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SiteMapDataSource Web Server Control Overview

The SiteMapDataSource Web server control retrieves navigation data from a site-map provider, and then passes the data to controls that can display that data, such as the TreeView and Menu controls.

NoteNote

The SiteMap control also displays navigation data, but it does not need to bind to the SiteMapDataSource control. For more information, see ASP.NET Site Navigation Overview.

The SiteMapDataSource control obtains navigation data from a site map. This data includes information about the pages in your Web site, such as the URL, title, description, and location in the navigation hierarchy. Storing your navigation data in one place makes it easier to add and remove items in the navigational menus of your Web site.

In earlier versions of ASP and ASP.NET, when you added a page to your Web site and then added a link to that new page from every other page in the Web site, you had to add the links manually, include a common file, or develop custom navigation functionality. ASP.NET version 2.0 includes navigation controls that make it easier for you to create, customize, and maintain navigational menus.

See Also

Tasks

How to: Display Site-Map Data in Non-Hierarchical Web Server Controls
How to: Add Simple Site Navigation
How to: Filter the Nodes Retrieved by SiteMapDataSource Web Server Controls

Reference

SiteMapDataSource
SiteMapPath
TreeView
Menu
XmlSiteMapProvider

Concepts

ASP.NET Site Navigation Overview
Securing ASP.NET Site Navigation
Securing Data Access

Other Resources

ASP.NET Application Security in Hosted Environments