Table of Contents

Copyright

Brief Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Foreword

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

About this Book

About the Authors

About the Title

About the Cover Illustration

1. ASP.NET AJAX basics

Chapter 1. Introducing ASP.NET AJAX

1.1. What is Ajax?

1.1.1. Ajax components

1.1.2. Asynchronous web programming

1.1.3. The XMLHttpRequest object

1.1.4. Ajax development issues

1.2. ASP.NET AJAX architecture

1.2.1. Client framework

1.2.2. Server framework

1.2.3. Client-centric development model

1.2.4. Server-centric development model

1.2.5. ASP.NET AJAX goals

1.3. ASP.NET AJAX in action

1.3.1. Simple server-centric solution

1.3.2. UpdateProgress control

1.3.3. Simple client-centric example

1.4. Summary

Chapter 2. First steps with the Microsoft Ajax Library

2.1. A quick overview of the library

2.1.1. Library features

2.1.2. Ajax-enabling an ASP.NET page

2.1.3. Script versions

2.2. The Application model

2.2.1. Client components

2.2.2. Client-page lifecycle

2.2.3. “Hello Microsoft Ajax!”

2.3. Working with the DOM

2.3.1. The abstraction API

2.3.2. A dynamic, cross-browser text box

2.3.3. CSS and positioning

2.3.4. Client delegates

2.3.5. $addHandlers and $clearHandlers

2.3.6. Callbacks

2.4. Making development with JavaScript easier

2.4.1. The String object

2.4.2. Sys.StringBuilder

2.4.3. The Array object

2.4.4. Globalization

2.4.5. Browser detection

2.4.6. Debugging

2.4.7. Typed errors

2.5. Summary

Chapter 3. JavaScript for Ajax developers

3.1. Working with objects

3.1.1. Objects

3.1.2. Arrays

3.1.3. Functions

3.1.4. Creating custom objects

3.1.5. The prototype object

3.1.6. Extending a JavaScript type

3.1.7. Literals

3.2. Working with JSON

3.2.1. JSON structures

3.2.2. JSON and the Microsoft Ajax Library

3.3. Classes in JavaScript

3.3.1. Client classes

3.3.2. The registerClass method

3.3.3. Properties

3.3.4. Namespaces

3.4. Understanding inheritance

3.4.1. Prototype-based inheritance

3.4.2. Passing arguments to the base class

3.4.3. Overrides

3.5. Understanding interfaces and enumerations

3.5.1. Interfaces

3.5.2. Enumerations

3.6. Using type reflection

3.6.1. Reflection methods

3.6.2. Object typing

3.6.3. Building a simple class browser

3.7. Working with events

3.7.1. Exposing an event

3.7.2. Subscribing to and handling events

3.8. Summary

Chapter 4. Exploring the Ajax server extensions

4.1. Ajax for ASP.NET developers

4.1.1. What are the Ajax server extensions?

4.2. Enhancing an existing ASP.NET site

4.2.1. A sample ASP.NET site

4.2.2. Configuring an existing ASP.NET site

4.3. ScriptManager: the brains of an Ajax page

4.3.1. Understanding the ScriptManager

4.3.2. Deploying JavaScript files

4.3.3. Registering services

4.3.4. Localization

4.3.5. Using the ScriptManagerProxy

4.4. Partial-page updates

4.4.1. Introducing the UpdatePanel control

4.4.2. More UpdatePanels

4.4.3. Insert feedback here

4.4.4. Working with a timer

4.4.5. Error handling

4.5. Summary

Chapter 5. Making asynchronous network calls

5.1. Working with ASP.NET Web Services

5.1.1. Configuring a web service

5.1.2. Invoking web service methods from JavaScript

5.1.3. Managing complex types

5.1.4. Using HTTP GET

5.1.5. Page methods

5.2. The asynchronous communication layer

5.2.1. A simple WebRequest

5.2.2. The executor

5.2.3. WebRequestManager

5.2.4. Handling errors

5.3. Consuming external Web Services

5.3.1. The script technique

5.3.2. Cross-domain calls through the server

5.3.3. Mash-it-up with ASP.NET AJAX

5.3.4. Bridges

5.4. Using ASP.NET application services

5.4.1. Enabling ASP.NET application services

5.4.2. Authentication service

5.4.3. Profile

5.4.4. Roles: an Orcas preview

5.4.5. Message board application

5.5. Summary

Chapter 6. Partial-page rendering with UpdatePanels

6.1. With great power comes great responsibility

6.1.1. Evolution of the UpdatePanel

6.1.2. A simple example

6.2. Getting to know the UpdatePanel

6.2.1. Content for the UpdatePanel

6.2.2. Update modes

6.2.3. Render modes

6.2.4. ASP.NET page lifecycle

6.3. Triggers

6.3.1. Asynchronous triggers

6.3.2. Postback triggers

6.3.3. Manual triggers

6.4. Advanced techniques

6.4.1. Repeating UpdatePanels

6.4.2. Nesting UpdatePanels

6.5. Live GridView filter

6.5.1. Live GridView filter goals

6.5.2. How does the GridView filter work?

6.5.3. Adding Ajax to the GridView filter

6.5.4. It’s alive!

6.6. Summary

2. Advanced techniques

Chapter 7. Under the hood of the UpdatePanel

7.1. The PageRequestManager: the unsung hero

7.1.1. The client-side event model

7.1.2. The anatomy of an asynchronous postback

7.2. A client-side event viewer

7.2.1. Getting started

7.2.2. Handling client-side events

7.2.3. Aborting a postback

7.2.4. Managing postback priority

7.2.5. Notifying the user

7.2.6. Locked and loaded

7.2.7. Client-side error handling

7.3. UpdatePanel cookbook

7.3.1. Why is the UpdatePanel slow?

7.3.2. Inject JavaScript during a partial postback

7.3.3. Getting the validators to work

7.3.4. Sys.WebForms.PageRequestManagerParseErrorException

7.4. Caveats and limitations

7.4.1. Asynchronous requests are sequential

7.4.2. Unsupported ASP.NET 2.0 controls

7.5. Summary

Chapter 8. ASP.NET AJAX client components

8.1. The client component model

8.1.1. Visual and nonvisual components

8.1.2. Controls and behaviors

8.1.3. Component lifecycle

8.1.4. Containers

8.2. Working with client components

8.2.1. Creating components

8.2.2. Accessing components

8.2.3. Events and property change notification

8.3. Behaviors

8.3.1. Sys.UI.Behavior

8.3.2. Creating behaviors

8.3.3. Accessing behaviors

8.3.4. Enhancing a text box element

8.4. Controls

8.4.1. Sys.UI.Control

8.4.2. Creating controls

8.4.3. Accessing controls

8.4.4. Creating an element wrapper: text box

8.4.5. Creating a PhotoGallery control

8.5. Summary

Chapter 9. Building Ajax-enabled controls

9.1. Script descriptors

9.1.1. Script descriptor hierarchy

9.1.2. Describing a behavior

9.1.3. Describing a control

9.1.4. Script references

9.2. Introduction to Ajax-enabled controls

9.2.1. How Ajax-enabled controls work

9.2.2. Extenders and script controls

9.3. Extenders

9.3.1. The IExtenderControl interface

9.3.2. Extender registration

9.3.3. An extender for FormattingBehavior

9.3.4. Using an extender

9.4. Script controls

9.4.1. The IScriptControl interface

9.4.2. Script control registration

9.4.3. Design strategies

9.4.4. Adding Ajax to the ASP.NET Login control

9.4.5. Using a script control

9.5. Summary

Chapter 10. Developing with the Ajax Control Toolkit

10.1. A world of extenders

10.1.1. The auto-complete extender

10.1.2. The ScriptPath property

10.1.3. The BehaviorID property

10.2. The Ajax Control Toolkit API

10.2.1. The Toolkit’s base classes

10.2.2. A metadata-driven API

10.2.3. Building Toolkit extenders: the TextChanged extender

10.2.4. Support for Visual Studio Designer

10.3. Animations

10.3.1. Toolkit animation framework

10.3.2. Animation basics

10.3.3. Using the AnimationExtender

10.3.4. The UpdatePanelAnimation extender

10.3.5. JSON and animations: adding transitions to the PhotoGallery control

10.4. Summary

3. ASP.NET AJAX Futures

Chapter 11. XML Script

11.1. XML Script basics

11.1.1. Hello XML Script!

11.1.2. Controls and XML Script

11.1.3. From XML Script to JavaScript

11.1.4. Type descriptors

11.2. Actions

11.2.1. SetPropertyAction

11.2.2. PostBackAction

11.2.3. InvokeMethodAction

11.2.4. Custom actions

11.3. Bindings

11.3.1. A simple binding

11.3.2. Binding direction

11.3.3. Target and data path

11.3.4. Bindings as components

11.3.5. Transformers

11.3.6. Playing with transformers

11.3.7. Custom transformers

11.4. Summary

Chapter 12. Dragging and dropping

12.1. The drag-and-drop engine

12.1.1. How the engine works

12.1.2. A simple scenario for drag and drop

12.1.3. Creating a draggable item

12.1.4. The startDragDrop method

12.1.5. The IDragSource interface

12.1.6. Creating a drop target

12.1.7. The IDropTarget interface

12.1.8. Putting together the pieces

12.2. A drag-and-drop shopping cart

12.2.1. Server-side design

12.2.2. Client-side design

12.2.3. The ShoppingCart control

12.2.4. The BooksCatalog control

12.2.5. Piecing it together

12.3. Summary

4. Mastering ASP.NET AJAX

Chapter 13. Implementing common Ajax patterns

13.1. Script versioning

13.1.1. Getting informative stack traces

13.1.2. XML comments in JavaScript code

13.1.3. Validating function parameters

13.1.4. Parameter validation in production code

13.1.5. Compressing and crunching script files

13.2. Helpers, help me help you!

13.2.1. Automating the declaration of properties

13.2.2. Automating the creation of events

13.3. Logical navigation and unique URLs

13.3.1. Logical navigation

13.3.2. Unique URLs

13.4. Declarative data binding

13.4.1. Setting up the Web Service

13.4.2. The ListView control

13.5. Declarative widgets

13.5.1. The drag-drop list

13.5.2. Widgets and XML Script

13.6. Summary

 Appendices

Appendix A. Installing ASP.NET AJAX

A.1. Downloading and installing ASP.NET AJAX

A.1.1. Adding the ASP.NET AJAX controls to the Toolbox

A.1.2. Installing the ASP.NET Futures CTP

A.1.3. Additional ASP.NET AJAX downloads

A.2. Installing the Ajax Control Toolkit

A.2.1. Adding the Toolkit controls to the Visual Studio Toolbox

A.2.2. Using the Ajax Control Toolkit controls

A.2.3. Interacting with CodePlex

A.3. Installing the AdventureWorks database

Appendix B. Tools for debugging Ajax applications

B.1. Using Firebug for Firefox

B.1.1. Installing Firebug

B.1.2. Quick Overview of Firebug

B.2. Using Web Development Helper

B.2.1. Installing Web Development Helper

B.2.2. Launching Web Developer Helper

B.2.3. Inspecting HTTP traffic

B.2.4. Script debugging and tracing

B.2.5. Page and ASP.NET diagnostics

B.3. Debugging HTTP with Fiddler

B.4. Debugging JavaScript in Visual Studio 2005

B.4.1. Enabling script debugging in Internet Explorer

B.4.2. Setting breakpoints

B.4.3. Other ways to break into the debugger

 Resources

ASP.NET AJAX framework

Ajax miscellany

Tools

XMLHttpRequest

Other items of interest

Index

List of Figures

List of Tables

List of Listings