Re: newbie question

For what you have described, ASP.NET doesn't sound like the tool for you.
You want a client side technology (ActiveX or Java?) that is able to create
and maintain a connection to a database. You don't need ASP.NET for what
you have described. I think a desktop application is better suited for this
application.

To fill you in, the way the event model works in ASP.NET is that each
control that triggers a server side event calls a client side JavaScript
function that sets the value of a couple of hidden fields then submits the
form (a standard HTML form with a runat="server" attribute). There is
another hidden field called ViewState that allows for persisting values
between server trips. Additionally, each page follows a specific life cycle
of events that handle code specific to intialization, loading, event
handling, rendering, and unloading.

For instance, if you have a Button WebControl (rendered as <input
type="button" ...>) that has a server side handler for onClick, the button
is also rendered with onclick="__doPostBack(...);" which sets the hidden
fields and submits the form. The .NET runtime (on the server) checks the
value of the hidden fields (including viewstate) to determine the status of
the page and executes the method that is specified to handle the event.

The model used by ASP.NET allows for much more managable code not to mention
that is succeeds in isolating the logic from the UI code (HTML) since, when
done properly with code behinds (VS.NET default), the HTML document (your
aspx file) forms the layout for a class ultimately derived from
System.Web.UI.Page. With a code behind, you define a class derived from
System.Web.UI.Page. When an ASPX is requested, the runtime instantiates a
class derived from the class defined in the code behind file.

If all your application needs to do is retrieve and edit database records,
you may be able to pull this off in a month but that entirely depends on the
actual complexity of the app. Overall, the WebControls and HtmlControls are
pretty straight forward. ADO.NET is also pretty straight forward.
Depending on your environment and application needs though, security
considerations (which it sounds like you'll have from your issues over
control) offer their own set of complications. Of course, there are nuances
to all of these topics about which you should educate yourself.

Agreeing with Scott M., IIS is easy to configure. I'm running six ASP.NET
apps and have development, testing, and production environments set up for
each of them. Very little configuration is needed to properly configure IIS
for an ASP.NET application. Granted, IIS configuration is not done through
config files but to argue your point about Apache working "out of the box",
you said it yourself, "configure some options in a config file, ..., install
PHP, ... and off you go." How much does that really differ from "install
the .NET Framework, click a button or two to configure some options, and off
you go." In either case, you must still create the application folder and
tell the HTTP server where the application is loaded.

As for learning the .NET technolgies, learning a .NET language shouldn't be
a big deal. If all else fails you could even use PerlASPX from ActiveState
to allow you to use Perl instead of C#. Sure, there are differences between
languages in that some languages offer features that other languages don't
but the overall concepts are the same and common constructs are only
syntactically different. No matter how it is written, a for loop is still a
for loop.

When push comes to shove and you're up against a wall, you need to choose
the best tool for the job. For your situation, it sounds like you should
stick with a tool with which you are already familiar. In fact, your posts
read as though you have already convinced yourself not to use the .NET
technologies for a variety of reasons that are applicable in some cases and
not in others. You seem to be dead-set against using the .NET technologies
and are looking for people working in completely different environments with
different needs to either validate your concerns (further proving that .NET
is not worth your time) or to give you some irrefutable argument as to why
you absolutely must use .NET as opposed to the other tools at your disposal.
To reiterate, you must evaluate the needs of the project and choose the tool
that you believe will best meet those needs. If you believe ASP.NET is the
best tool, great, use it, otherwise use something else.

On a side note, if you're dismissing at least 80% of what you read, it
sounds like you may want to refine your search techniques or perhaps you're
simply disregarding too much...

Good luck with your project.
----------------
Dave Fancher
http://davefancher.blogspot.com

"Lisa Pearlson" <no@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%23B8LrZlOFHA.1396@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Thank you for your response.
>
> I find that most of my time learning new stuff is wasted on searching for
> the right info.. and digging through 80% or more of useless chatter around
> it, yet having to read it all to know what is chatter and what is not.
>
> If you're a good programmer, you can make applications robust and scalable
> without the .NET framework. But since .NET is advertised well and clueless
> customers want it, I'm pretty much forced to swallow this new technology
> which is yet again another wrapper around all these microsoft
> technologies, that I frankly dislike. One reason why I never liked VB. To
> much behind the screen wiring.
>
> Anyway, I should be able to develop something within 1 month, and maybe
> fine tune things later.. doing the project will be like following a
> tutorial, where I have to search the net for clues as to how to take the
> next step. Best way to learn.. But pretty stressful when you have a
> deadline too.
>
> Away from my petty life, back to ASP.NET, you mention "event driven
> model".. I'm sure all this info is available on the net, but like I said,
> 80% of my time is wasted on searching for it, so this helps me alot..
>
>
> Question:
> How should I understand event driven model in web applications? on client
> side, javascript can handle some events, everything else is usually done
> via form POST and parsing on the server side, using ASP, PHP or whatever.
> Do events on the client side get sent to the server? Via HTTP messages, or
> via DCOM bloat?
>
>
>
> I've found so many sources dealing with ASP.NET but none that just explain
> some of the basics of what ASP.NET is really all about. I've read upon
> some .NET stuff, and it seems little more than a thin wrapper around
> windows APIs to handle some garbage collection and such.. (to use api's
> you have to write your own wrappers sometimes.. reminds me of VB, where to
> do anything useful, required you to import half the windows api's.. so
> then why not use VC++ instead, I always wondered).
>
> Lisa
>


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