Building Web Applications with ASP.NET MVC: Hands-On

What is this course about?

This course provides you with the knowledge and skills to build dynamic Web applications in the Visual Studio 2010 and the ASP.NET MVC framework. You learn how to construct complex, data-driven Web applications using the clean architecture of MVC. In addition, you learn how to generate sophisticated user interfaces that give the developer total control of the generated HTML. You also learn to exploit AJAX and deploy and secure the applications.

Who will benefit from this course?

This course is valuable for those building Web applications with Microsoft technologies and are new to MVC. The MVC architecture provides a clean, maintainable and reusable structure to an application code base--something that could not easily be achieved using ASP.NET. Those wishing to evaluate MVC against traditional ASP.NET development will also find this course beneficial.

What is ASP.NET MVC and how does it differ from ASP.NET?

ASP.NET provides fully compiled, event-driven page code that is cleanly separated from HTML. ASP.NET applications are easy to install (just copy the application) and easy to enhance. For example, it is not necessary to shut down the application to install a new component. ASP.NET applications achieve scalability by using .NET components.

ASP.NET MVC is Microsoft's Web application technology that improves ASP.NET and provides a total separation of code from HTML generation and enables a more maintainable code base than ASP.NET.

I already use ASP.NET. Will this course be useful for me?

Absolutely! MVC provides solutions to many recognized shortcomings of ASP.NET. This course shows how MVC can be introduced into the development process while leveraging an existing ASP.NET code base.

What version of Visual Studio and ASP.NET MVC is used in this course?

This course uses Visual Studio 2010, ASP.NET 4 and MVC 3.

If I already know and use ASP.NET MVC 1 or 2, will this course be useful to me ?

If you have more than six months full time experience with MVC 1 or MVC 2, then no. This course assume no knowledge of MVC and provides thorough coverage of how to build complete applications. MVC 3 is the version used on the course; the differences between the versions are primarily the addition of new features along with the existing features, not replacement features. If, therefore, you are familiar with all of the features of MVC 1 or 2, you will be learning just the new features of MVC 3 which represent approximately 2.5 hours of course time.

What background do I need?

Programming experience at the level of Course 503, Visual Basic^® Programming for .NET: Hands-On, or Course 419, C# Programming: Hands-On, is assumed. Knowledge of Web application development is helpful, but not necessary. For example, you should be able to:

• Program in Visual Basic or C#
• Build Windows and or Web applications using Visual Studio
• Construct classes
• Program event handlers
• Write basic HTML
• Understand the role of JavaScript in Web development

Knowledge of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is also beneficial.

What level of HTML experience should I have?

You should know that Web pages are built with HTML and how browsers convert into the display. You should

• Be familiar with basic tags, such as <ul>, <li> and <a>
• Understand URL structure
• Understand the role of CSS in Web page development

How does this course differ from Course 506 and Course 512?

Course 512, ASP.NET WebForms: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction, covers development using ASP.NET. The focus of Course 512 is on building Web applications with minimal programming using Visual Studio wizards.

Course 506, Building Web Applications with ASP.NET and Ajax: Hands-On, covers how to build scalable Web applications using Microsoft's Visual Studio 2010 and .NET 2.0/3.0/3.5/4.

Course 977 uses the new ASP.NET MVC framework. Microsoft created this framework to provide a productive development environment where the developer has full control over all aspects of the application, including the generated HTML. The MVC framework typically produces applications that are easy to maintain and extend.

What is Visual Studio 2010?

Visual Studio 2010, which is used in this course, is the principal integrated environment for creating .NET applications. The environment is completely language neutral, supporting languages from Visual Basic to C++ to JavaScript. You can use Visual Studio 2010 to create client/server and Web applications. Developers can use Visual Studio 2010 to create applications by combining the best of a wide variety of development tools.

Will I learn how to access databases?

Yes. This course covers the basics of Language INtegrated Query (LINQ) for data access. LINQ adds general purpose querying to .NET. It extends the syntax and semantics of Visual Basic and C# with a series of query keywords. LINQ to Objects allows for the sorting, filtering and aggregating of objects.

LINQ to SQL provides a full capability for managing database access within C# and Visual Basic. It also supports the infrastructure for object-relational translation, including update, insert, and delete operations and implicit support for identity maps.

For a course that covers LINQ in depth, you may be interested in Course 973, Programming C# Extended Features: Hands-On.

How much AJAX does this course cover?

One of the benefits of ASP.NET MVC is the ability to build clean AJAX-driven interfaces. This course shows how to build AJAX-powered interfaces and uses both XML and JSON for the messaging format. All of the knowledge required to work with AJAX will be provided in the course.

Does the AJAX coverage mean I am required to know JavaScript?

No. This course explains any JavaScript that is required, which is minimal. The course uses a JavaScript library, jQuery, which provides the majority of the required JavaScript. jQuery is used widely and has tool support from Microsoft Visual Studio.

I have heard ASP.NET is useful for developing REST services. Does this course cover developing REST services?

Yes. This course covers generating responses to REST style requests. It is not a major focus of this course, but the course does provide the opportunity to gain the skills necessary to implement this style of Web service.

Security is of paramount importance to me. Does this course cover security in detail?

This course covers securing the application. For secure communication, HTTPS is used. Role-based security is covered to show how access control is applied to the application code.

This course does not cover securing servers and operating systems. For this aspect of security, please see Course 940, Securing Web Applications, Services and Servers: Hands-On, or Course 468, System and Network Security: A Comprehensive Introduction.

I currently build applications with ASP/JSP/PHP or ColdFusion. Will I benefit from this course?

Yes. ASP.NET MVC is a distinct Web development environment and is the state-of-the-art technology for creating Web applications in the .NET environment. Of course, you should have knowledge of C# or Visual Basic (.NET 2003, 2005, 2008 or 2010).

After taking this course, will I be able to create a complete, dynamic Web site?

Yes. This course introduces you to the tools and technologies available in ASP.NET MVC so that you can deliver a complete, scalable and secure Web application.

What is request routing and is it covered in this course?

Traditional ASP.NET applications are built on URLs and links whose structure and text are directly linked to the Web application's underlying code structure. For example, pages often end with the text "pagename.aspx."

A major disadvantage of this traditional structure is that the links of the application are tightly coupled with the application code structure. If the code changes, the links break and need to be updated as well. In addition, links structured in this way are not efficient for search engine optimization. The MVC framework addresses these shortcomings and provides a solution known as request routing.

This approach enables the links of an application to be defined in a way that does not tie them to the code structure and also enables them to be optimized for search engines. This course provides comprehensive coverage of request routing and how it can be used to build effective application links.

How much time is spent on each topic?

How much of this course is hands-on?

Approximately 50 percent of this course is spent participating in hands-on exercises, which are completed in C# or Visual Basic. When combined, the exercises show how to build a complete Web application. Exercises include

• Creating a clean application architecture with MVC
• Implementing robust controllers for smooth application flow
• Testing controllers and views with test-driven development
• Generating dynamic views with view helpers ? Validating user input with client and server-side rules
• Building richer user interfaces with AJAX and jQuery
• Restricting application access with role-based security

How does this course relate to other Learning Tree courses?

Other courses that may be of interest include

• 512, ASP.NET WebForms: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction 
• 511, .NET Best Practices and Design Patterns: Hands-On 
• 506, Building Web Applications with ASP.NET and Ajax: Hands-On 
• 976, .NET 3.0/3.5 Overview: Hands-On 
• 419, C# Programming: Hands-On 
• 503, Visual Basic® Programming for .NET: Hands-On 
• 973, Programming C# Extended Features: Hands-On 
• 2602, Windows® AzureTM Platform Introduction: Programming Cloud-Based Applications 
• 2615, Programming SharePoint® 2010 Applications with .NET: Hands-On 
• 1610, jQuery: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction 
• 2620, .NET 4 Programming for Existing .NET Developers: Hands-On