.NET vs. ASP?

[HerbAndEdnaWeinstein]

Hi, I've been tapped to write some rudimentary web applications that query and process data from a SQL Server database. I've never done this before.

I've been researching what software is needed to make this happen. My question is this:

Does a Web Application made in Visual Studio .NET more-or-less have the same potential for data access and on-the-fly calculation as an ASP webpage that accesses an Active Server?

Any good resources on the differences and similarites between ASP and .NET Web Applications?

Thanks in Advance,
Herb

 

[DotNetDoc]

The biggest advance in the new version of visual studio came with ASP.net From Debugging to Controls to Authentication there is no comparison. From someone who has done quite a bit of ASP programming. ASP.Net was a gift. You just need to make sure that the .Net Framework in on the server. Data Access is a bit different ADO vs ADO.net. ADO.net is much more rubust than ADO.

Here is one of many articles on the topic

http://www.informit.com/isapi/produ...-4670-AC88-4982C49B746D}/content/articlex.asp

Hope this helps

DotNetDoc
M.C.S.D.
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Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand.
- Anonymous Chinese Proverb

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If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.
- A. Einstein

 

[HerbAndEdnaWeinstein]

DotNetDoc:

Thanks for replying.

1) So, then, ASP.NET is a separate product? The reason I ask is because the classes discussed in the ASP.NET article all appear to be available to me now in VB.NET.

2) What does ASP.NET do that a VB.NET Web Service does not do?

Thanks Again,
herb

 

[DotNetDoc]

You can use any .Net language you would like in ASP.Net

VB.net C# etc...


ASp.net and WebSerices are two different things.

ASP.net is an applicaiton Webservices is like an online Class library

DotNetDoc
M.C.S.D.
---------------------------------------

Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand.
- Anonymous Chinese Proverb

-----------------------------------

If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.
- A. Einstein

 

[HerbAndEdnaWeinstein]

So, what can ASP.NET do that a .NET Web Service can't do?

Thanks for answering these fundamental questions!
herb

 

[baddos]

A .NET webservice is ASP.NET. A webservice is designed to be consumed by an application, not a web browser though.

 

[chiph]

Herb -
A ASP.NET application is designed to be used by a browser. In other words, a traditional web application, however the addition of .NET means that developing it is much less painful.

A WebService is analogous to a DCOM call. You're making a remote call to a piece of code running on a server. Only, instead of using a proprietary interface that has problems working over the Internet, you use a standards-based protocol (SOAP - which is mostly hidden from you) that has the ability to go through any firewall that has port 80 open for web traffic. If you don't use any of the gee-whiz features of .NET in your SOAP calls, you can even call into Java servlets with zero problems.

Chip H.


If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first

 

[HerbAndEdnaWeinstein]

Thanks to everybody for helping. I think I've almost got my head around it.

So, as I understand it, web users can be allowed to leverage .NET functionality and custom .NET code in webpages *without* the solution being written with ASP.NET (i.e., VStudio.NET *only*).

If you can (for instance) utilize custom functionality and dynamically update a database via the browser with a Vstudio.NET-written Web Service, what's the point of having ASP.NET? Is there a major thing ASP.NET does that is just not possible with a .NET Web Service?

Thanks once again,
Herb

 

[DotNetDoc]

I think you are still confused about the difference between the two. You do not go to a webservice. Like going to

http://www.yahoo.com.

You use a webservice in your application like you would a dll. You add a reference to the webservice and use its properties and methods.

An asp.net web application is something you go to.

Like your bank hosts a web application for your online banking. Many diffent pages making up one application.

It is just like asp except it can do more.

In both a web service and Asp.Net web application you can use any .Net language. VB.Net C# J# C++ etc...

Hope this helps clear it up.

DotNetDoc
M.C.S.D.
---------------------------------------

Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand.
- Anonymous Chinese Proverb

-----------------------------------

If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.
- A. Einstein

 

[HerbAndEdnaWeinstein]

DotNetDoc: I guess I still am confused, and here's why:

It sounds like I can go to an .asp(DotNet) page in a browser and do things like dynamically access and modify a database, etc...

However, according to some of the other posts, it sounds like I can do the same thing, in effect, with a .NET Web Service -- just that I would be calling a DLL with my website code from a server instead of the webpage itself being an .ASP page.

...Or am I missing the boat completely? Thanks!
Herb

 

[DotNetDoc]

It depends. If "YOU" are the deveoper and you just need to modify data then you can use a webservice.

If by "YOU" you mean the user then you need to use a ASP.net application.

A user can not get to a webservice (Theoreticly anyway) just like a user cannot access a dll.

If you are designing a system that end users will access then ASP.net Application.

If it's sole purpose is to manipulate data for your program then Webservice.

DotNetDoc
M.C.S.D.
---------------------------------------

Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand.
- Anonymous Chinese Proverb

-----------------------------------

If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.
- A. Einstein

 

[Durkin]

ASP.NET is a user interface to a web application. It serves up HTML to be used/interacted with visually in a browser. A web service basically serves up XML data which can be used by many different applications on the client machine not just browsers.


Durkin

 

[Transcend]

HerbAndEdnaWeinstein a .net Web Service CAN be used to modify the data in the database, but then you need a front end for your users.

ASP .Net provides that front end! In your ASP .net solution you can have things like classes that do modify the database etc etc.

Just think of a web service as like a dll - it has no front end so you need something like a .Net application which is able to USE that web service in code and provide a front end to your users.

Transcend

 

[Transcend]

To answer this question:

2) What does ASP.NET do that a VB.NET Web Service does not do?

It lets you develop an interactive front end! (Like a web site).

Transcend