CHAMPION KAY TUTORIAL

Showing posts with label ASP.NET TUTORIALS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ASP.NET TUTORIALS. Show all posts

Validation Server Controls

Validation Server Controls

A Validation server control is used to validate the data of an input control. If the data does not pass validation, it will display an error message to the user.
The syntax for creating a Validation server control is:

<asp:control_name id="some_id" runat="server" />

ASP.NET 2.0 - Navigation


Web Site Navigation

Maintaining the menu of a large web site is difficult and time consuming.
In ASP.NET 2.0 the menu can be stored in a file to make it easier to maintain. This file is normally called web.sitemap, and is stored in the root directory of the web.
In addition, ASP.NET 2.0 has three new navigation controls:
  • Dynamic menus
  • TreeViews
  • Site Map Path

The Sitemap File

The following sitemap file is used in this tutorial:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1" ?>
<siteMap>
  <siteMapNode title="Home" url="/aspnet/w3home.aspx">
    <siteMapNode title="Services" url="/aspnet/w3services.aspx">
      <siteMapNode title="Training" url="/aspnet/w3training.aspx"/>
      <siteMapNode title="Support" url="/aspnet/w3support.aspx"/>
    </siteMapNode>
  </siteMapNode>
</siteMap>

Rules for creating a sitemap file:
  • The XML file must contain a <siteMap> tag surrounding the content
  • The <siteMap> tag can only have one <siteMapNode> child node (the "home" page)
  • Each <siteMapNode> can have several child nodes (web pages)
  • Each <siteMapNode> has attributes defining page title and URL
lamp Note: The sitemap file must be placed in the root directory of the web and the URL attributes must be relative to the root directory.

Dynamic Menu

The <asp:Menu> control displays a standard site navigation menu.
Code Example:

<asp:SiteMapDataSource id="nav1" runat="server" />

<form runat="server">
<asp:Menu runat="server" DataSourceId="nav1" />
</form>

The <asp:Menu> control in the example above is a placeholder for a server created navigation menu.
The data source of the control is defined by the DataSourceId attribute. The id="nav1" connects it to the  <asp:SiteMapDataSource> control.
The <asp:SiteMapDataSource> control automatically connects to the default sitemap file (web.sitemap).

TreeView

The <asp:TreeView> control displays a multi level navigation menu.
The menu looks like a tree with branches that can be opened or closed with + or - symbol.
Code Example:

<asp:SiteMapDataSource id="nav1" runat="server" />

<form runat="server">
<asp:TreeView runat="server" DataSourceId="nav1" />
</form>

The <asp:TreeView> control in the example above is a placeholder for a server created navigation menu.
The data source of the control is defined by the DataSourceId attribute. The id="nav1" connects it to the  <asp:SiteMapDataSource> control.
The <asp:SiteMapDataSource> control automatically connects to the default sitemap file (web.sitemap).

SiteMapPath

The SiteMapPath control displays the trail (navigation path) to the current page. The path acts as clickable links to previous pages.
Unlike the TreeView and Menu control the SiteMapPath control does NOT use a SiteMapDataSource. The SiteMapPath control uses the web.sitemap file by default.
lamp Tips: If the SiteMapPath displays incorrectly, most likely there is an URL error (typo) in the web.sitemap file.
Code Example:

<form runat="server">
<asp:SiteMapPath runat="server" />
</form>





ASP.NET 2.0 - Master Pages


Master Pages

Master pages allow you to create a consistent look and behavior for all the pages (or group of pages) in your web application.
A master page provides a template for other pages, with shared layout and functionality. The master page defines placeholders for the content, which can be overridden by content pages. The output result is a combination of the master page and the content page.
The content pages contains the content you want to display.
When users request the content page, ASP.NET merges the pages to produce output that combines the layout of the master page with the content of the content page.

Master Page Example


<%@ Master %>

<html>
<body>
<h1>Standard Header For All Pages</h1>
<asp:ContentPlaceHolder id="CPH1" runat="server">
</asp:ContentPlaceHolder>
</body>
</html>

The master page above is a normal HTML page designed as a template for other pages.
The @ Master directive defines it as a master page.
The master page contains a placeholder tag <asp:ContentPlaceHolder> for individual content.
The id="CPH1" attribute identifies the placeholder, allowing many placeholders in the same master page.
This master page was saved with the name "master1.master".
lamp Note: The master page can also contain code, allowing dynamic content.

Content Page Example


<%@ Page MasterPageFile="master1.master" %>

<asp:Content ContentPlaceHolderId="CPH1" runat="server">
  <h2>Individual Content</h2>
  <p>Paragraph 1</p>
  <p>Paragraph 2</p>
</asp:Content>

The content page above is one of the individual content pages of the web.
The @ Page directive defines it as a standard content page.
The content page contains a content tag <asp:Content> with a reference to the master page (ContentPlaceHolderId="CPH1").
This content page was saved with the name "mypage1.aspx".
When the user requests this page, ASP.NET merges the content page with the master page.

Content Page With Controls



<%@ Page MasterPageFile="master1.master" %>

<asp:Content ContentPlaceHolderId="CPH1" runat="server">
  <h2>W3Schools</h2>
  <form runat="server">
    <asp:TextBox id="textbox1" runat="server" />
    <asp:Button id="button1" runat="server" text="Button" />
  </form>
</asp:Content>

ASP.NET 2.0 - New Features


ASP.NET 2.0 improves ASP.NET by adding several new features.

Improvements in ASP.NET 2.0

ASP.NET 2.0 was designed to make web development easier and quicker.
Design goals for ASP.NET 2.0:
  • Increase productivity by removing 70% of the code
  • Use the same controls for all types of devices
  • Provide a faster and better web server platform
  • Simplify compilation and installation
  • Simplify the administration of web applications

What's New in ASP.NET 2.0?

Some of the new features in ASP.NET 2.0 are:
  • Master Pages, Themes, and Web Parts
  • Standard controls for navigation
  • Standard controls for security
  • Roles, personalization, and internationalization services
  • Improved and simplified data access controls
  • Full support for XML standards like, XHTML, XML, and WSDL
  • Improved compilation and deployment (installation)
  • Improved site management
  • New and improved development tools
The new features are described below.

Master Pages

ASP.NET didn't have a method for applying a consistent look and feel for a whole web site.
Master pages in ASP.NET 2.0 solves this problem.
A master page is a template for other pages, with shared layout and functionality. The master page defines placeholders for content pages. The result page is a combination (merge) of the master page and the content page.

Themes

Themes is another feature of ASP.NET 2.0. Themes, or skins, allow developers to create a customized look for web applications.
Design goals for ASP.NET 2.0 themes:
  • Make it simple to customize the appearance of a site
  • Allow themes to be applied to controls, pages, and entire sites
  • Allow all visual elements to be customized

Web Parts

ASP.NET 2.0 Web Parts can provide a consistent look for a site, while still allowing user customization of style and content.
New controls:
  • Zone controls - areas on a page where the content is consistent
  • Web part controls - content areas for each zone

Navigation

ASP.NET 2.0 has built-in navigation controls like
  • Site Maps
  • Dynamic HTML menus
  • Tree Views  

Security

Security is very important for protecting confidential and personal information.
In ASP.NET 2.0 the following controls has been added:
  • A Login control, which provides login functionality
  • A LoginStatus control, to control the login status
  • A LoginName control to display the current user name
  • A LoginView control, to provide different views depending on login status
  • A CreateUser wizard, to allow creation of user accounts
  • A PasswordRecovery control, to provide the "I forgot my password" functionality

Roles and Personalization

Internet communities are growing very popular.
ASP.NET 2.0 has personalization features for storing user details. This provides an easy way to customize user (and user group) properties.

Internationalization

Reaching people with different languages is important if you want to reach a larger audience.
ASP.NET 2.0 has improved support for multiple languages.

Data Access

Many web sites are data driven, using databases or XML files as data sources.
With ASP.NET this involved code, and often the same code had to be used over and over in different web pages.
A key goal of ASP.NET 2.0 was to ease the use of data sources.
ASP.NET 2.0 has new data controls, removing much of the need for programming and in-depth knowledge of data connections.

Mobility Support

The problem with Mobile devices is screen size and display capabilities.
In ASP.NET, the Microsoft Mobile Internet Toolkit (MMIT) provided this support.
In ASP.NET 2.0, MMIT is no longer needed because mobile support is built into all controls.

Images

ASP.NET 2.0 has new controls for handling images:
  • The ImageMap control - image map support
  • The DynamicImage control  - image support for different browsers
These controls are important for better image display on mobile devices, like hand-held computers and cell phones.

Automatic Compilation

ASP.NET 2.0 provides automatic compilation. All files within a directory will be compiled on the first run, including support for WSDL, and XSD files.

Compiled Deployment (Installation) and Source Protection

ASP.NET 2.0 also provides pre-compilation. An entire web site can be pre-compiled. This provides an easy way to deploy (upload to a server) compiled applications, and because only compiled files are deployed, the source code is protected.

Site Management

ASP.NET 2.0 has three new features for web site configuration and management:
  • New local management console
  • New programmable management functions (API)
  • New web-based management tool

Development Tools

With ASP.NET Visual Studio.NET was released with project and design features targeted at corporate developers.
With ASP.NET 2.0, Visual Studio 2005 was released.
Key design features for Visual Studio 2005 include:
  • Support for the features described above
  • Upload files from anywhere (FTP, File System, Front Page....)
  • No project files, allowing code to be manipulated outside Visual Studio
  • Integrated Web Site Administration Tool
  • No "build" step - ability to compile on first run
Visual Web Developer is a new free ASP.NET 2.0 tool for non-corporate developers who don't have 

ASP.NET - Database Connection

 What is ADO.NET?


1 ADO.NET is a part of the .NET Framework
2 ADO.NET consists of a set of classes used to handle data access
3 ADO.NET is entirely based on XML
4 ADO.NET has, unlike ADO, no Recordset object

Create a Database Connection

We are going to use the Northwind database in our examples.
First, import the "System.Data.OleDb" namespace. We need this namespace to work with Microsoft Access and other OLE DB database providers. We will create the connection to the database in the Page_Load subroutine. We create a dbconn variable as a new OleDbConnection class with a connection string which identifies the OLE DB provider and the location of the database. Then we open the database connection:

<%@ Import Namespace="System.Data.OleDb" %>

<script runat="server">
sub Page_Load
dim dbconn
dbconn=New OleDbConnection("Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;
data source=" & server.mappath("northwind.mdb"))
dbconn.Open()
end sub
</script>

Create a Database Command

To specify the records to retrieve from the database, we will create a dbcomm variable as a new OleDbCommand class. The OleDbCommand class is for issuing SQL queries against database tables:

<%@ Import Namespace="System.Data.OleDb" %>

<script runat="server">
sub Page_Load
dim dbconn,sql,dbcomm
dbconn=New OleDbConnection("Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;
data source=" & server.mappath("northwind.mdb"))
dbconn.Open()
sql="SELECT * FROM customers"
dbcomm=New OleDbCommand(sql,dbconn)
end sub
</script>

Create a DataReader

The OleDbDataReader class is used to read a stream of records from a data source. A DataReader is created by calling the ExecuteReader method of the OleDbCommand object:

<%@ Import Namespace="System.Data.OleDb" %>

<script runat="server">
sub Page_Load
dim dbconn,sql,dbcomm,dbread
dbconn=New OleDbConnection("Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;
data source=" & server.mappath("northwind.mdb"))
dbconn.Open()
sql="SELECT * FROM customers"
dbcomm=New OleDbCommand(sql,dbconn)
dbread=dbcomm.ExecuteReader()
end sub
</script>

Bind to a Repeater Control

Then we bind the DataReader to a Repeater control

<%@ Import Namespace="System.Data.OleDb" %>

<script runat="server">
sub Page_Load
dim dbconn,sql,dbcomm,dbread
dbconn=New OleDbConnection("Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;
data source=" & server.mappath("northwind.mdb"))
dbconn.Open()
sql="SELECT * FROM customers"
dbcomm=New OleDbCommand(sql,dbconn)
dbread=dbcomm.ExecuteReader()
customers.DataSource=dbread
customers.DataBind()
dbread.Close()
dbconn.Close()
end sub
</script>

<html>
<body>

<form runat="server">
<asp:Repeater id="customers" runat="server">

<HeaderTemplate>
<table border="1" width="100%">
<tr>
<th>Companyname</th>
<th>Contactname</th>
<th>Address</th>
<th>City</th>
</tr>
</HeaderTemplate>

<ItemTemplate>
<tr>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("companyname")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("contactname")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("address")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("city")%></td>
</tr>
</ItemTemplate>

<FooterTemplate>
</table>
</FooterTemplate>

</asp:Repeater>
</form>

</body>
</html>

Close the Database Connection

Always close both the DataReader and database connection after access to the database is no longer required:

dbread.Close()
dbconn.Close()




Bind a DataSet to a DataList Control

The DataList control is, like the Repeater control, used to display a repeated list of items that are bound to the control. However, the DataList control adds a table around the data items by default. The DataList control may be bound to a database table, an XML file, or another list of items. Here we will show how to bind an XML file to a DataList control.
We will use the following XML file in our examples ("cdcatalog.xml"):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>

<catalog>
<cd>
  <title>Empire Burlesque</title>
  <artist>Bob Dylan</artist>
  <country>USA</country>
  <company>Columbia</company>
  <price>10.90</price>
  <year>1985</year>
</cd>
<cd>
  <title>Hide your heart</title>
  <artist>Bonnie Tyler</artist>
  <country>UK</country>
  <company>CBS Records</company>
  <price>9.90</price>
  <year>1988</year>
</cd>
<cd>
  <title>Greatest Hits</title>
  <artist>Dolly Parton</artist>
  <country>USA</country>
  <company>RCA</company>
  <price>9.90</price>
  <year>1982</year>
</cd>
<cd>
  <title>Still got the blues</title>
  <artist>Gary Moore</artist>
  <country>UK</country>
  <company>Virgin records</company>
  <price>10.20</price>
  <year>1990</year>
</cd>
<cd>
  <title>Eros</title>
  <artist>Eros Ramazzotti</artist>
  <country>EU</country>
  <company>BMG</company>
  <price>9.90</price>
  <year>1997</year>
</cd>
</catalog>

First, import the "System.Data" namespace. We need this namespace to work with DataSet objects. Include the following directive at the top of an .aspx page:

<%@ Import Namespace="System.Data" %>

Next, create a DataSet for the XML file and load the XML file into the DataSet when the page is first loaded:

<script runat="server">
sub Page_Load
if Not Page.IsPostBack then
  dim mycdcatalog=New DataSet
  mycdcatalog.ReadXml(MapPath("cdcatalog.xml"))
end if
end sub

Then we create a DataList in an .aspx page. The contents of the <HeaderTemplate> element are rendered first and only once within the output, then the contents of the <ItemTemplate> element are repeated for each "record" in the DataSet, and last, the contents of the <FooterTemplate> element are rendered once within the output:

<html>
<body>

<form runat="server">
<asp:DataList id="cdcatalog" runat="server">

<HeaderTemplate>
...
</HeaderTemplate>

<ItemTemplate>
...
</ItemTemplate>

<FooterTemplate>
...
</FooterTemplate>

</asp:DataList>
</form>

</body>
</html>

Then we add the script that creates the DataSet and binds the mycdcatalog DataSet to the DataList control. We also fill the DataList control with a <HeaderTemplate> that contains the header of the table, an <ItemTemplate> that contains the data items to display, and a <FooterTemplate> that contains a text. Note that the gridlines attribute of the DataList is set to "both" to display table borders:

<%@ Import Namespace="System.Data" %>

<script runat="server">
sub Page_Load
if Not Page.IsPostBack then
  dim mycdcatalog=New DataSet
  mycdcatalog.ReadXml(MapPath("cdcatalog.xml"))
  cdcatalog.DataSource=mycdcatalog
  cdcatalog.DataBind()
end if
end sub
</script>

<html>
<body>

<form runat="server">
<asp:DataList id="cdcatalog"
gridlines="both" runat="server">

<HeaderTemplate>
My CD Catalog
</HeaderTemplate>

<ItemTemplate>
"<%#Container.DataItem("title")%>" of
<%#Container.DataItem("artist")%> -
$<%#Container.DataItem("price")%>
</ItemTemplate>

<FooterTemplate>
Copyright Hege Refsnes
</FooterTemplate>

</asp:DataList>
</form>

</body>
</html>

Using Styles

You can also add styles to the DataList control to make the output more fancy:

<%@ Import Namespace="System.Data" %>

<script runat="server">
sub Page_Load
if Not Page.IsPostBack then
  dim mycdcatalog=New DataSet
  mycdcatalog.ReadXml(MapPath("cdcatalog.xml"))
  cdcatalog.DataSource=mycdcatalog
  cdcatalog.DataBind()
end if
end sub
</script>

<html>
<body>

<form runat="server">
<asp:DataList id="cdcatalog"
runat="server"
cellpadding="2"
cellspacing="2"
borderstyle="inset"
backcolor="#e8e8e8"
width="100%"
headerstyle-font-name="Verdana"
headerstyle-font-size="12pt"
headerstyle-horizontalalign="center"
headerstyle-font-bold="true"
itemstyle-backcolor="#778899"
itemstyle-forecolor="#ffffff"
footerstyle-font-size="9pt"
footerstyle-font-italic="true">

<HeaderTemplate>
My CD Catalog
</HeaderTemplate>

<ItemTemplate>
"<%#Container.DataItem("title")%>" of
<%#Container.DataItem("artist")%> -
$<%#Container.DataItem("price")%>
</ItemTemplate>

<FooterTemplate>
Copyright Hege Refsnes
</FooterTemplate>

</asp:DataList>
</form>

</body>
</html>

Using the <AlternatingItemTemplate>

You can add an <AlternatingItemTemplate> element after the <ItemTemplate> element to describe the appearance of alternating rows of output. You may style the data in the <AlternatingItemTemplate> section within the DataList control:

<%@ Import Namespace="System.Data" %>

<script runat="server">
sub Page_Load
if Not Page.IsPostBack then
dim mycdcatalog=New DataSet
mycdcatalog.ReadXml(MapPath("cdcatalog.xml"))
cdcatalog.DataSource=mycdcatalog
cdcatalog.DataBind()
end if
end sub
</script>

<html>
<body>

<form runat="server">
<asp:DataList id="cdcatalog"
runat="server"
cellpadding="2"
cellspacing="2"
borderstyle="inset"
backcolor="#e8e8e8"
width="100%"
headerstyle-font-name="Verdana"
headerstyle-font-size="12pt"
headerstyle-horizontalalign="center"
headerstyle-font-bold="True"
itemstyle-backcolor="#778899"
itemstyle-forecolor="#ffffff"
alternatingitemstyle-backcolor="#e8e8e8"
alternatingitemstyle-forecolor="#000000"
footerstyle-font-size="9pt"
footerstyle-font-italic="True">

<HeaderTemplate>
My CD Catalog
</HeaderTemplate>

<ItemTemplate>
"<%#Container.DataItem("title")%>" of
<%#Container.DataItem("artist")%> -
$<%#Container.DataItem("price")%>
</ItemTemplate>

<AlternatingItemTemplate>
"<%#Container.DataItem("title")%>" of
<%#Container.DataItem("artist")%> -
$<%#Container.DataItem("price")%>
</AlternatingItemTemplate>

<FooterTemplate>
&copy; Hege Refsnes
</FooterTemplate>

</asp:DataList>
</form>

</body>
</html>



Bind a DataSet to a Repeater Control

The Repeater control is used to display a repeated list of items that are bound to the control. The Repeater control may be bound to a database table, an XML file, or another list of items. Here we will show how to bind an XML file to a Repeater control.
We will use the following XML file in our examples ("cdcatalog.xml"):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>

<catalog>
<cd>
  <title>Empire Burlesque</title>
  <artist>Bob Dylan</artist>
  <country>USA</country>
  <company>Columbia</company>
  <price>10.90</price>
  <year>1985</year>
</cd>
<cd>
  <title>Hide your heart</title>
  <artist>Bonnie Tyler</artist>
  <country>UK</country>
  <company>CBS Records</company>
  <price>9.90</price>
  <year>1988</year>
</cd>
<cd>
  <title>Greatest Hits</title>
  <artist>Dolly Parton</artist>
  <country>USA</country>
  <company>RCA</company>
  <price>9.90</price>
  <year>1982</year>
</cd>
<cd>
  <title>Still got the blues</title>
  <artist>Gary Moore</artist>
  <country>UK</country>
  <company>Virgin records</company>
  <price>10.20</price>
  <year>1990</year>
</cd>
<cd>
  <title>Eros</title>
  <artist>Eros Ramazzotti</artist>
  <country>EU</country>
  <company>BMG</company>
  <price>9.90</price>
  <year>1997</year>
</cd>
</catalog>

First, import the "System.Data" namespace. We need this namespace to work with DataSet objects. Include the following directive at the top of an .aspx page:

<%@ Import Namespace="System.Data" %>

Next, create a DataSet for the XML file and load the XML file into the DataSet when the page is first loaded:

<script runat="server">
sub Page_Load
if Not Page.IsPostBack then
  dim mycdcatalog=New DataSet
  mycdcatalog.ReadXml(MapPath("cdcatalog.xml"))
end if
end sub

Then we create a Repeater control in an .aspx page. The contents of the <HeaderTemplate> element are rendered first and only once within the output, then the contents of the <ItemTemplate> element are repeated for each "record" in the DataSet, and last, the contents of the <FooterTemplate> element are rendered once within the output:

<html>
<body>

<form runat="server">
<asp:Repeater id="cdcatalog" runat="server">

<HeaderTemplate>
...
</HeaderTemplate>

<ItemTemplate>
...
</ItemTemplate>

<FooterTemplate>
...
</FooterTemplate>

</asp:Repeater>
</form>

</body>
</html>

Then we add the script that creates the DataSet and binds the mycdcatalog DataSet to the Repeater control. We also fill the Repeater control with HTML tags and bind the data items to the cells in the<ItemTemplate> section with the <%#Container.DataItem("fieldname")%> method:

<%@ Import Namespace="System.Data" %>

<script runat="server">
sub Page_Load
if Not Page.IsPostBack then
  dim mycdcatalog=New DataSet
  mycdcatalog.ReadXml(MapPath("cdcatalog.xml"))
  cdcatalog.DataSource=mycdcatalog
  cdcatalog.DataBind()
end if
end sub
</script>

<html>
<body>

<form runat="server">
<asp:Repeater id="cdcatalog" runat="server">

<HeaderTemplate>
<table border="1" width="100%">
<tr>
<th>Title</th>
<th>Artist</th>
<th>Country</th>
<th>Company</th>
<th>Price</th>
<th>Year</th>
</tr>
</HeaderTemplate>

<ItemTemplate>
<tr>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("title")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("artist")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("country")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("company")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("price")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("year")%></td>
</tr>
</ItemTemplate>

<FooterTemplate>
</table>
</FooterTemplate>

</asp:Repeater>
</form>

</body>
</html>

Using the <AlternatingItemTemplate>

You can add an <AlternatingItemTemplate> element after the <ItemTemplate> element to describe the appearance of alternating rows of output. In the following example each other row in the table will be displayed in a light grey color:

<%@ Import Namespace="System.Data" %>

<script runat="server">
sub Page_Load
if Not Page.IsPostBack then
  dim mycdcatalog=New DataSet
  mycdcatalog.ReadXml(MapPath("cdcatalog.xml"))
  cdcatalog.DataSource=mycdcatalog
  cdcatalog.DataBind()
end if
end sub
</script>

<html>
<body>

<form runat="server">
<asp:Repeater id="cdcatalog" runat="server">

<HeaderTemplate>
<table border="1" width="100%">
<tr>
<th>Title</th>
<th>Artist</th>
<th>Country</th>
<th>Company</th>
<th>Price</th>
<th>Year</th>
</tr>
</HeaderTemplate>

<ItemTemplate>
<tr>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("title")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("artist")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("country")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("company")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("price")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("year")%></td>
</tr>
</ItemTemplate>

<AlternatingItemTemplate>
<tr bgcolor="#e8e8e8">
<td><%#Container.DataItem("title")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("artist")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("country")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("company")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("price")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("year")%></td>
</tr>
</AlternatingItemTemplate>

<FooterTemplate>
</table>
</FooterTemplate>

</asp:Repeater>
</form>

</body>
</html>

Using the <SeparatorTemplate>

The <SeparatorTemplate> element can be used to describe a separator between each record. The following example inserts a horizontal line between each table row:

<%@ Import Namespace="System.Data" %>

<script runat="server">
sub Page_Load
if Not Page.IsPostBack then
  dim mycdcatalog=New DataSet
  mycdcatalog.ReadXml(MapPath("cdcatalog.xml"))
  cdcatalog.DataSource=mycdcatalog
  cdcatalog.DataBind()
end if
end sub
</script>

<html>
<body>

<form runat="server">
<asp:Repeater id="cdcatalog" runat="server">

<HeaderTemplate>
<table border="0" width="100%">
<tr>
<th>Title</th>
<th>Artist</th>
<th>Country</th>
<th>Company</th>
<th>Price</th>
<th>Year</th>
</tr>
</HeaderTemplate>

<ItemTemplate>
<tr>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("title")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("artist")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("country")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("company")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("price")%></td>
<td><%#Container.DataItem("year")%></td>
</tr>
</ItemTemplate>

<SeparatorTemplate>
<tr>
<td colspan="6"><hr /></td>
</tr>
</SeparatorTemplate>

<FooterTemplate>
</table>
</FooterTemplate>

</asp:Repeater>
</form>

</body>
</html>



ASP .NET - XML Files


An XML File

Here is an XML file named "countries.xml":

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>

<countries>

<country>
  <text>Norway</text>
  <value>N</value>
</country>

<country>
  <text>Sweden</text>
  <value>S</value>
</country>

<country>
  <text>France</text>
  <value>F</value>
</country>

<country>
  <text>Italy</text>
  <value>I</value>
</country>

</countries>

Bind a DataSet to a List Control

First, import the "System.Data" namespace. We need this namespace to work with DataSet objects. Include the following directive at the top of an .aspx page:

<%@ Import Namespace="System.Data" %>

Next, create a DataSet for the XML file and load the XML file into the DataSet when the page is first loaded:

<script runat="server">
sub Page_Load
if Not Page.IsPostBack then
  dim mycountries=New DataSet
  mycountries.ReadXml(MapPath("countries.xml"))
end if
end sub

To bind the DataSet to a RadioButtonList control, first create a RadioButtonList control (without any asp:ListItem elements) in an .aspx page:

<html>
<body>

<form runat="server">
<asp:RadioButtonList id="rb" runat="server" AutoPostBack="True" />
</form>

</body>
</html>

Then add the script that builds the XML DataSet:

<%@ Import Namespace="System.Data" %>

<script runat="server">
sub Page_Load
if Not Page.IsPostBack then
  dim mycountries=New DataSet
  mycountries.ReadXml(MapPath("countries.xml"))
  rb.DataSource=mycountries
  rb.DataValueField="value"
  rb.DataTextField="text"
  rb.DataBind()
end if
end sub
</script>

<html>
<body>

<form runat="server">
<asp:RadioButtonList id="rb" runat="server"
AutoPostBack="True" onSelectedIndexChanged="displayMessage" />
</form>

</body>
</html>

Then we add a sub routine to be executed when the user clicks on an item in the RadioButtonList control. When a radio button is clicked, a text will appear in a label:

<%@ Import Namespace="System.Data" %>

<script runat="server">
sub Page_Load
if Not Page.IsPostBack then
  dim mycountries=New DataSet
  mycountries.ReadXml(MapPath("countries.xml"))
  rb.DataSource=mycountries
  rb.DataValueField="value"
  rb.DataTextField="text"
  rb.DataBind()
end if
end sub

sub displayMessage(s as Object,e As EventArgs)
lbl1.text="Your favorite country is: " & rb.SelectedItem.Text
end sub
</script>

<html>
<body>

<form runat="server">
<asp:RadioButtonList id="rb" runat="server"
AutoPostBack="True" onSelectedIndexChanged="displayMessage" />
<p><asp:label id="lbl1" runat="server" /></p>
</form>

</body>
</html>