Basic, basic question about ASP.Net

[QueHuong]

What is it?

I was told it's a server side scripting language - what does that mean and what can it do? Here's the deal, I get a buy one get one book free deal and I want to make it worthwhile, so I was thinking of trying to learn ASP.net if it's practical for my use. What I want to do is just learn the basics of web programming, nothing big at all. I don't have a lot of free time. So will asp.net take up a lot of time to learn? And again to reiterate my question, what can it do and what are some practical applications?

 

[Descartes]

I'll answer your questions in succession.

What is it?

This is your best resource. You might also try searching these forums, I've discussed "What is .NET?" several times in the past. I'd redefine it here, but really there's no point. The link mentioned will give you more than enough information on .NET.

I was told it's a server side scripting language - what does that mean and what can it do?

ASP.NET isn't a language, nor was ASP. Both are "technology umbrellas"; they embody many underlying technologies. You can use many, many different languages in .NET, including VB.NET, C#, managed C++, Perl, etc..

So will asp.net take up a lot of time to learn?

With no background, yes, quite a while. .NET is a large platform and thus takes time to learn. If you're wanting to just get some basic web apps out the door, you're honestly probably better off with PHP.

And again to reiterate my question, what can it do and what are some practical applications?

It would take many books to discuss all what it can do. Anything you'd want to do in a web application, ASP.NET can do.

I know those aren't exactly fantastic responses, but really it's better that you read the resources from Microsoft rather than these forums. "What is .NET?" is a huge question, and we can't answer it in a single post. Check the following sites for more information, including many samples, quickstarts, etc.:

Gotdotnet
ASP.NET
Dotnetjunkies

Hope that gets you started.

 

[Gaunt]

A server side scripting language is a scripting language that is parsed by the server before the web pages are sent to the client's browser. So the code you write is first processed by IIS to create a regular HTML web page, which is then sent to the client's browser. This allows you to create dynamic pages, include data from external sources like a database, etc.

This is different from client-side languages, which are run on the client's computer, to do things like change the look of the browser window (custom scrollbars or mousecursor, etc), among other things.

ASP (Active Server Pages) is a little difficult to explain if you have no experience with anything similar, like PHP. ASP provides you with a framework to access server objects, such as the file system, or things submitted with a form on a web page. You can use an assortment of languages with ASP, such as vbscript.

ASP.NET is an extension of ASP to include the .NET framework. It allows you to write applications in a way that is close to Visual Basic. You can create forms, drop buttons on the forms, and write code to handle the events for the buttons in VB.NET, C# or Managed C++.

What can you do with it? Web based applications. It will allow you to write an inventory tracking program, an online store, a game of some sort... you can do almost anything, although some things have to be bent around the limitations of ASP and web services in general.

What ASP won't help you do is create simple web pages. It will only serve to complicate your life, as there are alot of constructs to deal with, and if all you want to do is learn HTML, CSS, etc, then ASP is just going to slow you down.

Hopefully that helps a little...

 

[QueHuong]

Yup, that helps, thanks a lot guys.

So I guess I'm gonna pick up a book on CSS and VB.Net rather than ASP.

 

[Descartes]

ASP.NET is an extension of ASP to include the .NET framework. It allows you to write applications in a way that is close to Visual Basic.

I'm not trying to be pedantic, but ASP.NET isn't an extension to ASP. ASP.NET is simply another facet of the .NET Framework; it is part of it. You can use the same classes you use in an ASP.NET application as you do in a Windows Forms application, a web service, or even a console application. It's all the same, but ASP.NET includes a pipeline for processing requests that you can extend quite easily using the .NET Framework.

So I guess I'm gonna pick up a book on CSS and VB.Net rather than ASP.

That would be a good idea, but be prepared for a lot of studying/practicing. I would still suggest PHP if you're simply wanting to get something functional. You used to be able to learn VB superficially, and thus quickly, and get an application out the door. Learning VB.NET embodies the entire framework, and it's hard to learn VB.NET without the framework. In short, it's an investment, and you need to decide if the ROI is worth it to you.

For a book on CSS, look no further than Eric Meyers.

 

[Gaunt]

You are quite correct Descartes...

I haven't spent enough time getting to know the framework to realize how it all works together at this point. I'm working purely on experience (which is only about a months worth), and my pre-conceived notions about .NET. 🙂

Along the lines of books and the .NET framework... can you suggest a good book that covers the framework in general, without looking at a specific language, except possibly for examples?

Sorry if this wasn't really the point of the thread... but maybe someone else would be interested as well.

Edit: Typos

 

[Descartes]

If there's one thing I can always provide, it's book recommendations 🙂

For learning about the framework in general, how the type system works, how the new facilities of .NET work (attributes, delegates vs. function pointers, properties, ad nauseum), you need Applied .NET Framework Programming.
There is a C# and a VB.NET version; however, it's not a book on languages, but at some point they have to show *some* examples in code.

For a detailed discussion of the .NET CLR, you need Essential .NET, Volume I: The CLR. This one is quite low-level, so don't expect to get through it quickly.

Reading the above I'm certain you'll find .NET as an extremely palatable platform.

 

[Gaunt]

Excellent, I'll have a look into both of those. Been looking for something to read for a while, and I'm sure these will be helpful.