MSDN Magazine - March 2009 - (Page 12) is bound to the GridView using JavaScript code that’s similar to the server-side C# code used to bind data to ASP.NET’s GridView control. The Ajax Data Controls include GridView, DataList, Repeater, and Pager. With just a sprinkle of JavaScript, and without having to write any HTML, you can display, sort, page through, edit, and delete data using familiar concepts while enjoying the benefits of client-centric development. A number of common data display scenarios are also easy to implement, such as conditional formatting, using different column types in the GridView (images, checkboxes, hyperlinks, and so on), nested data controls, and integration with the Ajax Control Toolkit. There are also rich features not offered by the standard ASP.NET data controls, including drag and drop and column reordering. Price: Free, open-source. codeplex.com/AjaxDataControls Blogs of Note Good bloggers share anecdotes with their peers to let them know what technologies they are using, to pass on what works, what doesn’t, and what roadblocks to expect. Rick Strahl’s Web Log is an excellent example of great blogging. Rick is the founder and lead developer of West Wind Technologies, a company that sells a number of Web-based applications and utilities, so he spends his days living in the trenches—writing software, bumping into problems, finding solutions. His blog serves as a virtual water cooler, a place where Rick shares clever tips and tricks along with the new technologies he’s using, problems he’s encountered, and workarounds he’s devised. Because West Wind Technologies primarily builds products for the Web, the majority of Rick’s posts center on such technologies. There is a rich collection of posts on jQuery and JavaScript, plus insights on ASP.NET and AJAX, Silverlight, Web Services, Visual Studio, and IIS. And in addition to the regular blog posts Rick adds every two to three days, he also presents a number of in-depth whitepapers on a range of topics from compilation and deployment options in ASP.NET to load balancing and stress testing Web applications to setting up and running Subversion (a free source code control system). Rick’s blog offers a wealth of information and know-how that has been learned through real-world experience. This extensive experience serves as an invaluable resource for Web developers of all skill levels. west-wind.com/weblog One of my other favorite blogs is My Secret Life as a Spaghetti Coder, in which Sam Larbi shares his thoughts and insights with the world. Sam works as a developer creating both Web and desktop applications using languages and technologies like C#, C++, Ruby, ASP.NET, and ColdFusion. His blog covers a similarly diverse spectrum of topics. There are posts focusing on software development methodologies, musings on Web development, and Sam’s experiences with test-driven development. You’ll find plenty of fun entries on topics such as game programming, gift ideas for programmers, and how to get kids interested in programming. Sam also has a lot to say about all of the non-technology-related aspects of being a software developer: working with others, meetings, maintaining good customer relations, personal development, and so forth. There’s a great post on how to respond to a major blunder with a boss or customer. Sam’s advice is to embrace failure—take responsibility, explain how you’ll avoid the mistake going forward and how you will rectify the current situation. There are also great tips on how to deal with troublesome customers and what knowledge and people skills you need to become an invaluable employee in the eyes of your employer. codeodor.com Inspect and Analyze HTTP Traffic When you visit a Web site, your browser sends an HTTP request for each resource and receives an HTTP response from the server with the requested content. Being able to inspect each HTTP request and response is useful in a number of Web site development scenarios. For example, when faced with a slow loading Web site, a good first step is to inspect what, exactly, is being transmitted from the server to the client when a request for an underperforming page is visited. Perhaps there is a very large CSS or JavaScript file being shuttled back and forth or maybe the page’s background Toolbox Figure 3 Fiddler Analyzing Traffic 12 msdn magazine http://www.west-wind.com/weblog http://www.codeplex.com/AjaxDataControls http://www.codeodor.com
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