Pro Dynamic .Net 4.0 Applications.Data-Driven Programming for the .NET Framework

✍ Scribed by Carl Ganz

• Publisher: Apress
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 265
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

As a developer you are likely painfully aware that not all features of an application can be anticipated when the software ships. In order to cope with these eventualities and save yourself time (and perhaps money), it makes sense to write your applications in such a way that end users can be made as independent of the developers as possible. Giving your users the power to make changes to the way the application operates once it has shipped gives them more control over the way the application works, while reducing the frequency with which you need to redistribute application files, creating a win-win situation.This book explains how to give users the power to create additional data-entry fields, validation logic, and new reports without assistance from the application developer. You will learn how to do this for both desktop (C# and WPF) and web (ASP) applications.What youll learn How to allow the user to create validation logic at runtime How to define and instantiate controls at runtime and the pitfalls of doing so How to create data-driven reports using Excel, Crystal Reports, and SQL Server Reporting Services How to design a database structure for optimizing data-driven applications* How to build a user interface that allows users to modify their application visuallyWho is this book for?This book is for anyone wanting to distribute an application in which the user needs to be as independent of the developer as possible. By using the techniques described in the book, the user will have the power to make modifications to his own applications, and the developer will reduce the frequency with which he needs to redistribute EXEs.

✦ Table of Contents

Home Page......Page 1
Contents at a Glance......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
About the Author......Page 11
About the Technical Reviewer......Page 12
Acknowledgments......Page 13
Introduction......Page 14
Introducing Data-Driven Programming......Page 15
SQL Server......Page 16
Oracle......Page 18
Practical Applications......Page 20
Code Generation......Page 23
Custom Code Generators......Page 24
Namespaces, Classes, and Fields......Page 27
Support Methods......Page 31
Constants......Page 35
Enums......Page 36
Properties......Page 37
Methods......Page 38
Source Code......Page 41
Summary......Page 42
Instantiating Classes......Page 43
Loading Shared Assemblies......Page 45
Examining Classes......Page 46
Methods......Page 47
Fields......Page 49
Properties......Page 51
Interfaces......Page 52
Constructors......Page 53
Events......Page 54
Building an Object Hierarchy......Page 55
Importing Control Definitions......Page 59
Decompiling Source Code......Page 66
Summary......Page 71
System.CodeDom.Compiler Namespace......Page 73
Compiling the Code......Page 75
Error Handling......Page 77
Executing the Code......Page 80
Referencing Controls on Forms......Page 82
Adding References......Page 84
Summary......Page 89
Instantiating Forms......Page 91
Wiring Events......Page 95
Loading Control Definitions......Page 97
Loading from XML......Page 98
Loading from a Table......Page 100
Connecting Event Code......Page 104
Building a Filter Screen......Page 106
Saving the User Selections......Page 107
Restoring the User Selections......Page 111
Saving Grid Settings......Page 113
Data-Driven Menus......Page 117
Application Menus......Page 118
Most Recently Used File Menu......Page 122
Dynamic Criteria Controls......Page 124
Extracting the User Selections......Page 131
Summary......Page 136
Instantiating Web Controls......Page 137
Understanding the Page Life Cycle......Page 141
Using HTML Tables......Page 147
ParseControl......Page 151
Instantiating User Controls......Page 153
Repeater Controls......Page 157
Dynamic Criteria Controls......Page 161
Extracting the User Selections......Page 166
Summary......Page 167
XAML......Page 169
Layout......Page 171
Canvas......Page 172
Grid......Page 174
StackPanel......Page 176
WrapPanel......Page 178
DockPanel......Page 180
Runtime Instantiation......Page 182
Accessing Child Controls......Page 185
Nested Controls......Page 186
XamlWriter/XamlReader......Page 189
Persisting Objects......Page 190
IsAncestorOf/IsDescendantOf......Page 191
Wiring Events......Page 193
Data-Driven .Menus......Page 194
Summary......Page 196
SQL Server Extended Properties......Page 197
Microsoft Excel......Page 203
Syncfusion’s Essential XlsIO......Page 205
SoftArtisans’ OfficeWriter for Excel......Page 208
iTextSharp......Page 211
Syncfusion’s Essential PDF......Page 214
Preset Columns......Page 216
Using the Crystal SDK......Page 219
Using RDL......Page 224
Dynamic Rdl......Page 226
Summary......Page 230
Data Storage......Page 231
Committing Data to the Database......Page 235
Structuring Inverted Data......Page 239
Extracting Inverted Data......Page 241
Converting Inverted Data to a Normalized Structure......Page 243
Mixing Normalized and Inverted Tables......Page 246
Summary......Page 249
Index......Page 251