Introduction to Web Programming and ASP.NET Core MVC

Chapter 1 Introduction to Web Programming and ASP.NET Core MVC

• Overview of Murach's ASP.NET Core MVC (2nd Edition)
• Chapter 1: Introduces web programming and ASP.NET Core MVC.
• Objectives (Part 1):
  • Describe web application components.
  • Detail the four components of a URL.
  • Distinguish between static/dynamic web pages, focusing on server roles (web, application, database).
  • Contrast internet and intranet.
  • Define HTTP request, response, and round trip.
  • Explain the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern.
  • Describe how MVC improves application development.
  • Introduce four ASP.NET app development models.
  • Differentiate between .NET Framework and .NET Core.
• Objectives (Part 2):
  • Detail how ASP.NET Core apps configure middleware in the HTTP request/response pipeline.
  • Define and explain the concept of state in web applications.
  • Explain the differences between Visual Studio IDE and Visual Studio Code.
  • Describe how coding conventions benefit developers.

Web Application Components

• Diagram illustrates computer, tablet, smart phone connected to a web server via the internet.

HTTP URL Components

• Example URL: https://www.murach.com/shop-books/web-development-books/index.html
• Components: Protocol, domain name, path, filename.

Static Web Page Processing

• Diagram shows a web browser requesting a static HTML page from a web server.
• The web server responds with the requested HTML file.

Simple HTTP Request and Response

• Example HTTP GET request: GET / HTTP/1.1 Host: www.example.com
• Example HTTP response headers: HTTP/1.1 200 OK Content-Type: text/html Content-Length: 136
• Example HTTP response body (HTML).

Web Application Protocols

• HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol): The foundation protocol for web communication.
• HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure): A secure version of HTTP.
• TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol): Provides communication between two computers.

Dynamic Web Page Processing

• Diagram illustrates a web browser requesting a dynamic page.
• The request goes through multiple servers (Web server, Application Server (ASP.NET Core), Database Server).

MVC Pattern

• Diagram displays the MVC pattern flow: HTTP Request -> Controller -> Model -> View -> HTTP Response.
• Describes how the model, view, and controller components work together.

MVC Pattern Components

• The model handles data access and business logic.
• The view displays data to the user.
• The controller processes the request, retrieves data, and updates the view.

MVC Benefits and Drawbacks

• Benefits: Easier team work, automation, swapping components, maintainability.
• Drawbacks: Increased setup effort.

ASP.NET Web Forms

• Released in 2002.
• Enables Rapid Application Development (RAD).
• Similarities to Windows Forms.
• Drawbacks: Poor performance, inadequate separation of concerns, limited testing support, limited browser control.
• Proprietary and Windows-only.

ASP.NET MVC

• Released in 2007.
• Based on the MVC pattern.
• Improved performance, separation of concerns, and testing support.
• Uses the same ASP.NET Framework as Web Forms.

ASP.NET Core MVC

• Released in 2015.
• Uses the MVC pattern in a more efficient way
• Improvement on ASP.NET MVC in performance, modularity, and code cleanliness.
• Open-source and runs on multiple platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux).

ASP.NET Core Razor Pages

• Provides the same features as ASP.NET Core MVC with a slightly different implementation approach
• Uses a model built on top of MVC.

.NET Framework vs. .NET Core

• Comparison table illustrating difference in development environment and support.

Middleware Pipeline

• Diagram illustrates how a request travels across middleware.
• Middleware functions in the pipeline: authentication, authorization, routing.
• Illustration with request being short-circuited by middleware.
• Middleware capabilities (generate responses, edit request/responses, short circuit requests).

State in Web Apps

• Web application state difficulty: HTTP is stateless; each request is treated independently and the application has no memory of previous interaction.
• Explanation of state concepts: Property/variable/data maintained by application for one user.

Visual Studio vs. Visual Studio Code

• Comparison of Visual Studio IDE and Visual Studio Code for web development.

Visual Studio Features

• IntelliSense, automatic compilation, integrated debugger.
• Runs on Windows and macOS

Visual Studio Code Features

• IntelliSense, automatic compilation, integrated debugger, runs everywhere.

Folder and File Structure

• Diagram illustrates common folders and files in an ASP.NET Core MVC web application.

Naming Conventions

• Guidance for naming controllers, models, and views in the app.
• Suffixes for controllers.

Product Model

• Code listing for the Product model class.
• Properties of the Product class (ProductID, Name, Price)

ProductController Class

• Code listing for the ProductController class
• Includes methods (Detail, List)

Product/Detail.cshtml View

• Code listing for the Product/Detail.cshtml view.
• Example layout elements (ID, Name, Price).

Browser View

• Screenshot of the Product/Detail/1 page displayed in a browser.

Program.cs File

• Code listing for the Program file outlining the middleware setup.

Request URL Mapping

• Table mapping different URLs to the corresponding controllers and actions.