A practical tutorial to using Microsoft AJAX to enhance the user experience of your ASP.NET web applications covering the most up to date versions of the AJAX tools. With ASP.NET AJAX (formerly known as ATLAS) developers can quickly create rich and responsive web pages with efficient server communication by simply adding a few server controls to their pages. Because ASP.NET AJAX is integrated with ASP.NET, developers have full access to the built-in ASP.NET 2.0 application services and the entire .NET Framework. This book is the most practical and efficient resource a reader can get to enter the exciting world of AJAX in ASP.NET. Targeting the most recent version of the ASP.NET AJAX tools, this book will teach you how to create faster, lighter, and richer web applications by using the Microsoft AJAX technologies to their full potential. Beginning with a hands-on tour of the basic technologies associated with AJAX, JavaScript, XMLHttpRequest, JSON, and the DOM, you'll move on to a crash course in the Microsoft AJAX tools. You'll understand the architecture of the Microsoft AJAX components, how they all fit together, and exactly what they can do for you. At every stage of your journey, you'll be able to try out examples to illuminate the theory, and consolidate your understanding. In addition to learning about the client and server controls, you'll also see how to handle errors and debug your ASP.NET AJAX applications. To get your client pages interacting with your server, the Microsoft AJAX framework allows you to consume web services on the client without having to worry about the underlying protocol used for exchanging the data. You will see how to create ASP.NET web services in practice, and consume them in your AJAX applications. To get your client pages interacting with servers on other domains, the Microsoft AJAX framework provides bridges that allow you to make cross-domain calls seamlessly. This book shows you how this works and how to implement it, including how to consume services from Amazon's ECS (E-Commerce Services). Microsoft AJAX brings the power of the ASP.NET data presentation server controls to the client, enhancing the power and responsiveness of controls such as the GridView and DetailsView. You will learn about using the data client controls to create truly responsive web applications that interact seamlessly not just with your servers and your data, but also with other servers and other sources of data should you choose. This book is a practical tutorial to get you confident and comfortable working with the Microsoft AJAX suite. Packed with step-by-step examples and detailed explanations of how the examples work, this book is the ideal first step into the exciting world of AJAX in ASP.NET. This book is written for ASP.NET developers who not only want to understand how Microsoft AJAX will impact on the way they develop web applications, but also want to make the transition to better, more responsive applications as easily as possible. You will need access to either Visual Studio Web Developer Express or Visual Studio .NET 2005. All the code examples are in C#.

Even the best developers have seen well-intentioned software projects fail — often because the customer kept changing requirements, and end users didn't know how to use the software you developed. Instead of surrendering to these common problems, let Head First Software Development guide you through the best practices of software development. Before you know it, those failed projects will be a thing of the past.

With its unique visually rich format, this book pulls together the hard lessons learned by expert software developers over the years. You'll gain essential information about each step of the software development lifecycle — requirements, design, coding, testing, implementing, and maintenance — and understand why and how different development processes work.

This book is for you if you are:Tired of your customers assuming you're psychic. You'll learn not only how to get good requirements, but how to make sure you're always building the software that customers want (even when they're not sure themselves)Wondering when the other 15 programmers you need to get your project done on time are going to show up. You'll learn how some very simple scheduling and prioritizing will revolutionize your success rate in developing software.Confused about being rational, agile, or a tester. You'll learn not only about the various development methodologies out there, but how to choose a solution that's right for your project.Confused because the way you ran your last project worked so well, but failed miserably this time around. You'll learn how to tackle each project individually, combine lessons you've learned on previous projects with cutting-edge development techniques, and end up with great software on every project.Head First Software Development is here to help you learn in a way that your brain likes... and you'll have a blast along the way. Why pick up hundreds of boring books on the philosophy of this approach or the formal techniques required for that one? Stick with Head First Software Development, and your projects will succeed like never before. Go on, get started... you'll learn and have fun. We promise.

Determined to make the Visual Studio Extensibility (VSX) learning process as smooth as possible, this helpful resource shows you how to use VSX in order to facilitate easier development of Microsoft programming languages and development technologies. Keyvan Nayyeri examines how VSX simplifies the processes of coding, compilation, deployment, debugging, and testing. Plus, numerous examples, sample code, and real-world case studies demonstrate the various extensibility options of VSX so that you can perform routine tasks easier and quicker.

Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation provides the foundation for building applications and high–quality user experiences in Windows Vista. WPF blends application user interface, documents, and media content to provide richer control, design, and development of the visual aspects of Windows programs.

Author Matthew MacDonald shows you how WPF really works. His no–nonsense, practical advice will get you building high–quality WPF applications quickly and easily. MacDonald will take you through a thorough investigation of the more advanced aspects of WPF, and its relation to other elements of the WinFX stack and the .NET Framework 3.5, to complete your understanding of WPF and VB 2008.

WPF’s functionality extends to support for Tablet PCs and other forms of input device, and provides a more modern imaging and printing pipeline, accessibility and UI automation infrastructure, data–driven UI and visualization, as well as the integration points for weaving the application experience into the Windows shell. What you’ll learn WPF basics: XAML, layout, control essentials, and data flowWPF applications: Navigation, commands, localization, and deploymentAdvanced controls: Custom controls, menus, toolbars, and treesWPF documents: Text layout, printing, and document packagingGraphics and multimedia: Drawing shapes, sound and video, animation, geometric transformations, and imagingWho is this book for?

Developers encountering WPF and .NET 3.5 for the first time in their professional lives. About the Apress Pro Series

The Apress Pro series books are practical, professional tutorials to keep you on and moving up the professional ladder.

You have gotten the job, now you need to hone your skills in these tough competitive times. The Apress Pro series expands your skills and expertise in exactly the areas you need. Master the content of a Pro book, and you will always be able to get the job done in a professional development project. Written by experts in their field, Pro series books from Apress give you the hard–won solutions to problems you will face in your professional programming career. Related Titles Pro C# 2008 and the .NET 3.5 Platform, Fourth EditionPro VB 2008 and the .NET 3.5 Platform, Third EditionPro WPF in C# 2008: Windows Presentation Foundation with .NET 3.5, Second EditionPro Silverlight 2

The best-selling introduction to Cocoa, once again updated to cover the latest Mac programming technologies, and still enthusiastically recommended by experienced Mac OS X developers.

 

“Aaron’s book is the gold standard for Mac OS X programming books—beautifully written, and thoughtfully sculpted. The best book on Leopard development.”

—Scott Stevenson, www.theocacao.com

 

“This is the first book I’d recommend for anyone wanting to learn Cocoa from scratch. Aaron’s one of the few (perhaps only) full-time professional Cocoa instructors, and his teaching experience shows in the book.”

—Tim Burks, software developer and creator of the Nu programming language, www.programming.nu

 

“If you’re a UNIX or Windows developer who picked up a Mac OS X machine recently in hopes of developing new apps or porting your apps to Mac users, this book should be strongly considered as one of your essential reference and training tomes.”

—Kevin H. Spencer, Apple Certified Technical Coordinator

 

If you’re developing applications for Mac OS X, Cocoa® Programming for Mac® OS X, Third Edition, is the book you’ve been waiting to get your hands on. If you’re new to the Mac environment, it’s probably the book you’ve been told to read first. Covering the bulk of what you need to know to develop full-featured applications for OS X, written in an engaging tutorial style, and thoroughly class-tested to assure clarity and accuracy, it is an invaluable resource for any Mac programmer.

 

Specifically, Aaron Hillegass introduces the three most commonly used Mac developer tools: Xcode, Interface Builder, and Instruments. He also covers the Objective-C language and the major design patterns of Cocoa. Aaron illustrates his explanations with exemplary code, written in the idioms of the Cocoa community, to show you how Mac programs should be written. After reading this book, you will know enough to understand and utilize Apple’s online documentation for your own unique needs. And you will know enough to write your own stylish code.

 

Updated for Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5, this revised edition includes coverage of Xcode 3, Objective-C 2, Core Data, the garbage collector, and CoreAnimation.