[share_ebook] Programming Microsoft ASP.NET MVC

Description

Delve into the features, principles, and pillars of the ASP.NET MVC framework-deftly guided by Web development luminary Dino Esposito. ASP.NET MVC forces developers to think in terms of distinct components-model, view, controller-that make it easier to manage application complexity. Plunge into the framework’s internal mechanics and gain a practical, what-why-how perspective behind each ASP.NET MVC building block. You’ll understand how and when to use this programming model as an alternative to Web Forms-to gain full control of HTML, simplify testing and extensibility, and design better Web sites and experiences. As always, Esposito provides the detailed, insightful guidance and illustrative code samples you need to get productive quickly.

Who Is This Book For?
As explained in great detail in Chapter 1, “Goal of ASP.NET MVC and Motivation for Its Development,” ASP.NET Web Forms is showing the signs of age. And ASP.NET MVC is an excellent (although still incomplete) replacement. My guess—my humble, two-cent guess—is that in a couple of years (and in a couple of versions) ASP.NET MVC will offer the same level of productivity as Web Forms—either because of framework enhancements or because of even more powerful tooling. At that point, you will have two options that are equivalent functionally and in terms of productivity. But one of them (ASP.NET MVC) can help you write better code, faster. This may not be the case today with ASP.NET MVC 2, but it likely will be the case with ASP.NET MVC 3 or 4.

I don’t think that ASP.NET Web Forms will be dismissed very soon. For example, rumors suggest that ASP.NET Web Forms will move decidedly toward increasing testability in version 5 through the introduction of some MVP support. We’ll see, but as I see things ASP.NET MVC is and will remain far superior technically.

Although pushing a team to use ASP.NET MVC today on a project might be an arguable choice, pushing it within a software company isn’t an arguable choice at all. Having a deep understanding of ASP.NET MVC makes you a better developer. ASP.NET MVC is easy to pick up for junior developers who are just out of school, even though it could be harder for experienced Web Forms developers to learn. This book assumes you have knowledge of Web Forms programming as it explains how ASP.NET MVC works and how to use it effectively.

My experience shows that too many Web Forms developers built their expertise by trial and error. ASP.NET MVC requires a sort of reset, and you know that after you reboot your machine it normally runs faster. But this personal reboot may take a bit of effort. Start today with ASP.NET MVC, even in parallel with current Web Forms projects. You’ll see the difference, understand the basic facts of Web development, and soon be ready for writing better code with both Web Forms and ASP.NET MVC.

About the Author
Dino Esposito is a well-known ASP.NET, AJAX, and Microsoft Silverlight® expert who has written or cowritten several popular books, including MICROSOFT ASP.NET AND AJAX: ARCHITECTING WEB APPLICATIONS and PROGRAMMING MICROSOFT ASP.NET 3.5. He is a regular contributor to MSDN® Magazine and speaks at industry events such as DevConnections and Microsoft TechEd.