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ASP.NET MVC 4 RecipesA Problem-Solution Approach
John Ciliberti
Apress
ASP.NET MVC 4 Recipes
Copyright © 2013 by John Ciliberti
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ISBN 978-1-4302-4773-9
ISBN 978-1-4302-4774-6 (eBook)
This book is dedicated to all of the developers who stay up to 3AM for weeks at a time turning their ideas into reality and improving the lives of millions of people around the world.
v
Contents at a Glance
About the Author ............................................................................................................. xxiii
About the Technical Reviewer .......................................................................................... xxv
Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................... xxvii
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... xxix
Chapter 1: The Need for Modern Web Applications ...........................................................1
Chapter 2: Understanding ASP.NET MVC ..........................................................................15
Chapter 3: Setting Up Your Environment .........................................................................59
Chapter 4: Visual Studio 2012 Overview .......................................................................105
Chapter 5: Getting the Most from the Built-in Templates ..............................................139
Chapter 6: Architecting Applications with ASP.NET MVC ...............................................185
Chapter 7: Solution Design ............................................................................................215
Chapter 8: Asynchronous Programming with ASP.NET MVC .........................................281
Chapter 9: Test-Driven Development with ASP.NET MVC 4 ............................................321
Chapter 10: Moving From Web Forms to ASP.NET MVC .................................................375
Chapter 11: Creating Modern User Experiences Using jQuery, Knockout.js, and Web API ....475
Chapter 12: Mobile, Social, and Cloud Technologies .....................................................543
Index .................................................................................................................................589
vii
Contents
About the Author ............................................................................................................. xxiii
About the Technical Reviewer .......................................................................................... xxv
Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................... xxvii
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... xxix
Chapter 1: The Need for Modern Web Applications ...........................................................1
1-1. Developing Modern Web Applications on the Microsoft Platform ..........................................2
Is ASP.NET a Dying Technology? ............................................................................................................................ 3
1-2. Learning Through Recipes .....................................................................................................5
1-3. An Outline of This Book ..........................................................................................................5
Chapter 2: Understanding ASP.NET MVC ................................................................................................................ 5
Chapter 3: Setting Up Your Environment ................................................................................................................ 5
Chapter 4: Visual Studio 2012 Overview ................................................................................................................ 5
Chapter 5: Getting the Most from the Built-in Templates ...................................................................................... 5
Chapter 6: Architecting Applications with ASP.NET MVC ........................................................................................ 6
Chapter 7: Solution Design .................................................................................................................................... 6
Chapter 8: Asynchronous Programming with ASP.NET MVC .................................................................................. 6
Chapter 9: Test-Driven Development with ASP.NET MVC 4 .................................................................................... 6
Chapter 10: Moving from Web Forms to ASP.NET MVC .......................................................................................... 6
Chapter 11: Creating Modern User Experiences Using jQuery, Knockout, and Web API ......................................... 7
Chapter 12: Mobile, Social, and Cloud Technologies .............................................................................................. 7
1-4. Finding the Recipes That You Need ........................................................................................7
Recommended Recipes for People New to Web Development .............................................................................. 7
Recommended Recipes for Experienced ASP.NET Web Forms Developers ........................................................... 8
CONTENTS
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Recommended Recipes for Architects and Technical Leads ................................................................................. 9
Recommended Recipes for Cloud Developers ....................................................................................................... 9
Recommended Recipes for Developers New to jQuery and Knockout ................................................................ 10
1-5. The Code Samples ...............................................................................................................10
About the Sample Database ................................................................................................................................ 11
Install SQL Server Express with Tools .................................................................................................................. 11
Installing the Sample Database ........................................................................................................................... 12
About the Shared Library ..................................................................................................................................... 13
Chapter 2: Understanding ASP.NET MVC ..........................................................................15
2-1. Understanding the Microsoft Web Development Ecosystem ...............................................15
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 15
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 15
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 15
2-2. Understanding the Differences Between the Versions of the MVC Framework ...................22
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 22
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 23
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 23
2-3. Understanding the MVC Pattern ...........................................................................................25
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 25
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 25
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 26
2-4. Understanding the Differences Between MVC, MVVM, and MVP ................................................28
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 28
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 28
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 28
2-5. Deciding Between MVC and Web Forms ..............................................................................30
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 30
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 30
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 30
CONTENTS
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2-6. Understanding the ASP.NET MVC Framework Architecture ..................................................35
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 35
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 35
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 35
2-7. Understanding Models .........................................................................................................38
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 38
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 38
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 39
Creating Composite Models ................................................................................................................................. 40
Using the Entity Framework ................................................................................................................................ 40
2-8. Understanding Controllers and Actions................................................................................40
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 40
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 40
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 41
2-9. Understanding Page Routing ...............................................................................................42
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 42
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 42
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 43
2-10. Understanding View Engines .............................................................................................44
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 44
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 44
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 44
2-11. Choosing a View Engine .....................................................................................................45
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 45
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 46
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 46
2-12. Understanding Razor Syntax ..............................................................................................49
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 49
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 49
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 49
CONTENTS
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2-13. Installing an Alternative View Engine .................................................................................53Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 53
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 53
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 53
Chapter 3: Setting Up Your Environment .........................................................................59
3-1. Acquiring the Ideal Developer Hardware .............................................................................59Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 59
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 59
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 59
3-2. Choosing an Operating System for Your Development Machine ..........................................63Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 63
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 63
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 63
3-3. Choosing Between IIS Express, IIS 8, and the Visual Studio Development Server ...............64Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 64
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 64
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 64
3-4. Filling Your Development Toolbox ........................................................................................66Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 66
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 66
3-5. Installing Hyper-V and Setting Up a Virtual Machine ...........................................................67Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 67
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 67
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 68
3-6. Connecting to a Remote Development Machine Using RDP ................................................79Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 79
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 79
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 79
3-7. Installing Visual Studio 2012 ................................................................................................80Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 80
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 80
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 80
CONTENTS
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3-8. Installing Visual Studio MVC 4 Add-on for Visual Studio 2010 .............................................82
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 82
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 82
How It works ........................................................................................................................................................ 82
3-9. Installing IIS .........................................................................................................................82
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 82
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 82
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 83
3-10. Configure Your MVC Project to Use IIS Rather Than IIS Express ........................................91
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 91
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 91
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 91
3-11. Configure an Application Pool to Use an Application Identity ............................................98
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................... 98
Solution................................................................................................................................................................ 99
How It Works ........................................................................................................................................................ 99
3-12. Configuring Visual Studio to Automatically Launch As Administrator ..............................101
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 101
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 101
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 101
3-13. Setting Up a Shared Instance of LocalDB ........................................................................102
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 102
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 102
How It works ...................................................................................................................................................... 102
Chapter 4: Visual Studio 2012 Overview .......................................................................105
4-1. Understanding Visual Studio 2012 .....................................................................................105
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 105
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 105
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 105
CONTENTS
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4-2. Changing the Style of the Visual Studio Menu ...................................................................115
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 115
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 115
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 115
4-3. Changing the Visual Studio Color Scheme .........................................................................116
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 116
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 116
How It works ...................................................................................................................................................... 117
4-4. Installing Visual Studio Documentation for Offline Use ......................................................117
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 117
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 117
4-5. Resetting the Default Visual Studio Window Layout ..........................................................118
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 118
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 118
How It works ...................................................................................................................................................... 119
4-6. Creating a Custom Toolbar .................................................................................................119
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 119
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 119
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 119
4-7. Navigating a Large Razor View or HTML File .....................................................................120
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 120
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 120
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 121
4-8. Using the Page Inspector to Troubleshoot CSS Layout Bugs .............................................121
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 121
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 122
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 122
4-9. Using the Page Inspector While Debugging .......................................................................125
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 125
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 126
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 126
CONTENTS
xiii
4-10. Understanding Visual Studio’s Debugging Windows ........................................................126
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 126
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 127
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 127
4-11. Setting a Conditional Breakpoint .....................................................................................129
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 129
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 129
How It works ...................................................................................................................................................... 130
4-12. Using the Output Window ................................................................................................131
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 131
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 131
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 131
4-13. Using the Extension Manager to Find and Install Add-ons for Visual Studio ...................134
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 134
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 134
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 134
4-14. Visual Studio Keyboard Shortcuts ....................................................................................136
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 136
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 136
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 136
Chapter 5: Getting the Most from the Built-in Templates ..............................................139
5-1. Choosing an ASP.NET MVC 4 Project Template ..................................................................139
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 139
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 139
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 139
5-2. Creating a Simple Web Site Using the ASP.NET MVC 4 Empty Template ............................147
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 147
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 147
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 148
CONTENTS
xiv
5-3. Creating a Simple Form with Validation Using the ASP.NET MVC 4 Basic Template ..........151
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 151
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 151
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 152
5-4. Creating an Intranet Site That Uses Windows Authentication Using the ASP.NET MVC 4 Intranet Template ....................................................................................................161
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 161
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 161
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 161
5-5. Configuring Windows Authentication Using the Web.config File ........................................162
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 162
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 162
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 163
5-6. Creating an Internet Site That Uses Forms Authentication Using the Internet Application Template..........................................................................................................164
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 164
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 164
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 165
5-7. Modifying an Internet Site to Use a Custom SQL Server Database ....................................171
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 171
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 171
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 172
5-8. Customizing the Registration Page on an Internet Site Created with the ASP.NET MVC 4 Internet Template ....................................................................................................177
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 177
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 177
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 178
Chapter 6: Architecting Applications with ASP.NET MVC ...............................................185
6-1. Understanding the Role of the Architect ............................................................................185
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 185
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 185
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 186
CONTENTS
xv
6-2. Understanding the Buy or Build Decision ..........................................................................187
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 187
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 187
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 188
6-3. Deciding Between a Public Cloud and a Private Data Center ............................................190
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 190
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 190
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 191
6-4. Determining the Size of Your Application’s Local Network ................................................192
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 192
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 192
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 192
6-5. Determining Which Operating System to Deploy ...............................................................194
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 194
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 194
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 194
6-6. Documenting Your Architecture .........................................................................................195
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 195
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 195
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 195
6-7. Architecting an ASP.NET MVC Application for the Internet .................................................200
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 200
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 200
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 200
6-8. Architecting a Large-Scale Internet Application ................................................................204
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 204
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 204
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 205
6-9. Architecting a Line-of-Business Application with ASP.NET MVC ........................................208
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 208
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 208
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 208
CONTENTS
xvi
6-10. Configuring SQL Server to Use a Custom Port .................................................................211
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 211
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 212
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 212
Chapter 7: Solution Design ............................................................................................215
7-1. Designing a View That Requires Data from Multiple Models .............................................215
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 215
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 215
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 215
7-2. Using Partial Views to Construct a Composite User Interface............................................223
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 223
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 223
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 223
7-3. Creating a Model Using Entity Framework Database First ................................................235
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 235
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 236
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 236
7-4. Creating a Model Using Entity Framework Database First with Oracle .............................242
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 242
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 242
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 242
7-5. Creating a Model Using Entity Framework Model First ......................................................247
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 247
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 247
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 247
7-6. Creating a Model Using Entity Framework Code First .......................................................253
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 253
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 253
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 253
CONTENTS
xvii
7-7. Improving Application Startup Performance ......................................................................264
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 264
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 264
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 264
7-8. Encrypting the Connection Strings in Your Web.config File ...............................................265
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 265
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 265
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 265
7-9. Using Areas to Organize a Large ASP.MVC Project .............................................................266
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 266
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 266
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 267
7-10. Disabling Automatic Table Creation with the Simple Membership Provider ....................272
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 272
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 272
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 272
Chapter 8: Asynchronous Programming with ASP.NET MVC .........................................281
8-1. Using Async Actions ...........................................................................................................281
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 281
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 281
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 281
8-2. Running Several Asynchronous Calls in Parallel Inside an Action Method ........................283
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 283
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 283
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 284
8-3. Consuming WCF Service from an MVC 4 Project ...............................................................286
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 286
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 286
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 286
CONTENTS
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8-4. Boosting the Performance of Task-Based Asynchronous Communications Using Caching ....................................................................................................................290
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 290
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 290
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 290
8-5. Using IL Disassembler to See Code Generated by the C# Compiler ...................................298
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 298
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 298
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 298
8-6. Understanding Threading in IIS ..........................................................................................304
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 304
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 304
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 304
8-7. Using Internet Information Services (IIS) Request Monitoring and Tracing .......................315
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 315
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 316
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 316
Chapter 9: Test-Driven Development with ASP.NET MVC 4 ............................................321
9-1. Using Testing to Improve the Quality of Your ASP.NET MVC Application .............................321
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 321
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 321
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 321
9-2. Creating Unit Tests for a Controller Action Using MS Test ..................................................325
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 325
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 325
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 325
9-3. Understanding Test-Driven Development Strategies .........................................................333
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 333
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 333
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 333
CONTENTS
xix
9-4. Defining a Naming Convention for Your Unit Tests .............................................................348
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 348
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 348
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 348
9-5. Selecting a Unit Test Framework .......................................................................................349
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 349
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 349
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 349
9-6. Downloading and Installing NUnit ......................................................................................355
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 355
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 355
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 355
9-7. Creating Unit Tests for Controller Actions Using NUnit .......................................................356
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 356
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 356
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 356
9-8. Mocking a Repository with Moq ........................................................................................358
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 358
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 358
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 358
Chapter 10: Moving From Web Forms to ASP.NET MVC .................................................375
10-1. Creating a Simple Data List Using ASP.NET MVC .............................................................375
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 375
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 375
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 375
10-2. Creating a Multiple Column Data List Using a Custom HTML Helper Extension ..............391
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 391
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 391
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 391
CONTENTS
xx
10-3. Creating a Data Grid with Paging, Sorting, and Filtering Support ....................................403
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 403
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 403
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 403
10-4. Creating a Data Grid That Allows Inline Editing ................................................................424
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 424
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 424
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 425
10-5. Creating a Master/Details View in ASP.NET MVC..............................................................431
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 431
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 431
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 431
10-6. Custom Validators in ASP.NET MVC ..................................................................................437
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 437
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 437
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 438
10-7. Moving from Master Pages in ASP.NET Web Forms to Layout Pages in Razor .................442
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 442
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 442
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 442
10-8. Creating a Multipage Wizard Using ASP.NET MVC ............................................................444
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 444
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 444
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 444
10-9. Adding MVC to a Web Forms Project ................................................................................463
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 463
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 464
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 464
CONTENTS
xxi
Chapter 11: Creating Modern User Experiences Using jQuery, Knockout.js, and Web API .....475
11-1. Creating an Adaptive Multicolumn Layout Using CSS Media Queries ..............................475
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 475
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 475
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 475
11-2. Creating a Data Grid That Can Page and Sort Without Full-Page Postbacks ...................482
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 482
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 482
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 482
11-3. Implementing Two-Way Data Binding Using Web API and Knockout ...............................504
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 504
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 504
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 505
11-4. Creating a Custom Route for an API Controller ................................................................533
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 533
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 533
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 533
11-5. Using Fiddler to Debug a Web API ....................................................................................539
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 539
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 539
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 539
Chapter 12: Mobile, Social, and Cloud Technologies .....................................................543
12-1. Using Facebook As Your MVC Web Site’s Identity Provider ..............................................543
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 543
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 543
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 543
12-2. Creating a Facebook Canvas Page Application with ASP.NET MVC ..................................551
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 551
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 552
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 552
CONTENTS
xxii
12-3. Setting Up Your Development for Working with Windows Azure ......................................560
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 560
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 560
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 560
12-4. Storing and Retrieving Files on Windows Azure from an ASP.NET MVC 4 Application ............561
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 561
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 561
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 562
12-5. Using Fiddler 2 to Help Debug Azure Calls to the Storage Emulator ................................573
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 573
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 573
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 573
12-6. Which Is Better: a Mobile Web Application or a Native Device Application? ....................574
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 574
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 574
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 574
12-7. Creating a Mobile Web Application Using jQuery Mobile and ASP.NET MVC 4 .................578
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 578
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 578
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 578
12-8. Testing Your Mobile Web Application ...............................................................................581
Problem ............................................................................................................................................................. 581
Solution.............................................................................................................................................................. 581
How It Works ...................................................................................................................................................... 581
Index .................................................................................................................................589
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About the Author
John Ciliberti is an enterprise software architect who has been designing and developing web applications and enterprise scale solutions for more than 15 years. John has been creating web applications using Microsoft technologies since the early days of classic ASP development in the late 1990s. In addition to his work as a consultant and software architect, John contributes to several open-source projects and is the founder of the MyOnlineBand.com online musician collaboration community.
He is currently employed at KPMG LLC in Montvale, New Jersey, as an associate director in the KPMG US Enterprise Architecture group. In his role as an enterprise architect, John helps guide the firm’s strategic technical direction and advises IT leadership on major technical initiatives. John also works closely with project teams by providing initial architectural design and architectural guidance and technical assistance throughout the project.
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About the Technical Reviewer
Damien Foggon is a developer, writer, and technical reviewer in cutting-edge technologies. He has contributed to more than 50 books on .NET, C#, Visual Basic, and ASP.NET. He is the co-founder of the Newcastle-based user group NEBytes (www.nebytes.net) and he is a multiple MCPD in .NET 2.0 and .NET 3.5. Damien can be found online at http://blog.fasm.co.uk.
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This book would not be possible without the help and understanding of many people. At the top of my list is my wife Kathy for putting up with me leaving her alone while I stayed up until 2 a.m. coding and writing for nights on end. I would like to thank my kids Katrina and Maria for forgiving all the missed playdates and bedtime stories. I would also like to thank my old friend Greg Orsulak for allowing me to reference our early computer inspirations as part of the book’s introduction.
I would like to thank my technical reviewer Damien Foggon and the staff at Apress, especially Tom Welsh, for all their hard work and attention to detail.
I cannot forget my colleagues at KPMG, especially Chris Marshall and Mike Soranno, who have supported and encouraged me throughout this long and intense process.
Last but not least, I would like to thank Fareed Shaikh, whose philosophy lessons at Taco Bell have raised both my state of consciousness and my cholesterol.
Acknowledgments
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Introduction
The first time I saw a computer that could connect to a network was back in the late ’80s when my friend Greg showed me how we could use his Apple IIe to download the Anarchy Cookbook from a bulletin board service. That first experience, which included a misguided crash course in chemistry, eventually led Greg to a career as a pharmacist and got me hooked on the potential of computers.
Fast-forward to 2013 and the Internet is everywhere. It’s in your home, at your job, in your car, and in your pocket. You can access the Web from your PC, your phone, your music player, your tablet, and you can even stream movies to your TV. Terrestrial radio is gradually being replaced by Internet music services, cable TV by services from Netflix and Amazon, paper maps by GPS systems, magazines and newspapers by e-readers and tablets. You surf the Web using touch screens, your voice, and TV remotes. Web pages adapt to fit your iPad’s orientation, your screen dims automatically to account for room lighting, your game console and your phone can recognize your face, and your tablet can read your handwriting.
As software developers, you need to be three steps ahead of this changing world. You are on the front lines. The world expects that not only will your software work but also that it will get smarter, faster, more reliable, and easier to use. These goals are only possible with improved techniques and better tools.
Adopting new techniques and learning new tools can be challenging, especially when you are on a tight schedule. When learning new technologies, many developers can spend more time searching Google and reading blogs and forum posts than writing code. Many times, they end up using a code snippet from some random source without a full understanding of what it does. The code may seem to fit the need at that time but if it ever breaks, they do not know how to fix it because they don’t understand it.
This book was written to help ASP.NET MVC developers like you to quickly find the code you need to move your project forward. More importantly, this book also will help you understand how each solution works. Each solution is broken down step by step and each code sample is explained in detail. In many cases, the explanation will go beyond the code and will discuss what is happening behind the scenes.