This quiz covers common aspects of ASP.NET Web Forms. A detailed answer key is provided, along with links to related information.

 Note: This quiz was originally created to accompany the tutorial series Getting Started with ASP.NET 4.5 Web Forms and Visual Studio 2013 and the related sample Getting Started with ASP.NET 4.5 Web Forms and Visual Studio 2013 - Wingtip Toys. For more recent ASP.NET topics, see ASP.NET 5 Documentation.

1.       Which type of developer would prefer the ASP.NET Web Forms framework when building a web application?

A.      A developer that prefers patterns and principles such as test-driven development, separation of concerns, inversion of control (IoC), and dependency injection (DI).

B.      A developer that prefers a simple web development story, along the lines of PHP. Where they would create HTML pages and then add server-based code to the page.

C.      A developer that prefers a declarative, control-based programming approach with a WYSIWYG designer-driven development model.

2.       An ASP.NET master page can define a consistent appearance and behavior for multiple pages in your application.

A.      True

B.      False

3.       A Web.config file can be used to restrict access to pages in a folder of your Web application?

A.      True

B.      False

4.       The Global.asax file, also known as the ASP.NET application file, is an optional file that contains code for responding to application-level and session-level events raised by ASP.NET.

A.      True

B.      False

5.       ASP.NET Identity allows users to log into an ASP.NET Web Forms site using which of the following credentials? Choose all that apply.

A.      Facebook

B.      Windows Live

C.      Google

D.      Twitter

6.       Which of the following SQL Server Express LocalDB answers are true? Choose all that apply.

A.      SQL Server Express LocalDB is a lightweight version of SQL Server that has many programmability features of a SQL Server database.

B.      SQL Server Express LocalDB runs in user mode and has a fast, zero-configuration installation that has a short list of installation prerequisites.

C.      In Microsoft SQL Server, any database or Transact-SQL code can be moved from SQL Server Express LocalDB to SQL Server and SQL Azure without any upgrade steps.

7.       The ASP.NET Web Forms Application template supports HTML5.

A.      True

B.      False

8.       Modernizr is an open-source JavaScript library that can detect whether a browser supports HTML5 features, and enable them if it does not.

A.      True

B.      False

9.       Bootstrap, which is supported in Visual Studio 2013 project templates, is which of the following:

A.      A specialized startup mini-application used to help spin up a new server containing the Web Form application.

B.      A layout and theming framework created by Twitter.

C.      A packaging system used when porting the Web Forms application.

D.      A JavaScript library used when handling large amounts of data.

10.   The ASP.NET Web Forms Application template includes a set of NuGet packages. Which of the following is true about NuGet? Choose all that apply.

A.      NuGet packages provide componentized functionality in the form of open source libraries and tools.

B.      There is a wide variety of online packages to help you create and test your applications that you can add to your application directly through Visual Studio.

C.      Developers can create and add packages to NuGet.

11.   jQuery is a fast and concise JavaScript Library. The purpose of this library is to help simplify HTML document traversing, event handling, animating, and Ajax interactions. Is the jQuery library that is included in the ASP.NET Web Forms Application template by default?

A.      True

B.      False

12.   Unobtrusive validation allows the built-in validator controls to use unobtrusive JavaScript for server-side validation logic.

A.      True

B.      False

13.   Entity Framework Code First is:

A.      A database that you must create separately from scratch.

B.      A framework that allows to generate a database without defining a model.

C.      A way of creating the database portion of your application for you based on the code that you write.

D.      A way to reverse engineer a model from an existing database.

14.   Language-Integrated Query (LINQ) extends powerful query capabilities to the language syntax of C# and Visual Basic so that you can implement standard, easily-learned patterns for querying and updating data.

A.      True

B.      False

15.   A data annotation attribute can be used to do which of the following? Choose all that apply.

A.      Specify the initial value of a property.

B.      Describe how to validate user input for a property.

C.      Specify whether a property is required.

D.      Specify that a property participates in optimistic concurrency checks.

E.       Indicate whether a data field is editable.

16.   Model Binding allows you to bind results using far less code and gives you the ability to reuse the functionality throughout your application. Model binding aims to simplify working with code-focused data-access logic while still retaining the benefits of a rich, data-binding framework.

A.      True

B.      False

17.   Value providers allow a Web Forms application to be quickly tested by providing test data as a source of user input.

A.      True

B.      False

18.   When you set the “ItemType” attribute of a data control, such as a GridView control, the data-binding expression “Item” is available in the markup of the control and the control becomes strongly typed.

A.      True

B.      False

19.   URL routing allows you to specify that only a portion of your web page will be sent to the user of your application.

A.      True

B.      False

20.   When working with an ASP.NET Web Forms application, the exception handling hierarchy executes which of the following last?

A.      Application level

B.      Page level

C.      Code level

Answer Key:

1. C
ASP.NET Web Forms lets you build dynamic websites using a familiar drag-and-drop, event-driven model. A design surface and hundreds of controls and components let you rapidly build sophisticated, powerful UI-driven sites with data access.

 ASP.NET offers four primary development frameworks:

ASP.NET Web Forms

The Web Forms framework targets developers who prefer declarative and control-based programming, such as Microsoft Windows Forms (WinForms) and WPF/XAML/Silverlight. It offers a WYSIWYG designer-driven development model, so it's popular with developers looking for a rapid application development (RAD) environment for web development. If you are new to web programming and are familiar with the traditional Microsoft RAD client development tools (for example, for Visual Basic and Visual C#), you can quickly build a web application without having experience in HTML and JavaScript.

ASP.NET MVC

ASP.NET MVC targets developers who are interested in patterns and principles like test-driven development, separation of concerns, inversion of control (IoC), and dependency injection (DI). This framework encourages separating the business logic layer of a web application from its presentation layer.

ASP.NET Web Pages

ASP.NET Web Pages targets developers who want a simple web development story, along the lines of PHP. In the Web Pages model, you create HTML pages and then add server-based code to the page in order to dynamically control how that markup is rendered. Web Pages is specifically designed to be a lightweight framework, and it's the easiest entry point into ASP.NET for people who know HTML but might not have broad programming experience — for example, students or hobbyists. It's also a good way for web developers who know PHP or similar frameworks to start using ASP.NET.

ASP.NET Single Page Application

ASP.NET Single Page Application (SPA) helps you build applications that include significant client-side interactions using HTML 5, CSS 3 and JavaScript. The ASP.NET and Web Tools 2012.2 Update ships a new template for building single page applications using knockout.js and ASP.NET Web API. In addition to the new SPA template, new community-created SPA templates are also available for download.

 Additional information:

What is Web Forms

ASP.NET Web Forms

ASP.NET MVC

ASP.NET Web Pages

ASP.NET Single Page Application

2. A

Master pages provide the look and feel and standard behavior that you want for all of the pages in your site. Together with content pages, they produce output that combines the layout of the master page with content from the content page.

 Additional information:

ASP.NET Master Pages

Getting Started with ASP.NET 4.5 Web Forms - Create the Project

@ Master

3. A

Web.config is the file that controls the configuration of your ASP.NET website. Using the features of the ASP.NET configuration system, you can configure an entire server, an ASP.NET application, or individual pages. A Web.config file can be used to restrict access to pages in a folder.

 Additional information:

How to: Create Web.config Files

ASP.NET Web Configuration Guidelines

4. A

The Global.asax file, also known as the ASP.NET application file, is an optional file that contains code for responding to application-level and session-level events raised by ASP.NET or by HTTP modules. The Global.asax file resides in the root directory of an ASP.NET application. At run time, Global.asax is parsed and compiled into a dynamically generated .NET Framework class derived from the HttpApplication base class. ASP.NET is configured so that any direct URL request for the Global.asax file is automatically rejected; external users cannot download or view the code in it.

 Additional information:

Global.asax Syntax

5.       A, B, C, D

ASP.NET Identity is the membership system for ASP.NET applications. ASP.NET Identity makes it easy to customize profile and add Login/ LogOut functionality to the application.

Additional Information:

ASP.NET Identity

Getting Started with ASP.NET 4.5 Web Forms - Create the Project

6.       A, B, C

SQL Server Express LocalDB is a lightweight version of SQL Server that has many programmability features of a SQL Server database. SQL Server Express LocalDB runs in user mode and has a fast, zero-configuration installation that has a short list of installation prerequisites. In Microsoft SQL Server, any database or Transact-SQL code can be moved from SQL Server Express LocalDB to SQL Server and SQL Azure without any upgrade steps. So, SQL Server Express LocalDB can be used as a developer environment for applications targeting all editions of SQL Server. SQL Server Express LocalDB enables features such as stored procedures, user-defined functions and aggregates, .NET Framework integration, spatial types and others that are not available in SQL Server Compact.

Additional information:

SQL Server Express LocalDB

7.       A

The ASP.NET Web Forms Application template supports HTML5, which is the latest version of the HTML markup language. HTML5 supports new elements and functionality that make it easier to create Web sites.

Additional information:

HTML5

8.       A

For browsers that do not support HTML5, you can use Modernizr. Modernizr is an open-source JavaScript library that can detect whether a browser supports HTML5 features, and enable them if it does not. In the ASP.NET Web Forms Application template, Modernizr is installed as a NuGet package.

Additional information:

Getting Started with ASP.NET 4.5 Web Forms - Create the Project

Modernizr

9.       B

The Visual Studio 2013 project templates use Bootstrap, a layout and theming framework created by Twitter. Bootstrap uses CSS3 to provide responsive design, which means layouts can dynamically adapt to different browser window sizes. You can also use Bootstrap's theming feature to easily effect a change in the application's look and feel. By default, the ASP.NET Web Application template in Visual Studio 2013 includes Bootstrap as a NuGet package.

Additional information:

Getting Started with ASP.NET 4.5 Web Forms - Create the Project

Bootstrap

10.   A, B, C

The ASP.NET Web Forms Application template includes a set of NuGet packages. These packages provide componentized functionality in the form of open source libraries and tools. There is a wide variety of packages to help you create and test your applications. Visual Studio makes it easy to add, remove, and update NuGet packages. Developers can create and add packages to NuGet as well.

When you install a package, NuGet copies files to your solution and automatically makes whatever changes are needed, such as adding references and changing you’re the configuration associated with your Web application. If you decide to remove the library, NuGet removes files and reverses whatever changes it made in your project so that no clutter is left. NuGet is available from the Tools menu in Visual Studio.

Additional information:

Getting Started with ASP.NET 4.5 Web Forms - Create the Project

NuGet

11.   A

jQuery is a fast and concise JavaScript Library that simplifies HTML document traversing, event handling, animating, and Ajax interactions for rapid web development. The jQuery JavaScript library is included in the ASP.NET Web Forms Application template as a NuGet package.

Additional information:

Getting Started with ASP.NET 4.5 Web Forms - Create the Project

jQuery

12.   B

Built-in validator controls have been configured to use unobtrusive JavaScript for client-side validation logic. This significantly reduces the amount of JavaScript rendered inline in the page markup and reduces the overall page size. Unobtrusive validation is added globally to the ASP.NET Web Forms Application template based on the setting in the <appSettings> element of the Web.config file at the root of the application.

Additional information:

Getting Started with ASP.NET 4.5 Web Forms - Create the Project

13.   C

Entity Framework Code First is a NuGet library that enables code-centric development when you work with data. Put simply, it creates the database portion of your application for you based on the code that you write. Using the Entity Framework, you retrieve and manipulate data as strongly typed objects. This lets you focus on the business logic in your application rather than the details of how data is accessed.

Additional information:

Getting Started with ASP.NET 4.5 Web Forms - Create the Project

Entity Framework Code-First

14.   A

Language-Integrated Query (LINQ) is a set of features introduced in Visual Studio 2008 that extends powerful query capabilities to the language syntax of C# and Visual Basic. LINQ introduces standard, easily-learned patterns for querying and updating data, and the technology can be extended to support potentially any kind of data store. Visual Studio includes LINQ provider assemblies that enable the use of LINQ with .NET Framework collections, SQL Server databases, ADO.NET Datasets, and XML documents.

Additional Information:

Getting Started with ASP.NET 4.5 Web Forms - Create the Data Access Layer

LINQ (Language-Integrated Query)

15.   A, B, C, D, E

Data Annotations allow you to use code to describe the rules you want applied to your data model properties.

Additional information:

Getting Started with ASP.NET 4.5 Web Forms - Create the Data Access Layer

Model Validation

System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations Namespace

16.   A

Model binding extends data binding in ASP.NET Web Forms controls to work with code-focused data access. It incorporates concepts from the ObjectDataSource control and from model binding in ASP.NET MVC. To configure a data control to use model binding to select data, you set the control's SelectMethod property to the name of a method in the page's code. The data control calls the method at the appropriate time in the page life cycle and automatically binds the returned data. There's no need to explicitly call the DataBind method.

Additional information:

Getting Started with ASP.NET 4.5 Web Forms - Create the Data Access Layer

Model Binding

Retrieving and displaying data with model binding and web forms

17.   B

ASP.NET Web Forms includes value providers for all of the typical sources of user input in a Web Forms application, such as the query string, cookies, form values, controls, view state, session state, and profile properties.

Additional information:

Getting Started with ASP.NET 4.5 Web Forms - Create the Data Access Layer

Value Providers

18.   A

You can use the data-binding expression “Item” in data-binding expressions after specifying the ItemType attribute of a web control. By doing this, you and get full IntelliSense and compile-time checking support.

Additional information:

Getting Started with ASP.NET 4.5 Web Forms - Shopping Cart

19.   B

URL routing allows you to configure an application to accept request URLs that do not map to physical files. A request URL is simply the URL a user enters into their browser to find a page on your web site. You use routing to define URLs that are semantically meaningful to users and that can help with search-engine optimization (SEO).

Additional information:

Getting Started with ASP.NET 4.5 Web Forms - URL Routing

20.   C

In an ASP.NET Web Forms application, exceptions can be handled based on a specific handling hierarchy. An exception can be handled first at the application level, then at the page level, and last at the code level.

When an application handles exceptions, additional information about the exception that is inherited from the Exception class can often be retrieved and displayed to the user. In addition to application, page, and code level, you can also handle exceptions at the HTTP module level and by using an IIS custom handler.

Additional information:

Getting Started with ASP.NET 4.5 Web Forms - ASP.NET Error Handling

This tutorial series guides you through the process of creating a complete web application. Each tutorial builds on the previous tutorial. When you’re finished, you’ll be familiar with common ASP.NET concepts, as well as many of the features available in ASP.NET 4.5.

The latest ASP.NET 4.5 features provided in this Web Forms tutorial series include the following:

• A simple UI for creating projects that offer support for multiple ASP.NET frameworks (Web Forms, MVC, and Web API).
• Bootstrap, a layout and theming framework that provides responsive design and theming capabilities.
• ASP.NET Identity, a new ASP.NET membership system that works the same in all ASP.NET frameworks and works with web hosting software other than IIS.
• Entity Framework 6, an update to the Entity Framework which allows you retrieve and manipulate data as strongly typed objects, access data asynchronous, handle transient connection faults, and log SQL statements.

Download the completed project

You can download a C# project that contains the completed tutorial.

Getting Started with ASP.NET 4.5 Web Forms and Visual Studio 2013 - Wingtip Toys (C#)

Take the ASP.NET Web Forms Quiz

You can review key areas of this tutorial by taking the ASP.NET Web Forms quiz.

ASP.NET Web Forms Quiz

Application Features

Features explained in this tutorial series include:

• The Web Application Project (not Web Site Project)
• Web Forms
• Master Pages, Configuration
• Bootstrap
• Entity Framework Code First, LocalDB
• Request Validation
• Strongly Typed Data Controls, Model Binding, Data Annotations, and Value Providers
• OAuth and OpenID
• ASP.NET Identity, Configuration, and Authorization
• Unobtrusive Validation
• Routing
• ASP.NET Error Handling

Application Scenarios and Tasks

Tasks demonstrated in this tutorial series include:

• Creating, reviewing and running the new project
• Creating the database structure
• Initializing and seeding the database
• Customizing the UI using styles, graphics and a master page
• Adding pages and navigation
• Displaying menu details and product data
• Creating a shopping cart
• Adding OpenID support
• Adding a payment method
• Including an administrator role and a user to the application
• Restricting access to specific pages and folder
• Uploading a file to the web application
• Implementing input validation
• Registering routes for the web application
• Implementing error handling and error logging

Tutorial Series Table of Contents

• Introduction and Overview
  • Introduction
  • Overview
  • The Wingtip Toys Sample Application
  • Prerequisites
  • Download the Sample Application
  • Tutorial Support and Comments
• Create the Project
  • What you'll learn
  • Creating the Project
  • ASP.NET Web Forms Background
  • Summary
  • Additional Resources
• Create the Data Access Layer
  • What you'll learn
  • Creating the Data Models
  • Building the Application
  • Summary
  • Additional Resources
• UI and Navigation
  • What you'll learn
  • Modifying the UI
  • Summary
  • Additional Resources
• Display Data Items and Details
  • What you'll learn
  • Adding a Data Control to Display Products
  • Displaying Products
  • Summary
  • Additional Resources
• Shopping Cart
  • What you'll learn
  • Code features in this tutorial:
  • Creating a Shopping Cart
  • Testing the Completed Shopping Cart
  • Summary
  • Addition Information
• Checkout and Payment with PayPal
  • What you'll learn
  • Adding Order Tracking
  • Adding Checkout Access
  • Enabling Logins from Other Sites Using OAuth and OpenID
  • Migrating the Shopping Cart
  • Integrating PayPal
  • Running the Application
  • Reviewing the Database
  • Summary
  • Additional Resources
  • Disclaimer
• Membership and Administration
  • What you'll learn
  • These features are included in the tutorial:
  • Adding an Administrator
  • Running the Application
  • Summary
  • Additional Resources
• URL Routing
  • What you'll learn
  • ASP.NET Routing Overview
  • Retrieving and Using Route Data
  • Running the Application
  • Summary
  • Additional Resources
• ASP.NET Error Handling
  • What you'll learn
  • Overview
  • Adding Error Logging Support
  • Using ELMAH
  • Summary
  • Conclusion
  • Additional Resources
  • Acknowledgements
  • Community Contributions

Feedback is welcome. You can post comments, questions, or feedback with the tutorial series, with the code sample, or right here!

-- Erik Reitan
Web Platform and Tools Developer Content
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Watch the following video about how to get started with Windows Phone 8 and Apache Cordova.

 The areas of Windows Phone device support using Apache Cordova are detailed in the table below. Note that each links to Cordova’s API documentation.

Additional Apache Cordova and Windows Phone resources:

PhoneGap Blog - Apache Cordova and Windows Phone 8

Getting Started with Windows Phone 8

MSDN Magazine - Develop HTML5 Windows Phone Apps with Apache Cordova

For developers favoring HTML development who want to be able to target multiple platforms, Apache Cordova is an option, and it has support for Windows Phone and Windows 8. See the PhoneGap site for a list of Getting Started Guides that provide more details about the supported device platforms. And, be sure to see some of the interesting mobile apps that have already been created using Apache Cordova.

- Erik

Most viewed conceptual topics – Top 10

1. Getting started with developing for Windows Phone
2. What's new in Windows Phone SDK 8.0
3. How to create your first app for Windows Phone
4. How to register your phone for development
5. Developing apps for Windows Phone
6. System requirements for Windows Phone Emulator
7. App certification requirements for Windows Phone
8. Next steps for Windows Phone 8 development
9. Tiles for Windows Phone
10. User interface for Windows Phone

Most viewed managed reference – Top 10

1. LongListSelector Class
2. FlipTileData Class
3. WebBrowser Class
4. PhoneApplicationPage Class
5. CycleTileData Class
6. Map Class
7. IconicTileData Class
8. ShareMediaTask Class
9. Panorama Class
10. ShellTile Class

If you have feedback for us, let us know by providing it at the end of any topic:

-- Erik Reitan
Windows Phone Developer Content Team
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

This tutorial series adds 5 additional tutorials to the original beta tutorial series to guide you through the process of creating a complete web application. Each tutorial builds on the previous tutorial. When you’re finished, you’ll be familiar with common ASP.NET concepts, as well as many of the new features available in ASP.NET 4.5, including effective use of the new model binding features.

In addition, you’ll learn about, Entity Framework Code First, unobtrusive validation, the Anti-XSS library, HTML5, data annotations, Local DB, value providers, PayPal integration, ASP.NET Membership, URL routing, and more.

Here's an outline of the tutorial series:

• Introduction and Overview
• Introduction
• Audience
• Application Features
• Application Scenarios and Tasks
• Overview
• Prerequisites
• Download the Sample Application
• Tutorial Support and Comments
• Create the Project
• Creating the Project
• Reviewing the Project
• Running the Default Web Application
• ASP.NET Web Forms Background
• Web Application Features in the Web Forms Application Template
• Touring Visual Studio
• Summary
• Additional Resources
• Create the Data Access Layer
• Creating the Data Models
• Configuring the Application to Use the Data Model
• Building the Application
• Summary
• Additional Resources
• UI and Navigation
• Modifying the UI
• Updating the Master Page
• Adding Image Files
• Adding Pages
• Updating the StyleSheet
• Modifying the Default Navigation
• Adding a Data Control to Display Navigation Data
• Linking the Data Control to the Database
• Running the Application and Creating the Database
• Reviewing the Database
• Summary
• Additional Resources
• Display Data Items and Details
• Adding a Data Control to Display Products
• Displaying Products
• Adding Code to Display Products
• Running the Application
• Adding a Data Control to Display Product Details
• Running the Application
• Summary
• Shopping Cart
• Creating a Shopping Cart
• Managing the Shopping Cart Business Logic
• Creating the Shopping Cart Class
• Creating the Add-To-Cart Functionality
• Creating the Shopping Cart UI
• Retrieving the Shopping Cart Items
• Adding Products to the Shopping Cart
• Testing the Shopping Cart
• Calculating and Displaying the Order Total
• Modify the Shopping Cart Display
• Testing the Shopping Cart Total
• Adding Update and Checkout Buttons to the Shopping Cart
• Updating and Removing Shopping Cart Items
• Adding a Shopping Cart Counter
• Testing the Completed Shopping Cart
• Summary
• Addition Information
• Checkout and Payment with PayPal
• Adding Order Tracking
• Adding Checkout Access
• Enabling Logins from Other Sites Using OAuth and OpenID
• Modifying Login Functionality
• Migrating the Shopping Cart
• Updating the Database Connection
• Integrating PayPal
• Running the Application
• Reviewing the Database
• Summary
• Disclaimer
• Membership and Administration
• Adding an Administrator
• Restricting Access to the Administration Page
• Including Administrator Navigation
• Enabling Product Administration
• Running the Application
• Summary
• Additional Resources
• URL Routing
• ASP.NET Routing Overview
• Mapping and Registering Routes
• Retrieving and Using Route Data
• Running the Application
• Summary
• ASP.NET Error Handling
• Overview
• Adding Error Logging Support
• Adding an Error Page
• Displaying Unhandled Error Messages for the Application
• Including an Exception for Testing Purposes
• Adding Application-Level Error Handling
• Adding Page-Level Error Handling
• Removing the Exception Used for Testing
• Adding Code-Level Error Logging
• Inspecting the Error Logging Information
• Safe Error Messages
• Using ELMAH
• Viewing the ELMAH Log
• Summary
• Conclusion
• Additional Resources
• Acknowledgements

Feedback is welcome. You can post comments, questions, or feedback with the tutorial series, with the code sample, or right here!

-- Erik Reitan
Web Platform and Tools Developer Content
This posting is provided "AS IS" with nwarranties, and confers nrights.

Here's an outline of the tutorial series:

• Introduction and Overview
• Audience
• Application Features
• Application Scenarios and Tasks
• Overview
• Prerequisites
• Download the Sample Application
• Tutorial Support and Comments
• After this Tutorial Series
• Create the Project
• Creating the Project
• Understanding the Project Type
• Reviewing the Project
• Running the Default Web Application
• ASP.NET Web Forms Background
• Web Application Features in the Web Forms Application Template
• Touring Visual Studio
• Create the Data Access Layer
• Creating the Data Models
• Configuring the Application to Use the Data Model
• Building the Application
• UI and Navigation
• Modifying the UI
• Updating the Master Page
• Adding Image Files
• Adding Pages
• Updating the Style Sheet
• Modifying the Default Navigation
• Adding a Data Control to Display Navigation Data
• Linking the Data Control to the Database
• Running the Application and Creating the Database
• Reviewing the Database
• Display Data Items and Details
• Adding a Data Control to Display Products
• Displaying Products
• Adding Code to Display Products
• Adding a Data Control to Display Product Details
• Running the Application

Feedback is welcome, and you can post your comments here, with the sample or with the tutorials.

-- Erik Reitan
Web Platform and Tools Developer Content
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

	Title: Cloud Developer Version: 1.0 Size: 1MB Languages : English Description: The latest Windows Azure news, blog posts, videos, and more. Content is updated daily!
	Title: WinPhone Developer  Version: 1.1 Size: 1MB Languages : English Description: The latest Windows Phone news, code samples, job posts, articles, and other information. Updated daily!
	Title: ASP.NET Daily Version: 2.0 Size: 1MB Languages : English Description: The latest ASP.NET news, blog posts, code samples, videos, forum posts, and other information. Updated daily!
	Title: SQL Daily - AVAILABLE SOON! Version: 1.0 Size: 1MB Languages : English Description: The latest SQL Server news, blog posts, code samples, videos, forum posts, and other information. Updated daily!

 These apps provide the latest news and information for Windows Azure, Windows Phone, ASP.NET, and SQL Server enthusiasts on the go. Each app uses public news feeds and provides additional information, such as:

• Key articles and content from MSDN
• Twitter and Facebook feeds
• Blog Posts
• Videos
• Forum Posts
• Code examples from CodePlex, Code Project, and Code Gallery
• Job postings
• Search Capabilities (forums, MSDN, and jobs)

Please use your Windows Phone to download and install these free apps. If you have suggestions for improvements, let me know! I only create and update these apps during my non-work time (yes, I enjoy programming) and follow Microsoft guidelines for creating Windows Phone apps. If you are a developer that is familiar with one of these technology areas, these apps may help you expand your skills and knowledge.

Good coding!

-- Erik Reitan
Web Platform and Tools Developer Content
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

A quick method for creating 3D charts using ASP.NET Web Pages is to use the built in theme named Vanilla3D. However, if you need to create a custom 3D chart, you can add an Area3DStyle node to a template and set a few values (shown below). This post is based on the WebMatrix Chapter 7 - Displaying Data in a Chart. It may be helpful to complete the steps in Chapter 7 or download the related WebMatrix samples.

1. At the root of your web site, create a new XML file named OrangeBlue3DTemplate.xml.
2. Replace the default XML in the file with the following:
   
   Code Snippet

   1. <Chart Palette="BrightPastel"
   2.      BackColor="#D3DFF0"
   3.      BackGradientStyle="TopBottom"
   4.      BackSecondaryColor="White"
   5.      BorderColor="26, 59, 105"
   6.      BorderWidth="2"
   7.      BorderlineDashStyle="Solid">
   8. <Series>
   9.   <series _Template_="All"
   10.           BorderColor="180, 26, 59, 105"
   11.           CustomProperties="LabelStyle=Bottom"
   12.           IsValueShownAsLabel="False">
   13.   </series>
   14. </Series>
   15. <ChartAreas>
   16.   <ChartArea _Template_="All"
   17.              BackColor="Orange"
   18.              BackGradientStyle="TopBottom"
   19.              BackSecondaryColor="White"
   20.              ShadowColor="Transparent"
   21.              BorderColor="64, 64, 64, 64"
   22.              BorderDashStyle="Solid">
   23.     <Area3DStyle Enable3D="True"
   24.                  Inclination="5">
   25.     </Area3DStyle>
   26.     <AxisX ArrowStyle="Triangle"
   27.            IsLabelAutoFit="False"
   28.            LineColor="64, 64, 64, 64">
   29.       <MajorGrid LineColor="64, 64, 64, 64" />
   30.       <LabelStyle Font="Trebuchet MS, 10pt, style=Bold"
   31.                   IsStaggered="True" />
   32.     </AxisX>
   33.   </ChartArea>
   34. </ChartAreas>
   35. <Titles>
   36.   <Title _Template_="All"
   37.          Font="Trebuchet MS, 14.25pt, style=Bold"
   38.          ForeColor="26, 59, 105"
   39.          ShadowOffset="3"
   40.          ShadowColor="32, 0, 0, 0">
   41.   </Title>
   42. </Titles>
   43. <BorderSkin SkinStyle="Emboss" />
   44. </Chart>
   
   
   Notice that the new XML includes the 3D style:
   
   Code Snippet

   1.  <Area3DStyle Enable3D="True"
   2.              Inclination="5">
   3. </Area3DStyle>
   
   
3. At the root of your website, create a new file named ChartWith3DTemplate.cshtml.
4. Replace the default markup in the page with the following:
   
   Code Snippet

   1. @{
   2.    var key = new Chart(width: 600,
   3.                        height: 400,
   4.                        templatePath: "OrangeBlue3DTemplate.xml")
   5.        .AddTitle("Chart Title")
   6.        .AddSeries(
   7.            name: "Employee",
   8.            xValue: new[] {  "Peter", "Andrew", "Julie", "Mary", "Dave" },
   9.            yValues: new[] { "2", "6", "4", "5", "3" })
   10.        .Write();
   11. }
   
   
5. Run the ChartWith3DTemplate.cshtml page in a browser.  
   
   

For more information about 3D charts, see 3D Charts (Chart Controls) and the ChartArea3DStyle Class on MSDN. These two links will provide the information you need to completely customize your 3D charts in WebMatrix.

-- Erik Reitan
Web Platform and Tools Developer Content
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

The ChartTheme class includes built-in themes. You can create a page to display the XML contained in a built-in theme, and then create a custom template file based on that theme.

1. Create a new file named ThemeSourceViewer.cshtml.
2. Replace the default markup in the page with the following:
   
   
   Code Snippet

   1. <!DOCTYPE html>
   2. <html>
   3.    <head>
   4.        <title></title>
   5.    </head>
   6.    <body>
   7.    @ChartTheme.Vanilla3D
   8.    </body>
   9. </html>
   
   
   The above code displays the XML contained in the Vanilla3D property of the ChartTheme class.
   
3. Run the page in a browser.
4. In the browser window, select the displayed XML and copy it. This XML represents the Vanilla3D theme property of the ChartTheme class. It will appear as a continuous line of text in the browser, rather than text with indentation as shown below.
   
   
   Code Snippet

   1. <Chart BackColor="#555"
   2.       BackGradientStyle="TopBottom"
   3.       BorderColor="181, 64, 1"
   4.       BorderWidth="2"
   5.       BorderlineDashStyle="Solid"
   6.       Palette="SemiTransparent"
   7.       AntiAliasing="All">
   8.    <ChartAreas>
   9.        <ChartArea Name="Default"
   10.                  _Template_="All"
   11.                  BackColor="Transparent"
   12.                  BackSecondaryColor="White"
   13.                  BorderColor="64, 64, 64, 64"
   14.                  BorderDashStyle="Solid"
   15.                  ShadowColor="Transparent">
   16.            <Area3DStyle LightStyle="Simplistic"
   17.                         Enable3D="True"
   18.                         Inclination="30"
   19.                         IsClustered="False"
   20.                         IsRightAngleAxes="False"
   21.                         Perspective="10"
   22.                         Rotation="-30"
   23.                         WallWidth="0" />
   24.        </ChartArea>
   25.    </ChartAreas>
   26. </Chart>
   
   
5. Create a new XML file at the root of your web site named CustomTemplate.xml.
6. Replace the default markup in the file with the copy from the XML displayed in the browser (or from the code above).
7. Set the BackColor of the Chart node to “Blue”.
8. Set the Enable3D value in the new XML to "False".
9. Save the CustomTemplate.xml file.
10. At the root of your website, create a new file named ChartWithCustomTemplate.cshtml.
11. Replace the default markup in the page with the following:
    
    
    Code Snippet

    1. @{
    2.    var key = new Chart(width: 600,
    3.                        height: 400,
    4.                        templatePath: "CustomTemplate.xml")
    5.        .AddTitle("Chart Title")
    6.        .AddSeries(
    7.            name: "Employee",
    8.            chartType: "Column",
    9.            xValue: new[] {  "Peter", "Andrew", "Julie", "Mary", "Dave" },
    10.            yValues: new[] { "2", "6", "4", "5", "3" })
    11.        .Write();
    12. }
    
    
    
12. Run the ChartWithCustomTemplate.cshtml page in a browser. 
    
    
    
    
    -- Erik Reitan
    Web Platform and Tools Developer Content
    This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Translated Captions for Silverlight Videos – It is Dynamic!

-- Erik Reitan
ASP.NET User Education
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.