For the current edition of this book, please see Murach"s ASP.NET 3.5 Web Programming with C# 2008 (ISBN 9781890774486). Are you trying to decide which ASP.NET 2.0 book to buy? As its title implies, this book teaches you how to develop web applications using ASP.NET 2.0. That means it teaches all the features that are new in ASP.NET 2.0, including master pages, database access using both SQL and object data sources, the new code-behind model, site navigation features, authentication using the Web Site Administration tool and login controls, profiles, themes, and web parts. But that’s just the beginning! Here are just a few of the features that set this book apart from other ASP.NET 2.0 books: #1: It gives you a 5-chapter section on database programming This is an area that’s changed dramatically from ASP.NET 1.x. So this section teaches you how to use SQL data sources and the GridView, DetailsView, and FormView controls… all new in ASP.NET 2.0 …to develop database applications with little or no C# code. Then, it teaches how to use object data sources, also new in ASP.NET 2.0, to create 3-layer applications that let you separate the presentation code from the data access code in an application. #2: It teaches you ASP.NET 2.0 development the way it should be done, using Visual Studio 2005 Today, no developer should miss out on the productivity features of Visual Studio 2005 by using limited tools like Notepad. So section 1 in this book teaches you how to use Visual Studio 2005 to design, code, and test multi-page web applications that get database data and manage session state. Then, later chapters cover time-saving VS tools like the Query Builder and the Web Site Administration Tool. #3: Complete applications show you how all the pieces interact The key to mastering ASP.NET 2.0 is to have plenty of real-world applications that guide you in using the new features you’re learning…and that help you avoid the problems that you can run into as you build complex web sites. That’s why this book gives you complete applications, including the web forms, the aspx code, and the C# code. So if you need to learn ASP.NET 2.0, we hope you"ll try this book first. We"re convinced that it will deliver the training you need in record time.