Member Avatar for DevDevil

Hopefully I will be welcomed to this discussion. I'm a little intemidated by cscgirl... not really. I'm relatively new to .NET, but I've been developing for about 5 years. I don't have any major projects under my belt that haven't been destroyed by new webmasters. I'm realizing that .NET is very different from ASP. Kind of the same, but different. I have a potential project to start in the near future that I could just use the same old ASP that I've been using but I really think it would be better in ASP.NET. It has the possibility of being a very lucrative deal so I want to do it right. I have been using Visual Studio .NET for about 1.5 years, but only recently started looking at this new stuff. I'm still having trouble with things like connecting to my SQL Server, and I need to create a very strong login form, and then retrieve data as well as create new records, and update existing ones. All this is second nature to me in ASP, but I'm not wanting to go that route. I also need to be able to output a report into a word.doc, or a pdf. How hard is this in ASP.NET? If I get the gig I would be willing to pay someone(a lot) to help me do it right as long as I get to learn while it's being developed. It would help if there was someone in Houston. I'm actually trying to build a sample app to present to the client right now, and I've got a headache. Is there a good source of code samples that I could get started with that shows conn strings, inserts, updates, deletes, etc...? Once I see things working I pick up quickly.

  • 3 Contributors
  • 2 Replies
  • 196 Views
  • 2 Weeks Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by Tekmaven

Dani AI

Generated

A concise, practical plan to get a working ASP.NET proof-of-concept (authentication, CRUD, one export) quickly, and with maintainability in mind. As suggests, studying a starter kit helps reveal patterns; and as cautions, some PDF libraries can be fiddly—start with the smallest working export first (Word/HTML), then add PDF once the data flow is solid.

Keep layers simple and explicit: UI (ASP.NET pages), business logic, and a small data-access layer. Store the connection string in configuration (not hard-coded). Use parameterized ADO.NET calls and dispose connections with using blocks to avoid leaks. Example safe pattern:

using System.Data.SqlClient;

string connStr = "Data Source=SERVER;Initial Catalog=MyDb;Integrated Security=True;";

using (SqlConnection cn = new SqlConnection(connStr))
{
    cn.Open();
    using (SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand(
        "INSERT INTO Users(UserName,PasswordHash) VALUES(@u,@p)", cn))
    {
        cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@u", userName);
        cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@p", passwordHash);
        cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();
    }
}

For login/security: enforce HTTPS, never store plaintext passwords, use a slow hash with a per-user salt (PBKDF2/BCrypt/Argon2 where available), validate inputs server-side, and implement account lockout or throttling. Prefer framework authentication where possible so common tasks (cookie handling, redirects, timeout) are handled correctly.

For exports: quick wins come from generating semantic HTML and serving it as a Word document for clients who accept that. For PDF, pick a mature library or reporting engine once layout needs are clear—expect extra time for pagination and fonts. Troubleshooting tips for SQL connectivity: verify instance name and auth mode, confirm SQL Server service and remote connections, test the same credentials from a DB client, check firewall/port, and enable detailed exceptions/logging while developing. When bringing in external help, prefer short paired sessions so the code is production-ready and the original developer learns the patterns.

Recommended Answers

All 2 Replies

Member Avatar for Tekmaven

The free pdf library, in my opinion, is not for beginers. All I do is .NET work, and I would say I'm good at it... and I had to really look at their source to see what the heck they were talking about sometimes.

If you do use it, just remember, the size units are in Picas.. that took me a week to figure out LOL.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.