This book is for anyone who wants to learn how to build rich and interactive Microsoft ASP.NET web sites. With the knowledge you gain from this book, you create a great foundation to build any type of web site, ranging from simple hobby-related web sites to sites you may be creating for commercial purposes. Using this book s step-by-step format you ll learn to:

• Obtain, install, and customize Visual Web Developer (VWD) 2008



• create a new web site and how to add new pages to it.



• use the numerous tools in VWD to create HTML and ASP.NET pages



• use the VWD tools and  CSS, the language that is used to format web pages



• What ASP.NET server controls are, what they are used for, and how to use them



• program web pages Visual Basic or C#



• create consistent-looking pages through the use of master pages, skins, and themes



• build the navigation structure of your site



• create and use User Controls and enhance them to repeat content like menus and banners



• accept, validate, and process user input and send e-mail from your ASP.NET web application



• create good looking, flicker free web page interaction with ASP.NET Ajax



• the basics of SQL, the language used access and alter data in a database



• use the database tools found in Visual Web Developer



• use the ASP.NET data controls to create an interface for your users to interact with your application s data



• use LINQ to SQL to access SQL Server databases without writing a lot of manual code



• change the visual appearance of your data through the use of control styles



• interact with the data-bound controls and speed up your application



• use the security ASP.NET features to create user accounts, distinguish between anonymous and logged on users, and manage the users in your system



• create personalized web pages with content targeted at individual users



• find and fix problems with VWD debugging tools



• deploy and run your final web site