Getting Started with Ajax

[Scott M.]

I'd like to start working with Ajax in VS 2008 Pro., but it's important that
I not use anything that is not standard with VS 2008 Pro. (with all
installation options selected).

Does anyone have suggestions of good resources I can check out that keep the
extras separate from the standard VS product?

-Scott

 

[Nathan Sokalski]

I have not yet moved to Visual Studio 2008 or .NET 3.0, so I have really
done any searching, but here are the three things that I would try:

1. I don't think it is out quite yet, but an author that writes wonderful
ASP.NET books and seems to like AJAX is Stephen Walther
(http://www.superexpert.com/Books/AspNet2Unleashed/Default.aspx). I expect
that in the near future he will be writing a book named ASP.NET 3.0
Unleashed. Or, if you would prefer not to wait, you can buy a different book
on ASP.NET 3.0.

2. Search the MSDN Library using the word AJAX (I'm not sure what this will
return, because Microsoft often refers to what we call AJAX as client
callbacks).

3. I'm guessing you have already tried this, but I would try looking for a
site that lists the changes between ASP.NET 2.0 and ASP.NET 3.0. Somewhere
on one of the pages there you should be able to find the namespaces involved
with the AJAX of ASP.NET 3.0 (I believe Microsoft has a page that lists the
changes between 2.0 and 3.0)

 

[Barrie Wilson]

I'd like to start working with Ajax in VS 2008 Pro., but it's important
that I not use anything that is not standard with VS 2008 Pro. (with all
installation options selected).

Does anyone have suggestions of good resources I can check out that keep
the extras separate from the standard VS product?

can't you just stick to what's in your VS08 Pro install? or did you already
install some Ajax "extras" ?

if you need to keep things like this absolutely separated you might consider
using a virtual machine ...

 

[Walter Wang [MSFT]]

Hi Scott,

The core functions of ASP.NET AJAX is now built-in in .NET Framework 3.5.
To get additional ready-to-use AJAX enabled controls, you might need Ajax
Control Toolkit which is released under Microsoft Permissive License and is
always a separate download.

ScottGu's blog has more information on this:

#ASP.NET AJAX in .NET 3.5 and VS 2008 - ScottGu's Blog
http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2007/07/30/asp-net-ajax-in-net-3-5-an
d-vs-2008.aspx

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Walter Wang ([email protected], remove 'online.')
Microsoft Online Community Support

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[Scott M.]

Thanks Nathan, but I am looking for concrete references that meet my needs.
I know where I can search for online stuff and these mostly come back with
references to VS 2005 and the Ajax Toolkit, which is why I posted the
particular question I did.

 

[Scott M.]

I don't think you've understood my question. I want to just stick to what's
in my 2008 install, that's the whole point of my question. No, I did not
install any Ajax extras and I don't want to do that. It's not a matter of
keeping things separated, I need to find resources on how to use what is
installed by default, as adding extras is not an option in my business
environment.

 

[Scott M.]

Hi Walter,

I appreciate your response, but I'm not looking for information on the
additional Ajax controls, in fact, quite the contrary. I'm looking for good
Ajax documentation that talks about only what is available in VS 2008/3.5 by
default and NOT anything beyond that.

As the replies to this post show, this information is tough to find.
Everywhere I look, the documentation talks about the extra controls or the
Ajax Toolkit, which I'm not interested in.

Thanks,

Scott

 

[Mark Rae [MVP]]

as adding extras is not an option in my business environment.

Even if those extras are partially written by (and fully approved by)
Microsoft, and specifically designed to be added into VS.NET...?
http://www.codeplex.com/AtlasControlToolkit

 

[Barrie Wilson]

I don't think you've understood my question. I want to just stick to
what's in my 2008 install, that's the whole point of my question. No, I
did not install any Ajax extras and I don't want to do that. It's not a
matter of keeping things separated, I need to find resources on how to use
what is installed by default, as adding extras is not an option in my
business environment.

yeah, I understood your question, which emphasized NOT ADDING anything more
than what the full VS Pro 2008 provides; in particular, you wanted to know
how to "keep the extras separate from the standard VS product," so my answer
was, essentially, "don't add anything and do your work" -- OR -- if you want
to fool around with extras, do it in a VM

now it turns out you just want some info, tip and tricks on the AJAX tools
in the base install ... people don't generally write articles and books
tailored to anyone's particular configuration or their IT department policy
.... you read what's available and discard the stuff you can't use because
you don't have it installed ... and there is MS documentation

 

[Barrie Wilson]

Everywhere I look, the documentation talks about the extra controls or the
Ajax Toolkit, which I'm not interested in.

maybe that should tell you something, Scott ...

 

[Scott M.]

Yes.

Even if those extras are partially written by (and fully approved by)
Microsoft, and specifically designed to be added into VS.NET...?
http://www.codeplex.com/AtlasControlToolkit

 

[Scott M.]

I don't know who's post you've read Barry, but it wasn't mine. Your latest
reply is still not relevant to my question. I never said I wanted to "keep
the extras separate from the standard VS product", what I said was "but it's
important that
I not use anything that is not standard with VS 2008 Pro." - that is very
different. I do not and cannot install anything beyond what is standard
with VS 2008. This is not a "particular configuration" question. It's a
question about the standard installation you get with VS 2008. If you've
read my posts, then you've read that it's going to be pretty hard to take
your advice about discarding what I can't use, since all the material I've
found I can't use.

 

[Scott M.]

What Barry? Spit it out already?

Instead of giving me some kind of attitude about what I "should" be doing
and what I "could" install separately, perhaps you could be constructive and
try to understand my simple requirement is that I cannot install anything
beyond what is included by default with VS 2008. What is so terribly
difficult to understand about that? This is not some "custom" configuration
we're talking about.

 

[Juan T. Llibre]

Isn't the documentation included with VS 2008 exact enough for your purposes ?
The VS docs should have updated information as to what you can, or cannot use.




Juan T. Llibre, asp.net MVP
asp.net faq : http://asp.net.do/faq/
foros de asp.net, en español : http://asp.net.do/foros/
======================================

 

[Mark Rae [MVP]]

Yes.

Well, best of luck to you, then - you're really going to need it...

Why are you not writing your apps in Notepad, AAMOI...?

 

[Mark Rae [MVP]]

What is so terribly difficult to understand about that?

Because it's unbelievably short-sighted...

The AJAX Control Toolkit is specifically designed to be an add-on to Visual
Studio.NET to make development of AJAX solutions easier - how on earth can
that possibly be a bad thing...?

What about Web Deployment Projects? Are you not "allowed" to use those
either...?

 

[Scott M.]

Gee thanks for the help Mark. I didn't know that asking a question about
the default features of VS 2008 would warrant such a response. Did it ever
occur to you that sometimes development is done in environments that are
dictated by the Enterprise and that developers are not free to just add new
software because someone in a newsgroup told them to?

 

[Scott M.]

Because it's unbelievably short-sighted...

Perhaps, but it's not my decision to make and it is counter prodcutive to
tell me what I "should" install when I've already told you that I can't.

The AJAX Control Toolkit is specifically designed to be an add-on to
Visual Studio.NET to make development of AJAX solutions easier - how on
earth can that possibly be a bad thing...?

I don't know, but as I've said repeatedly, it's not within my control, so
the point is mute.

What about Web Deployment Projects? Are you not "allowed" to use those
either...?

No, as a matter of fact, I'm not since all deployment is done via Tivoli
pushes.

 

[Mark Rae [MVP]]

Perhaps, but it's not my decision to make and it is counter prodcutive to
tell me what I "should" install when I've already told you that I can't.

Then I would respectfully suggest that you find another job ASAP, as whoever
has imposed this laughable restriction on you is seriously hindering your
career...

 

[Mark Rae [MVP]]

Gee thanks for the help Mark. I didn't know that asking a question about
the default features of VS 2008 would warrant such a response. Did it
ever occur to you that sometimes development is done in environments that
are dictated by the Enterprise and that developers are not free to just
add new software because someone in a newsgroup told them to?

There's a world of difference from installing some 3rd-party add-on that
you've found on tucows and installing a companion toolkit made by Microsoft
specifically to be used in conjunction with another Microsoft product...

You, as a developer, are being prevented from developing the best solution
because you are not allowed (by someone who clearly hasn't the remotest
understanding of any of this) to use the tools specifically designed for the
job...

That would be akin to preventing XP users from installing the latest service
pack because it didn't come with the original release...