Introduction to ASP.NET 2.0

ASP.NET was developed by Microsoft with one major aim - to enhance the productivity of the developer. Unlike ASP, which uses a scripting language, ASP.NET uses complete programming languages like VB.NET and C#. This one change was very significant because the developers were now able to utilize the full power of the programming language.

However, this change also introduced a steep learning curve. Now the developers needed to learn the language and write large pieces of code in order to develop useful web applications.

With the release of .NET Framework 2.0, Microsoft introduced ASP.NET 2.0. This time, the emphasis was on productivity and simplicity. ASP.NET 2.0 reduces the amount of code to write for web application development. In some scenarios, this reduction is so much that hardly any code is required for a particular functionality. ASP.NET 2.0 applications can be created by a beginner or hobbyist programmer with ease and with features generally found in a professional application.

Here are some prominent features of ASP.NET 2.0 -

• Master Pages: This unique concept is used to provide a consistent look to all the pages of a web site. Once the master page is designed, all other pages can inherit its looks and features.
• Navigation Controls: New navigation controls provide an easy way to create site menu and navigation structures.
• Data Access: One of the most complex and code-intensive features of the previous versions of ASP.NET is now so easy that common data access and data management tasks can be done without writing any code!
• Membership and Roles: User management, security, user registration and user login can be done very easily by using the built-in tools and controls. Information specific to a user can be stored and retrieved using `profiles'.
• Organized Code Structure: ASP.NET provides a cleaner way to organize the program code by separating it from the page HTML code. This approach makes it possible for developers to work with their code without disturbing the HTML. However, it is also possible to place the program code and HTML on the same page.
• Easier Administration: With Website Administration Tool (WAT) and control panel snap-in, configuring a web site is now much easier. In addition, there is no need to stop and restart the web server after updating the configurations. Most updates are applied on the fly.
• Cross-Browser Compatibility: an ASP.NET 2.0 application can identify the target browser type and version and adjust itself accordingly.

Apart from these features, ASP.NET 2.0 provides a host of other improvements and functionalities that make web application development an easy task for everyone. To experience the technology, we will develop a full-featured web application as our project.