"Expert ASP.NET 2.0 Advanced Application Design" will help you derive maximum performance and reliability from the distributed applications you create with ASP.NET 2.0.

The book first looks at some of the non-functional requirements that impact the design of a distributed application. It then relates them to the servers and services available in the .NET 2.0 Framework. ASP.NET 2.0 is the central process for use in distributed .NET applications, and the book closely examines the ASP.NET 2.0 Framework and its hosting environment, Internet Information Server (IIS). The book looks at how ASP.NET 2.0 is used by different packages within .NET (like Web Services), and explores how it can be extended to meet your own custom requirements.

The second part of the book drills down and examines some of the common architectural challenges encountered when developing application designs. The book walks through the tiers of the .NET Framework, starting at the client level and exploring the internals of the page type, enhancements to ViewState, client script generation, and new out-of-band callbacks. At the middle tier, the book examines Web Services, Remoting, COM+, MSMQ, and mix and match communication options to suit your own requirements. This section wraps up by previewing Windows Communication Foundation, which aims to unify these technologies.

The third part of the book examines the data layer of your distributed applications. This includes enhancements to the Managed Providers in 2.0, the new transactional model, and a preview of usage guidelines for SQL Server 2005. By the books conclusion, you will be able to select with confidence the most appropriate design elements for yourpurposes, elegantly connecting them, and ensuring you get the very best from the ASP.NET 2.0 Framework.

* This book surveys the different technologies and servers that are available for you to use with ASP.NET and maps the "Quality Attributes" of Application Architecture for these different servers. * The author has been using ASP.NET since the technology preview of the .NET 1.0 Framework. He has put scores of ASP.NET applications into production for large enterprise companies and universities. * This book is written with today's technology, with an eye on the future.

Pro Expression Blend 4 is for .NET developers and graphical artists who want to learn the ins and outs of the Expression Blend integrated development environment. You may know already that this tool can be used to build Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Silverlight, and Windows Phone 7 applications; however, this book will take you well beyond the basics and provide you with a detailed examination of key Blend topics, including workspace customization, graphics, layout, styles, themes, data binding, and the use of SketchFlow, giving you an excellent understanding of the Blend product and what it can do for you.Over the course of these eight chapters, you will learn numerous techniques to simplify the authoring of XAML using Blend. These include: Transforming a vector graphic into a custom control template with a few clicks of the mouse Generating complex animations using an integrated timeline editor Visually designing interactive data templates Creating prototypes (via SketchFlow) that can be transformed into production-level code

Throughout Pro Expression Blend 4, you'll work with both Blend and .NET code to finalize fully-functional projects that will provide both valuable insights and a sound foundation for your future WPF and Silverlight projects. Each chapter will give you ample opportunity to build .NET software using Blend. However, this is not a programming book, per se. While some examples will require a manageable amount of C# code, this book is squarely focused on helping you gain mastery over the numerous tools, editors, designers, and wizards of the Microsoft Expression Blend IDE. What you'll learn Transforming a vector graphic into a custom control template with a few clicks of the mouse Generating complex animations using an integrated timeline editor Visually designing interactive data templates Creating prototypes (via SketchFlow) that can be transformed into production-level code Who this book is for

Pro Expression Blend 4 is for .NET developers, and graphical artists, who want to learn the ins-and-outs of Expression Blend. Table of Contents Learning the Core Blend IDE Vector Graphics and Object Resources The Animation Editor Controls, Layouts, and Behaviors Styles, Templates, and UserControls Blend Data Binding Techniques Designing for Windows Phone 7 Prototyping with SketchFlow

"COM and .NET Interoperability" provides a complete overview of the process of building .NET applications that interact (interoperate) with existing COM code. Before digging into that critical topic, author Andrew Troelsen offers a concise overview of the COM architecture and provides examples using various COM frameworks (C++, ATL, and VB 6.0) as well as the core .NET managed languages (C# and VB .NET).

After covering the preliminaries, the book explores numerous issues that arise in interoperability, including interacting with the Win32 API, dynamically generating source code via System.CodeDOM, creating serviced (COM+) components using managed code, manually editing (and recompiling) .NET metadata, and the process of constructing custom COM/.NET conversion utilities. Both intermediate and advanced developers will welcome the practical information they need to quickly work with COM and COM+ in .NET applications, and learn how to create .NET components that are COM compatible.

Whether you're moving to .NET for the first time, or you're already writing applications on .NET 2.0 or .NET 3.0, Pro VB 2008 and the .NET 3.5 Platform will provide you with a solid grounding in this technology and serve as a comprehensive reference throughout your coding career: Explore five new chapters of content including the grammar of the common intermediate language (CIL), .NET generics, and object serialization services. Discover all the new .NET 3.5 features nullable types, delegate covariance, ASP.NET 2.0 master pages, the new Windows Forms Strip controls, and much more. Get a professional foothold targeted to appeal to experienced software professionals and/or graduate students of computer science (so don't expect three chapters on iteration or decision constructs ). Gain a rocksolid foundation in programming using Visual Basic. Get comfortable with all the core aspects of the .NET platform including assemblies, remoting, Windows Forms, Web Forms, ADO.NET, XML web services, and much more.

Once you've digested the information contained in the 25 chapters of this 1000+ page book, you'll be ready to apply this knowledge to your specific programming assignments and well equipped to explore the .NET universe on your own. What you'll learn Everything you need to put .NET 3.5 and Visual Basic 2008 to use in your professional workbefore anyone else Insights and techniques from the author's experience since .NET 1.0 Complete coverage of .NET 3.5WPF, WCF and WF Who this book is for

Anyone with some software development experience interested in the new .NET 3.5 platform and the Visual Basic language. Whether you're moving to .NET for the first time or you're already writing applications on .NET 2.0 or .NET 3.0, this book will provide you with a solid grounding in this new technology and serve as a comprehensive reference throughout your coding career.