Pure Gold

This is easily the best book on ASP.NET that I have read, among several titles from Wrox, Microsoft Press, etc. This book packs twice as much useful information into half the pages of the others, and is a steal at the going price.

Perfect for someone at the advanced beginner/intermediate level, there is no wasted space on how to declare a variable or construct a loop. Instead, the authors use several small project examples to highlight approaches to real-world issues such as injecting client-side script into .NET apps, building master-detail pages, and much more. One area that especially impressed me is the superb coverage of how to build a custom control. The explanation of custom controls in the other books I've read involves a waving of hands and a declaration of "that's how it's done". This book actually explains the process in a detailed and understandable manner, covering topics such as inheritance and the implementation of interfaces.

Shortcomings of the book are that virtually all the code is in VB (although there are occasional pointers to specific C# differences), and the controls that are built in the examples have an unfinished feel to them, and are not ready for inclusion in a web page without further work.

Other Reviews

• This is an ASP not a .NET BOOK
• Pure Gold
• great book but it is all in VB
• the subtitle to the book says it all