C# programming for web and application -- differences?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Alex
  • Start date Start date
A

Alex

Hi all,

I'm just starting to learn C# so I can write asp.net framework
applications for Sharepoint Portal Server, and I was wondering what the
major difference is between this is?

For example, Microsoft has some tutorials for C# showing how to create
standard toolbars with Open, Save, Copy, Paste, etc, but I assume this
won't carry over to a asp.net application. So is there a Do's and
Don'ts for C# programming for web showing what programming abilities
don't carry over?

Thanks ---

Sam
 
Sam,

The models are extremely different, to say the least. There is a good
deal of work that has to be done to get around the stateless nature of the
HTTP protocol.

There should be sample applications specific to ASP.NET as well. I
recommend you look at those first, as they will be more pertinent to what
you are trying to do.
 
There's a whole world of difference between writing desktop applications and
web applications. Web applications use stateless HTTP messaging, which means
that there is no continuity of memory between client and server. They are
network, multi-user applications. The interface is HTML, which is pure text,
interpreted by the browser. ASP.Net relies on a complex set of procedures
that incorporate elements of HTML and JavaScript on the client side, and IIS
services and the ASP.Net process on the server side, as well as
characteristics of the HTTP protocol on both sides, to provide an illusion
of continuity and memory between Page requests. But these present
limitations and conditions that must be understood and dealt with. For
example, the server side has no way to know when the client has navigated
away from the web site. It simply drops the Session memory for a client
after a period of inactivity. It takes a lot of education, and a good
measure of persistence to master.

As for SharePoint, well, that's ASP.Net with an incredibly complex layer of
extra complexity added on top of it. SharePoint webs are not even stored in
files for the most part, but in SQL Server databases. It incorporates a
sophisticated set of web and database services to do things like enabling
collaboration between users, editing of non-web documents, such as Word
files, by client users, versioning, and much more.

You've got your work cut out for you!

--
HTH,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
..Net Developer
A watched clock never boils.
 
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