With a strong focus on practical, this title offers an excellent choice for learning ASP.NET quickly. Most every computer book uses examples illustrating programming concepts, but this text did a great job at efficiently presenting key examples that will be required for anyone moving from ASP to ASP.NET. A series of chapters on built-in ASP.NET (and simple HTML) server controls will give you a working vocabulary of basic Web programming techniques. Later chapters explore specific areas of NET function. Such as ADO.NET, XML support (including a solid introduction to the often confusing world of XML standards and classes used to manipulate them. NET). In addition to describing important ASP.NET APIs and techniques introduced earlier on, sample code can serve as a basis for adding this feature to your custom application. With a large number of new ASP.NET APIs to master, this title strikes a balance between describing important APIs and real code that shows them at work -. Richard Dragan Topics covered: History of ASP standards (versions 1.0 through 3.0), an overview of ASP.NET, tutorial to common ASP.NET namespaces (including Microsoft Visual Basic APIs, data types, collections, Web services and XML); ASP.NET server controls (and postback support), HTML server controls, validation with validator classes, databound list Web controls (including repeater and datagrid components), in-depth description to ASP.NET configuration (including security guidelines), managing state, using the global aspx, the object Applications, application and session handling; cache options (output, fragment, and data caching), case studies to address book using ADO.NET, introduction to XML (validation, navigation, and query XML);. techniques for debugging ASP.NET applications (including support Visual Studio NET's. debugging), Web services program, a sample case study for the guest book, shopping cart, and message boards, and Visual Basic NET code. sample.