So many questions with VB.NET Web applications (active server pages)... any good books?

[David Brewster]

Hi everyone.
I've been working with VB6 for a while now, I'm feeling pretty damn
confortable with it, but find myself wondering about VB.NET and web
applications. So I thought I'd get my feet wet.
Well - let me tell ya - there's a whole lotta stuff that I need to teach
myself. I have a whole slew of questions - to many and propbably just too
basic to go into here - so I am hoping that someone out there can suggest a
book that I can pick up from Amazon.
All of my questions are to do with creating web pages within VB.NET. I don't
want to go into ASP scripting or java or anything else - I just want to
stick with VB.NET syntax and language.
Whatever book I get should be able to adress these things (all by example
and sample code) - examples and code snippets are important only becuase I
am very green here to VB.NET and web development on a whole:

1) How display popup windows (for like login functions)
2) Go into detail on things like session veriables so I can maintain
seperate content based on if a user is logged in or not.
3) Some database information (although I am pretty comfortable in this area
so I may not need much help if any).
4) Login/security design recomendations.
5) A demonstration on how to do the typical functions you'd need for
shopping cart transactions.
6) A demonstration on how to do the typical functions you'd need for user
group forums.
7) How to work with frames - or an alternative similiar screen design if
this can't be done within VB.NET (using headers, a side contents section,
etc.)
8) How to have a running counter for things like how many people are logged
into the site.

Any book suggestions that can address these things would be great.

Thanks.

Dave

 

[Showjumper]

Have a look at ASP.NET Unleashed by Stephen Walther. But it doesnt cover
number 1. For that look on MSDN for
RegisterClientScriptBlock

 

[David Brewster]

Thanks.
Ya know - I'm starting to get the impression that it's not really possible
to do a full website based on VB.NET alone without having to dive into
scripts and that sort of thing. :-(

 

[Showjumper]

Each has their place. VBNET can used for database interaction and other
server side stuff. While javascript is for the client side. But you can send
javascript to client via vbnet. But you cant use vbnet on the client unless
its a windows app. Also it would help answer your questions if i knew what
you meant by full website.But remeber that each a specific purpose.

 

[David Brewster]

Hi there.
I see there's more to this than what I first thought. Seems there's no way
of avoiding javascripts.
By a full website, I meant writing something that has users login, gives
them the ability to browse forums, send messages, and make purchases (credit
towards usage or for purchasing products). The learning curve is steeper
than what I thought - I wasn't counting on having to learn VB.NET (I'm a VB6
user now), plus javascript... guess I have to hit the books now huh? Damn.
;-)

 

[David Brewster]

When it comes to Javascript, is Java# workable - or would that require the
client to have the .net framework installed?

 

[Showjumper]

You can use VNET to handle login: retrieve the username and password and
compare to what the user entered, for the forums: the various subforums and
messages and related stuff canbe pulled from the database via vbnet and you
can use the server controls to display that stuff. And you can hadle the
credit card stuff with vbnet. But as for making popup windows and other
client stuff - yes you have to use javascript. And Java and javascript are 2
different things.

 

[John G.]

I just finished "Introducing Microsoft .NET" by David Platt. I reccommend
this book highly as a first contact with .NET. It's a quick, easy reading
overview of .NET with lots of diagrams and analogies. When you finish,
you'll have a clear idea of how the various pieces relate to each other and
what you need to study in greater depth. Very helpful.