ASP.NET Introduction

|  | Search W3Schools : |

HOME | HTML | CSS | XML | JAVASCRIPT | ASP | PHP | SQL | MORE... |  | References | Examples | Forum | About

ADVERTISEMENTS XML Certification Download XML editor Custom Programming |  |

Table of contents

ASP.NET Tutorial
.NET HOME
.NET Intro
.NET vs ASP
.NET Install
.NET Pages
.NET Controls
.NET Events
ASP.NET Forms
.NET Forms
.NET ViewState
asp:TextBox
asp:Button
ASP.NET Binding
Data Binding
ArrayList
Hashtable
SortedList
XML Files
asp:Repeater
asp:DataList
ASP.NET Database
.NET DB Connection
ASP.NET 2.0
2.0 New Features
2.0 Master Pages
2.0 Navigation
References
HTML Controls
Web Controls
Validation Controls
Examples
ASP.NET Examples

Selected Reading

Web Statistics
Web Glossary
Web Hosting
Web Quality
W3Schools Tutorials
W3Schools Forum
Helping W3Schools

# ASP.NET Introduction

ASP.NET is the latest version of Microsoft's Active Server Pages technology (ASP).

## What You Should Already Know

Before you continue you should have a basic understanding of the following:

- WWW, HTML, XML and the basics of building Web pages
- Scripting languages like JavaScript or VBScript
- The basics of server side scripting like ASP or PHP

If you want to study these subjects first, find the tutorials on our Home Page

## What is Classic ASP?

Microsoft's previous server side scripting technology ASP (Active Server Pages) is now often called classic ASP.

ASP 3.0 was the last version of the classic ASP.

To learn more about classic ASP, you can study our ASP tutorial.

## ASP.NET is Not ASP

ASP.NET is the next generation ASP, but it's not an upgraded version of ASP.

ASP.NET is an entirely new technology for server-side scripting. It was written from the ground up and is not backward compatible with classic ASP.

You can read more about the differences between ASP and ASP.NET in the next chapter of this tutorial.

ASP.NET is the major part of the Microsoft's .NET Framework.

## What is ASP.NET?

ASP.NET is a server side scripting technology that enables scripts (embedded in web pages) to be executed by an Internet server.

- ASP.NET is a Microsoft Technology
- ASP stands for Active Server Pages
- ASP.NET is a program that runs inside IIS
- IIS (Internet Information Services) is Microsoft's Internet server
- IIS comes as a free component with Windows servers
- IIS is also a part of Windows 2000 and XP Professional

## What is an ASP.NET File?

- An ASP.NET file is just the same as an HTML file
- An ASP.NET file can contain HTML, XML, and scripts
- Scripts in an ASP.NET file are executed on the server
- An ASP.NET file has the file extension ".aspx"

## How Does ASP.NET Work?

- When a browser requests an HTML file, the server returns the file
- When a browser requests an ASP.NET file, IIS passes the request to the ASP.NET engine on the server
- The ASP.NET engine reads the file, line by line, and executes the scripts in the file
- Finally, the ASP.NET file is returned to the browser as plain HTML

## What is ASP+?

ASP+ is the same as ASP.NET.

ASP+ is just an early name used by Microsoft when they developed ASP.NET.

## The Microsoft .NET Framework

The .NET Framework is the infrastructure for the Microsoft .NET platform.

The .NET Framework is an environment for building, deploying, and running Web applications and Web Services.

Microsoft's first server technology ASP (Active Server Pages), was a powerful and flexible "programming language". But it was too code oriented. It was not an application framework and not an enterprise development tool.

The Microsoft .NET Framework was developed to solve this problem.

.NET Frameworks keywords:

- Easier and quicker programming
- Reduced amount of code
- Declarative programming model
- Richer server control hierarchy with events
- Larger class library
- Better support for development tools

The .NET Framework consists of 3 main parts:

Programming languages:

- C# (Pronounced C sharp)
- Visual Basic (VB .NET)
- J# (Pronounced J sharp)

Server technologies and client technologies:

- ASP .NET (Active Server Pages)
- Windows Forms (Windows desktop solutions)
- Compact Framework (PDA / Mobile solutions)

Development environments:

- Visual Studio .NET (VS .NET)
- Visual Web Developer

This tutorial is about ASP.NET.

## ASP.NET 2.0

ASP.NET 2.0 improves upon ASP.NET by adding support for several new features.

You can read more about the differences between ASP.NET 2.0 and ASP.NET in the next chapter of this tutorial.

## ASP.NET 3.0

ASP.NET 3.0 is not a new version of ASP.NET. It's just the name for a new ASP.NET 2.0 framework library with support for Windows Presentation Foundation, Windows Communication Foundation, Windows Workflow Foundation; and Windows CardSpace.

These topics are not covered in this tutorial.

## Altova® MissionKit® - Integrated suite of XML tools

The Altova MissionKit is a suite of intelligent XML tools, including:

XMLSpy® – industry-leading XML editor

- Support for all XML-based technologies
- Graphical editing views, powerful debuggers, code generation, & more

MapForce® – graphical data mapping tool

- Drag-and-drop data conversion with code generation
- Support for XML, DBs, EDI, Excel® 2007, text, Web services

StyleVision® – visual stylesheet designer

- Drag-and-drop stylesheet design for XML & databases
- Output to HTML, PDF, RTF, Word 2007, & more

And more…

Try before you buy with a free fully functional 30-day trial

Download today

## Get Your Diploma!

W3Schools' Online Certification Program is the perfect solution for busy professionals who need to balance work, family, and career building.

The HTML Certificate is for developers who want to document their knowledge of HTML, XHTML, and CSS.

The JavaScript Certificate is for developers who want to document their knowledge of JavaScript and the HTML DOM.

The XML Certificate is for developers who want to document their knowledge of XML, XML DOM and XSLT.

The ASP Certificate is for developers who want to document their knowledge of ASP, SQL, and ADO.

The PHP Certificate is for developers who want to document their knowledge of PHP and SQL (MySQL).

WEB HOSTING
ASP.NET Web Hosting
$15 Domain Name Registration Save $20 / year!
Buy UK Domain Names Register Domain Names
Cheap Domain Names Cheap Web Hosting
Best Web Hosting
PHP MySQL Hosting
Top 10 Web Hosting
UK Reseller Hosting
Web Hosting
FREE Web Hosting

WEB BUILDING
Website Templates Flash Templates Website Builder Internet Business Opportunity
Custom Programming
FREE Trial or Demo Web Content Manager Forms,Web Alerts,RSS
Download XML editor
FREE Flash Website
FREE Web Templates

EDUCATION
US Web Design Schools
HTML Certification
JavaScript Certification
XML Certification
PHP Certification
ASP Certification

HOME or Top of Page |  | Printer Friendly
W3Schools is for training only. We do not warrant the correctness of its content. The risk from using it lies entirely with the user. While using this site, you agree to have read and accepted our terms of use and privacy policy. Copyright 1999-2009 by Refsnes Data. All Rights Reserved.