Professional Visual Interdev 6 Programmimg

by Ian Blackburn

• ISBN13: 9781861002648
• ISBN10: 1861002645
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 1999-09-01
• Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York Inc

Summary

Use of Visual InterDev is growing fast with the migration to ASP as the web development platform of choice. The author's experience in ASP will make this the definitive Visual InterDev introduction for programmers. With lots of practical examples and code, programmers coming from any tool will be able to use this book to migrate to Visual InterDev and ASP.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Modern Web Application Development in a Microsoft Environment	p. 7
Visual InterDev 6.0	p. 8
N-Tiered Development	p. 9
Two-Tiered Client/Server Development	p. 10
Three-Tier Development Comes to the Rescue (Or Does It?)	p. 11
N-tier (Multi-tier) Development	p. 13
Professional Web Application Development	p. 14
Presentation Logic	p. 14
Business Logic	p. 14
Data Access Logic	p. 14
Summary	p. 15
The Visual InterDev Integrated Development Environment	p. 17
Introducing the IDE	p. 18
Project Explorer	p. 18
Properties Window	p. 19
The HTML Editor	p. 19
The Toolbox	p. 20
Document/HTML Outline	p. 20
Script Outline	p. 21
Task List	p. 22
Visual Component Manager	p. 23
Deployment Explorer	p. 23
Object Browser	p. 23
Output	p. 23
Data View	p. 23
About Projects and Solutions	p. 24
Project Architecture	p. 24
Adding Project Outputs	p. 26
Getting the Best out of the IDE	p. 27
Some Project Explorer Tips	p. 27
Document Windows	p. 27
Tool Windows	p. 28
Customizing the Toolbars and Assigning Keyboard Shortcuts	p. 30
Customizing the Toolbox	p. 32
The Options Menu	p. 33
Web Project Properties	p. 35
Using the Editors	p. 37
Customizing the Use of Editors	p. 37
The HTML Editor	p. 38
The Stylesheet Editor	p. 42
The Source Code (Text) Editor	p. 42
Working Modes	p. 43
Master Mode	p. 43
Local Mode	p. 44
Offline Mode	p. 44
Working Mode Commands	p. 45
Source Control Integration with Visual SourceSafe 6	p. 47
Web Permissions and Security	p. 50
Setting Web Permissions	p. 50
Using NTFS for Security	p. 52
Security Settings in IIS4	p. 53
Using a Back-end Database for Security	p. 55
Deploying a Solution	p. 55
Copy Web Project	p. 55
Using Project Deployment	p. 57
Summary	p. 58
Scripting In Visual InterDev	p. 61
Creating Script with Visual InterDev	p. 61
Using the Script Outline Window	p. 62
Creating Script Blocks	p. 63
Marking Pages as DHTML Scriptlets	p. 64
The Visual InterDev Scripting Object Model	p. 66
Design Time Controls (DTCs)	p. 67
Using the SOM	p. 69
Scripting Tips	p. 72
Creating Reusable Page Objects	p. 76
What Exactly are Page Objects?	p. 76
Creating Methods and Properties in Pages	p. 76
Using the Page Object	p. 78
Remote Scripting with Execute Methods (IE4 DHTML)	p. 80
The PageObject Object Model	p. 82
Summary	p. 87
Debugging Script	p. 89
Client-Only Debugging	p. 90
Understanding Local and Remote Debugging	p. 90
Local Debugging	p. 90
Remote Debugging	p. 91
Configuration for Debugging (Local or Remote)	p. 91
The Debugging Tools	p. 97
Example--Debugging an HTML Page	p. 97
Controlling Code Execution	p. 99
Using Breakpoints	p. 101
Examining Our Code While Debugging	p. 104
Attaching Processes to Debug	p. 106
Example of Attaching to a Process	p. 106
Debugging Processes Running on Another Machine	p. 107
Attaching to Processes for Debugging Automatically (Just-In-Time Debugging)	p. 107
Debugging ASP Pages	p. 109
Debugging Client Script in ASP Pages	p. 109
Debugging Server Script	p. 110
Debugging Mixed Client and Server Script	p. 110
Debugging a Global.asa File	p. 111
Debugging ASP Pages that Use the Scripting Object Model	p. 111
The @debug Directive	p. 112
The @trace Directive	p. 113
Debugging SQL Stored Procedures and Triggers	p. 114
Debugging Tips	p. 115
Summary	p. 117
Client Side Development and Site Consistency	p. 119
General Considerations	p. 120
Themes and Layouts--An Example	p. 120
Themes	p. 122
So What Does a Theme Contain?	p. 124
Creating a Custom Theme	p. 125
Layouts and Site Diagrams	p. 127
Creating Site Diagrams	p. 128
Applying a Layout	p. 129
So What Does a Layout Contain?	p. 129
Creating a Custom Layout	p. 135
Using Link View	p. 137
See the Links on an External Site	p. 140
Templates	p. 140
Cascading Style Sheet Editor (CSS)	p. 144
DHTML Features Supported in Visual InterDev	p. 147
DHTML Positioning	p. 148
The Timelines DTC	p. 149
DHTML Dynamic Styles	p. 152
DHTML Filters and Transitions (IE4 only)	p. 153
DHTML Data Binding	p. 155
DHTML Font Download	p. 158
Visual InterDev Support for ActiveX Controls	p. 158
Summary	p. 158
Integrating Databases	p. 161
Relational Database Design	p. 162
Formalizing the Design Process	p. 166
Microsoft Access 2000 Versus Microsoft SQL Server 7	p. 169
Visual Database Design Tools	p. 170
Using the Database Tools	p. 172
Connecting to a Data Source	p. 180
Database Projects and Web Projects	p. 180
Data Access Technology	p. 182
Making the Database Connection Without SP3	p. 183
Making the Database Connection With SP3	p. 185
Connection Properties (Pre and Post SP3)	p. 187
Cursors	p. 188
Application Variables	p. 191
The ADO Connection Object	p. 193
The Visual InterDev Data Environment	p. 193
Overview of The Data Environment	p. 193
Building Data Commands	p. 200
Adding a Data Command to a Project	p. 200
Working with Parameters	p. 204
Field Properties	p. 205
The ADO Command Object	p. 205
Demonstrating Database Integration with Visual InterDev	p. 206
Access Database Integration	p. 206
An Alternative Approach to Access Database Integration	p. 211
SQL Server Database Integration Using Stored Procedures	p. 212
Incorporating Output Parameters and Return Values	p. 215
Summary	p. 217
Data Aware DTCs and Scripting Objects	p. 219
The Recordset Design Time Control in Detail	p. 220
Using the Recordset DTC	p. 220
Under the Hood of the Recordset DTC	p. 225
Using the Recordset DTC as a DHTML Data Source	p. 229
The Recordset Scripting Object	p. 230
The Grid DTC and Scripting Object	p. 239
Grid Properties	p. 239
Other Data Aware DTCs and Scripting Objects	p. 245
Label	p. 246
Textbox	p. 249
Listbox	p. 250
Checkbox	p. 254
OptionGroup	p. 255
RecordsetNavBar DTC and Scripting Object	p. 256
The Button DTC and Scripting Object	p. 260
The Form Manager DTC	p. 261
Building an Example	p. 262
Transactional Support	p. 264
Summary	p. 265
Creating Design Time Controls	p. 267
Reasons for Creating Custom DTCs	p. 268
What Does a DTC Consist Of?	p. 268
What You Need to Create a DTC	p. 269
DTC Properties	p. 269
Creating the Run-Time Text	p. 272
The User Interface	p. 272
Finishing and Registering Your Control	p. 273
Creating a Simple DTC	p. 273
Creating the VB Project	p. 274
Control Properties	p. 275
Run-Time Text	p. 278
User Interface	p. 279
Creating and Registering the Control	p. 282
Using Your Control in Visual InterDev	p. 282
Tips When Developing a DTC in VB6	p. 283
Sharing Information Between DTCs	p. 283
How Do DTCs Share Information?	p. 284
Page Choices	p. 284
Static Choices and Dynamic Choices	p. 287
An Example of Working with Static Choices	p. 288
Deeper into the DTC SDK Object	p. 295
Communicating with Visual InterDev	p. 299
Calling Visual InterDev Services	p. 300
Initialization	p. 301
Calling the URL Picker	p. 301
Calling the Color Picker	p. 303
Calling the SQL Builder	p. 304
Distributing a DTC	p. 307
Summary	p. 307
Developing and Using COM Components	p. 309
What is COM?	p. 310
COM and the N-Tier Application	p. 311
Objects, Interfaces and 'Gooids' (!)	p. 312
Creating a Simple COM Component	p. 315
Building the Component	p. 315
Testing the Component in Visual Basic	p. 319
Using our COM Component from an ASP Page	p. 320
What Could Go Wrong and How to Fix it	p. 322
Why Develop Server Side Components?	p. 323
Encapsulating Business Logic	p. 324
Modularity for Code Reuse	p. 324
Isolating Layers	p. 324
Distributing Transactions and Processing Across Machines	p. 325
Making ASP Pages Run Faster	p. 325
Using COM Objects in ASP pages	p. 325
COM Components Available with Visual Studio	p. 326
Using ADO Objects in ASP Pages	p. 326
Using the FileSystem Object in your ASP pages	p. 331
A Useful COM Component for Data Display	p. 333
Building the COM Component	p. 333
Using the Component in an ASP page	p. 335
What Could Go Wrong and How to Fix It	p. 337
Creating Web-Enabled COM Objects	p. 337
The ASP Object Library	p. 338
Implementing the OnStartPage Method	p. 339
Advantages of Web Enabled Classes	p. 341
Using COM Components under Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS)	p. 343
What is MTS?	p. 344
Developing an MTS/COM Component	p. 345
MTS Packages	p. 348
Conclusion	p. 354
Windows Script Components	p. 357
Introduction to the Windows Script Host	p. 358
The Next Step: Script Components	p. 358
Building Components with Script and XML	p. 359
A Simple Script Component	p. 363
Enabling Components	p. 370
Multiple Components and Libraries	p. 373
Remote Registering	p. 373
Creating ASP Script Components	p. 374
Summary	p. 376
Case Study--Customizing a Website to Individual Customers	p. 379
Commercial Website Development	p. 381
Designing the Bottom Tier	p. 385
General Database Considerations	p. 385
Creating the BookNet Database Project	p. 392
Designing the Middle Tier	p. 398
Designing the Top Tier with Visual Interdev	p. 405
Creating the BookNet Site	p. 405
Other Top-Tier Considerations	p. 415
Debugging and Deploying	p. 422
Debugging with Visual InterDev	p. 422
Debugging Middle-Tier Components	p. 422
Configuring Visual InterDev for Stored Procedures Debugging	p. 423
Deploying the Web	p. 424
Conclusions	p. 426
How Visual InterDev Fits In	p. 426
The Value of Good Architecture	p. 427
Case Study--A Search Engine Using COM Components	p. 429
Connecticut Technology Council	p. 430
Let's Take a Tour	p. 431
Process Design	p. 434
System Overview	p. 435
Database Design	p. 435
Setting Up the Database	p. 436
COM Component Design	p. 444
The Data Access Layer	p. 445
The Business Layer	p. 449
Website Design	p. 456
Basic Template	p. 456
The Search Page	p. 457
The Search Results Page	p. 466
The Company Display Page	p. 474
Bringing All the Pieces Together	p. 477
The Database Components	p. 477
The Web Server Components	p. 477
The MTS/COM Components	p. 478
Summary	p. 478
Introduction to XML	p. 481
Why XML?	p. 481
XML Overview	p. 482
XML and HTML--What's the Difference?	p. 482
XML Structure	p. 483
Well Formed Documents	p. 484
Using IE5 to View XML	p. 486
Accessing XML Data	p. 488
XML Data Islands	p. 489
The XMLDOM Object	p. 492
Accessing XML Through Script	p. 493
Editing XML through Script	p. 495
Accessing XML through ASP	p. 498
Accessing XML through DSO	p. 498
Defining Data Structure	p. 499
Summary	p. 501
XML Data Display Via XSL	p. 503
What is XSL?	p. 503
XSL Standards	p. 507
XSL StyleSheet Structure	p. 507
Transforming XML into HTML	p. 509
Adding Styles to Your HTML	p. 510
XSL Patterns	p. 511
Scripting with XSL Patterns	p. 512
Sorting With XSL	p. 516
Summary	p. 518
Visual InterDev Installation and Configuration	p. 521
Server Components	p. 521
Optional Server Components	p. 522
Databases	p. 523
Source Control (Visual SourceSafe)	p. 523
Client Components	p. 523
Visual Studio Service Pack 3	p. 524
General Information	p. 524
Visual Database Design Tools	p. 525
Setting Up Visual SourceSafe 6	p. 527
Installation on the Server	p. 527
Grant Permission to Users	p. 528
Installation on the Clients	p. 528
Selecting the Database	p. 529
Adding Source Control to a Web Application	p. 529
Enabling Multiple Checkouts	p. 529
Disabling Source Control on a project	p. 529
The Object Browser	p. 531
The Object Browser and Project References	p. 531
Using the Object Browser	p. 532
The Shortcut Menu	p. 533
Selecting a Library	p. 533
Browsing the Classes and Members	p. 534
Filtering the Object Browser	p. 535
The Visual Component Manager and the Microsoft Repository	p. 537
Creating A Repository Database	p. 539
Publishing Components	p. 540
Publishing Components from the Project Explorer	p. 540
Publishing Components From Within the VCM	p. 541
Component Attributes	p. 542
Searching for Components	p. 542
Reusing Components	p. 543
IE5 Features	p. 545
HTML Applications	p. 545
The HTA:Application Tag	p. 547
Modifying Right-Click Behavior	p. 548
Mouse Capture	p. 549
Faster HTML-Fixed Table Layouts	p. 550
Adding New Elements	p. 550
Dynamic Properties	p. 551
Behaviors	p. 552
Default Behaviors	p. 554
HTML + TIME	p. 554
Persistence	p. 557
Web Folder Behaviors	p. 559
Auto-Complete	p. 559
FrontPage 2000 Integration with Visual InterDev	p. 563
Introduction	p. 563
Objectives	p. 564
Developing a Theme for use in both FrontPage 2000 and Visual InterDev	p. 564
FrontPage Theme Without Cascading Style Sheets	p. 564
FrontPage Theme Using Cascading Style Sheets	p. 565
Visual InterDev Theme (Using CSS)	p. 565
Designing a Corporate Theme	p. 567
Developing a Standard Site Navigation and Layout	p. 567
Selecting a Method for Site Navigation	p. 567
Selecting a Scheme for a Standard Layout	p. 570
Database Access in FrontPage 2000 and Visual InterDev	p. 572
Using a Visual InterDev Database Connection in FrontPage 2000	p. 572
Creating a Data Connection in FrontPage 2000 directly	p. 575
Opening Pages in FrontPage Using DTCs created in Visual InterDev	p. 575
Will FrontPage 2000 Corrupt Visual InterDev code?	p. 576
Using Visual SourceSafe	p. 576
Using Templates	p. 577
Summary	p. 578
FrontPage Server Extensions	p. 581
What Do They Do?	p. 581
Authoring Support	p. 581
Administration Support	p. 582
Browse-time Support	p. 582
Files and Folders Created by the Server Extensions	p. 583
Basic Administration Tasks	p. 586
HTML Administration Forms	p. 586
The FrontPage Server Administrator Utility	p. 586
Additional Administration	p. 587
What's New in FP2000 Server Extensions?	p. 587
VBScript Reference	p. 589
Array Handling	p. 589
Assignments	p. 590
Constants	p. 590
Error Constant	p. 590
System Color Constants	p. 591
Comparison Constants	p. 591
Date and Time Constants	p. 591
Date Format Constants	p. 592
Message Box Constants	p. 592
String Constants	p. 593
Tristate Constants	p. 593
VarType Constants	p. 594
Control Flow	p. 594
Functions	p. 596
Conversion Functions	p. 596
Date/Time Functions	p. 597
Math Functions	p. 598
Miscellaneous Functions	p. 599
Object Management Functions	p. 599
Script Engine Identification	p. 599
String Functions	p. 600
Variable Testing Functions	p. 601
Variable Declarations	p. 602
Error Handling	p. 602
Input/Output	p. 602
MsgBox	p. 602
InputBox	p. 604
Procedures	p. 605
Other Keywords	p. 605
Visual Basic Run-time Error Codes	p. 605
JScript Reference	p. 611
General Information	p. 611
Values	p. 611
Variables	p. 612
Assignment Operators	p. 613
Equality Operators	p. 613
Other Operators	p. 614
String Operators	p. 614
Comments	p. 615
Input/Output	p. 615
Alert	p. 615
Confirm	p. 615
Prompt	p. 616
Control Flow	p. 616
Conditional Statements	p. 616
Loop Statements	p. 617
Error Handling Statements	p. 619
Built-in Functions	p. 620
Built-in Objects	p. 620
ActiveXObject Object	p. 620
Array Object	p. 621
Boolean Object	p. 622
Date Object	p. 622
Enumerator Object	p. 625
Error Object	p. 625
Function Object	p. 625
Arguments Object	p. 626
Math Object	p. 626
Number Object	p. 627
RegularExpression Object	p. 628
RegExp Object	p. 629
String Object	p. 629
VBArray Object	p. 631
Reserved Words	p. 632
Active Server Pages Object Model	p. 635
Request Object	p. 635
Response Object	p. 636
Server Object	p. 637
Session Object	p. 637
Application Object	p. 638
The ObjectContext Object	p. 639
DTC and Scripting Object Model Reference	p. 641
DTCs and the Scripting Objects they Create	p. 641
Scripting Objects Reference	p. 643
ADO Object Summary	p. 651
Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects 2.0/2.1 Library Reference	p. 651
The Objects	p. 652
The Command Object	p. 653
The Connection Object	p. 654
The Error Object	p. 656
The Errors Collection	p. 656
The Field Object	p. 657
The Fields Collection	p. 658
The Parameter Object	p. 658
The Parameters Collection	p. 659
The Properties Collection	p. 659
The Property Object	p. 660
The Recordset Object	p. 660
ADO Method Calls - Quick Reference	p. 664
Theme Classes and Locations	p. 669
XML and XSL Reference	p. 675
XML Nodes	p. 675
The Document Object	p. 678
ReadyState Attribute Values	p. 681
Collection Attributes and Methods	p. 681
Error Handling Objects	p. 681
Schema	p. 682
XSL Methods	p. 683
XSL Pattern Operators	p. 685
Run-time Methods	p. 685
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