Using Enterprise Library in ASP.NET 2.0 Partial Trust Mode   01 Nov 2006 00:02 GMT
The Enterprise Library Application Blocks aren't useful only in Windows Forms applications; you can use them in ASP.NET too by downloading a set of patch files and configuring the security settings appropriately. Find out how.
Source: DevX

Accessing and Updating Data in ASP.NET 2.0: Creating Custom Parameter Controls   01 Nov 2006 00:00 GMT

Data Source Control Basics - explores the concepts and advantages of data source controls, and compares their usage in ASP.NET 2.0 to data access techniques in ASP.NET 1.x.

Accessing Database Data - shows how to use the SqlDataSource and AccessDataSource controls to query data from a relational database.

Filtering Database Data with Parameters - learn how to retrieve just a subset of database data based on hard-coded values and values from the querystring, other Web controls on the page, session variables, and so on.

Retrieving XML Data with XmlDataSource Control - see how to retrieve both remote and local XML data and display it in a data Web control.

Creating Custom Parameter Controls - learn how to create your own custom, declarative Parameter controls for use in the data source controls' parameters collections.

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A Multipart Series on ASP.NET 2.0's Data Source Controls
ASP.NET 2.0 introduced a number of new Web controls designed for accessing and modifying data. These controls allow page developers to declaratively access and modify data without writing any code to perform the data access. This article is one in a series of articles on ASP.NET 2.0's new data source controls.

As discussed in previous installments of this article series, ASP.NET 2.0 ships with a number of built-in data source controls that can be used to programmatically access data (the SqlDataSource, ObjectDataSource, XmlDataSource, and so on). The SqlDataSource and ObjectDataSource commonly return or modify data based upon parameters. For example, a SqlDataSource might use a parameterized query, like SELECT * FROM TableName WHERE ColumName = @parameterName; the ObjectDataSource's parameters are those expected input parameters to the methods it invokes. In either case, the values of the parameters can be specified using Parameter controls. (See Filtering Database Data with Parameters installment for more information on using parameters with the data source controls.)

A Parameter controls is a control whose purpose is to provide a value for a given parameter. ASP.NET 2.0 ships with seven Parameter controls - the generic ControlParameter and the more specific ControlParameter, CookieParameter, FormParameter, ProfileParameter, QueryStringParameter, and SessionParameter controls - which pull their values from web controls on the page, session state, querystring fields, and so on.

If you need to use a value that's not provided by one of the specific Parameter controls, you can use the generic Parameter control and set its value programmatically (a topic we'll address in a future article in this series). Alternatively, you can create a customParameter control that grabs the specific data you need. Creating such a custom Parameter control is quite easy and straightforward, as we'll see in this article. Read on to learn more!
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Source: 4GuysFromRolla

Free Skills Assessments for Visual Studio 2005   31 Oct 2006 15:41 GMT
Individual skills assessments are designed to improve your readiness for a technology. Get a free 30-question skills assessment and learning plan to help identify and improve your areas of weakness.
Source: MSDN

Microsoft Virtual Labs Express – 30 minute hands-on labs   31 Oct 2006 15:04 GMT
Virtual Lab Express is the fastest and easiest way to test drive Microsoft products and the Virtual Lab environment. These are 30-minute hands-on overviews of some of your favorite Microsoft products and developer tools. Try them out online now.
Source: MSDN

New book: Microsoft Solutions Framework Essentials   31 Oct 2006 14:53 GMT
Get the hands-on guidance you need to understand the proven practices and foundational principles of working with the Microsoft Solutions Framework, Version 4. Written by an expert, this essential reference offers practical examples and case studies.
Source: MSDN

Take Your Apps Far and Wide with a GPS Tracking System   30 Oct 2006 23:39 GMT
You already know that GPS is used extensively in a wide variety of mobile devices in order to track delivery and service vehicles—or any other mobile fleet. This kind of application is not as difficult as you may at first think. Find out how to use Visual Studio to create a GPS tracking app, with maps, that runs on Windows Mobile Pocket PC devices.
Source: DevX

Visual Studio 2005 (SP1) Beta now closed, thank you for your participation!   30 Oct 2006 21:51 GMT
Thank you for your interest in VS 2005 Beta Service Pack 1. The Beta Program closed on October 30, 2006. More than 10,000 users participated in this program and we appreciate your feedback.
Source: MSDN

Extending the ASP.NET 2.0 Resource-Provider Model   30 Oct 2006 18:46 GMT
ASP.NET 2.0 has unleashed a number of wonderful improvements for localizing Web applications. This article will help you apply extensibility features of ASP.NET to handle enterprise localization scenarios and improve your localization-development process.
Source: MSDN

Colorful Algorithms: Solving Map-coloring and Related Problems   27 Oct 2006 23:59 GMT
It has been proven that you can always color a map with four colors in such as way that no two adjacent regions have the same color. Unfortunately doing so can be both difficult and time consuming—but it's not too hard to color a map with five colors.
Source: DevX

Bulletproof HTML: 37 Steps to Perfect Markup   25 Oct 2006 04:00 GMT
So, you want to code your own HTML? Perhaps you just want to polish your skills, or have a few nagging questions answered. In this comprehensive FAQ, Tommy gives you all the information you'll need to understand the science - and practice the art - of HTML.

Source: SitePoint