Latest Entries
Using The Themes Helper In Razor Web Pages
calendar_today 02 January 2012 18:31
Web site skinning is a concept where by a web application user can personalise their experience, by choosing from a selection of prepared themes or skins. Each theme or skin might offer a different design, or content, or both. ASP.NET Web Forms has included a comprehensive Themes framework since version 2.0. WebMatrix developers can find Themes management functionality in the ASP.NET Web Helpers Library package available through the Package Manager. This article looks at how the Themes helper works.
Building A Razor Web Pages Site With Database First And Entity Framework
calendar_today 30 December 2011 15:25
Since I published an item covering Code First development with Entity Framework and WebMatrix, I have had a few requests to provide a guide to working with the Entity Framework from a database first point of view. This post answers those requests and provides a step by step guide to getting up and running with a WebMatrix web site based on the Northwind sample database that comes with SQL Server CE 4.0.
HTML Helpers For Forms In Razor Web Pages
calendar_today 25 December 2011 11:27
A nugget that has remained partially hidden from view within the Web Pages framework is the HtmlHelper class. Parts of this class peek out in the template sites provided in WebMatrix where validation is performed and related messages displayed, but a vast range of methods designed for rendering form inputs are often overlooked in tutorials, blog articles and books (mine included). This article provides an overview of Web Pages HTML Helpers, and digs into one or two in more detail.
Globalization And Localization With Razor Web Pages
calendar_today 10 October 2011 21:35
Globalization is the process of preparing your site so that it is accessible to as wide an audience as possible. This is largely achieved by presenting content in the native language of the visitor. This article explores how you can approach this task within the ASP.NET Web Pages framework.
Entity Framework Code First Development With WebMatrix
calendar_today 05 September 2011 17:27
The existing data access story for WebMatrix is the Database Helper. Microsoft's recommended data access technology going forward is the Entity Framework (EF). This article explores how to use the Code First capability offered by EF within an ASP.NET Web Pages application.
The WebGrid - Efficient Paging And Sorting With SQL CE 4.0
calendar_today 28 August 2011 22:46
A problem inherent in the existing version of the WebGrid is that it is not very efficient when it comes to paging data out of the box. If you have 10,000 rows of data, and you want to display 10 rows per page, all 10,000 rows are retrieved from the database for each page. The grid works out how to only show the current 10, and wastes the other 9,990 rows. That's a fair sized overhead on each page. Ideally, you should only retrieve the data you need for each page. This article examines how you can do that with the existing WebGrid and a SQL CE database, while still maintaining sorting capabilities.
Displaying Search Results In A WebGrid
calendar_today 27 August 2011 16:57
A number of people have run into problems when trying to combine a search or filter form, and a WebGrid. The main issue that arises is when paging or sorting the search result or a filtered subset of it. Here, I look at the cause of the problem and what you can do about it.
How To Maintain Scroll Position When Paging Or Sorting A WebGrid
calendar_today 23 August 2011 21:13
This snippet is one in a series showing how to use jQuery to enhance the behaviour of a Web Pages WebGrid. This example shows how to maintain scroll position on the page when paging or sorting the WebGrid.
How To Make A WebGrid Row Clickable
calendar_today 23 August 2011 11:23
This snippet is one in a series showing how to use jQuery to enhance the behaviour of a Web Pages WebGrid. This example shows how to make an entire row clickable so that the user is taken to another page that displays details of the selected row.
jQuery Autocomplete with Razor Web Pages and a SQL CE Database
calendar_today 16 August 2011 09:23
There are a number of autocomplete solutions for jQuery, including the widget that comes as part of the jQuery UI library. This article looks at incorporating the jQuery UI Autocomplete widget into a Razor-based ASP.NET Web Pages site.
WebMatrix and jQuery Forms Part 2 - Editing Data
calendar_today 06 August 2011 17:33
This article continues on from one I wrote a while ago, showing how to use jQuery to create a data entry form in conjunction with the WebGrid. The original article prompted a number of requests to show how to extend the example to provide editing functions, and now I have found some time to answer those requests.
WebMatrix Opens Wrong Version Of Visual Studio
calendar_today 01 May 2011 08:56
A number of people have complained that clicking the Visual Studio Launch button in WebMatrix opens an older version of Visual Studio instead of the latest version. There is an easy fix to this.
Generating RSS and ATOM Feeds In WebMatrix
calendar_today 12 April 2011 12:36
I've previously looked at how to generate RSS feeds for both Web Forms and MVC using a variety of techniques, so it is only right that I look at a couple of ways to do this in Web Pages - the Razor based web development model supported by WebMatrix.
The Difference Between @Helpers and @Functions In WebMatrix
calendar_today 20 March 2011 09:42
This is another post which was inspired by a recent question in the ASP.NET forums, when someone asked what the difference is between @functions and @helpers in ASP.NET Web Pages. Here, I look at both of these contructs and explain what they are, how they are different, and how each should be used appropriately.
Data Access Choices For WebMatrix
calendar_today 05 March 2011 22:46
When WebMatrix was originally launched, it spurred a lot of activity from people who do not like seeing raw SQL statements in code files, or who perceived a problem working with dynamic objects. Some of these people threw their hands up in horror and tweeted or blogged their displeasure, while others felt the urge to do something about the "problem" as they saw it, and a number of open source data access projects have resulted. I've had a quick look at three projects to see what they might bring to the party.
Why You Can't Use Extension Methods With A WebGrid
calendar_today 27 January 2011 12:58
An interesting question came up recently on the ASP.NET forums. In it, the questioner was attempting to use my Chop() extension method to limit the number of characters in a WebGrid column but it wouldn't work. At first, I was a little stumped, so I tried it myself and got an error message:
I'm Writing A Book On WebMatrix
calendar_today 18 January 2011 19:27
Yes - it's official! I'm writing a book for Wiley all about Microsoft's new stack for beginner web developers - WebMatrix.
Creating A Custom Template For WebMatrix
calendar_today 14 January 2011 23:57
WebMatrix includes a number of pre-built templates that you can use as a basis for developing your site, but wouldn't it be great if you could add new ones? Well, there is a way to do so, and this article looks at the steps required.
The WebGrid Helper - Making Selections
calendar_today 13 January 2011 14:08
The WebGrid helper, introduced via ASP.NET Web Pages, provides a means for displaying tabular data easily. This article examines how to enable selection within the WebGrid at row level.
Razor, Cascading Select Lists and jQuery Templates - A New Twist
calendar_today 04 January 2011 22:20
jQuery Templates enable easy client-side generation of html. When combined with JSON data or other JavaScript objects, jQuery Templates provide a way to create a dynamic data-driven site without any server-side code whatsoever. However, in this article I will look at how they can be used to produce cascading select lists in a Razor Web Pages site.
