New to .NET - need help getting started

[mopacfan]

I've been coding w/ asp 3.0 for the last seven years. It's time, finally, for me to move up to .net. However, I know nothing about .net and I don't understand the new interface.

Here are my questions:

1. How do I create a project in VS.NET 2005 in which to open one of my legacy ASP 3.0 websites so I can maintain the site as is and start adding .net functionality?

2. Is there a good book or tutorial out there somewhere for an asp developer like myself, with which to get up to speed using VS.NET?

I've tried just opening my website in VS.net and it takes a very long time just for it to load. So I'm sure I do not have it configured correctly somewhere. Probably on the server. After some trial and a lot of error, I decided to just ask here for some guidance so I can get things moving forward.

Thanks

 

[ca8msm]

1. How do I create a project in VS.NET 2005 in which to open one of my legacy ASP 3.0 websites so I can maintain the site as is and start adding .net functionality?

This will actually make things harder for you. The best advice I can give you is to start a new project and add the functionality a page at a time by using ASP.NET methods. Don't try to copy/edit existing ASP code as it will simply hinder the progression to ASP.NET

2. Is there a good book or tutorial out there somewhere for an asp developer like myself, with which to get up to speed using VS.NET?

There are many websites dedicated to ASP.NET so I'd concentrate on these rather than trying to learn how VS works. You'll pick this up relatively easy as you go along.

Start by going trhough some of the videos and tutorials from

http://asp.net/learn/.

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Mark,
[URL unfurl="true"]http://aspnetlibrary.com[/url]
[URL unfurl="true"]http://mdssolutions.co.uk[/url] - Delivering professional ASP.NET solutions

 

[mopacfan]

Mark,

Thanks for the advise. I'll check out asp.net/learn and go from there.

Thanks again,

Michael

 

[mopacfan]

I forgot to mention, one of the reasons for the need to "upgrade" is that my new pc has windows vista and visual studio 6.0 which I had been using is not compatible. So I still need to be able to maintain my current sites as regular asp as I work towards migrating the sites to .net.

Can this be done w/ the Web Developer 2005 Express program?

 

[SiriusBlackOp]

The most simplistic difference between the two is that old ASP is essentially a weld of HTML and vb script all mixed together and ASP.NET separates them (one file for HTML and one file for server side code which gets compiled into a DLL file). Ideally in ASP.NET there should be NO server side code written into the HTML (ASPX file).

That distinction and the fact that vb script is essentially a different language than VB.NET, means that you would have to port your old ASP projects to this new technology. Microsoft, for the most part, ended reverse compatibly with .NET.

As painful as that sounds... ASP.NET is a blissful experience in comparison to old ASP. Once you make the move, you will dread having to go back and work on your old ASP projects.

There is a good book called "Moving to VB.NET" that helped me a ton while learning the new technology.

http://www.amazon.com/Moving-VB-NET-Strategies-Concepts/dp/1893115976

Senior Software Developer

http://www.scoutsft.com

 

[mopacfan]

SiriusBlackOp,

I have to admit, that with all of the work I have in some of these sites, and the CSS designs in the sites, converting to .net is a pretty scary proposition. I've downloaded and installed the express version of web developer 2005 and I'm going to buy that book and start taking the plunge. I just don't think I'm going to enjoy the conversion process since some of my sites are so integrated between the html and vb script.

 

[SiriusBlackOp]

I know your pain all too well.

Start by building a fresh testing and leaning web application so that you understand the proper way of building one of these things. If you try to dive straight into this pack of wolves by attempting to port one of your old ASP apps without understanding where you are going... I promise you that the wolves will eat you. LOL! It's bad enough porting it once, but having to port it twice because the first attempt wasn't on the mark is horrible. Been there and done that.

As ca8msm suggested, it may be far easier and less frustrating to start a new project and rewrite/port it then to load up an old ASP project and try to fix the errors as you move all of the code to the second file. This task is seriously translating VB Script into another language.

Senior Software Developer

http://www.scoutsft.com