursuits. As a
code junkie, Phil Haack loves to craft software. Not only does he
enjoy writing software, but he also enjoys writing about software and
software management on his blog, http://haacked. com. In his spare
time, Phil contributes to various Open Source projects and is the
founder of the Subtext blog engine project, which is undergoing a
rewrite, using ASP. NET MVC, of course.
Scott Hanselman works for Microsoft as a principal program
manager in the Developer Division, aiming to spread the good word
about developing software, most often on the Microsoft stack. Before
this, he worked in eFinance for 6+ years and before that he was a
principal consultant and a Microsoft Partner for nearly 7 years. He
was also involved in a few things like the MVP and RD programs and
will speak about computers (and other passions) whenever someone will
listen to him. He blogs at www. hanselman. com and podcasts at www.
hanselminutes. com and contributes to sites like www. asp. net, www.
windowsclient. net, and www. silverlight. net. You can also fi nd him
on Twitter, far too often.
