Wanting to Learn ASP.net...which language should I use?

[Sunday Ironfoot]

I want to learn to build dynamic data driven websites with ASP.net, however as far as I understand there are a number of different programming languages you can use with ASP.net, namely Visual Basic.net and Visual C#.net. My question is which one should I use? What's the advantages/disadvantages of each one etc?

I've been using ASP 3.0 which uses VBScript so my natural choice would seem to be VB.net given the similarites between them, however would there be any advantages in taking the plunge and learning C#.net? Many thanks!

[rock]

The beauty of .NET is that is really doesn't matter. There are only minor differences between using C# or VB.NET or even J#. For example, it's still easier to do COM things with VB.NET because the ComClassAttribute is part of the VB.NET namespace. The only real extra power comes in if you're using Managed Extensions for C++ (but that power is only realizeable if you're a solide C++ programmer).

But with regards to the code-behind for ASP.NET solutions, it really doesn't matter. If you're more comfortable with VB-style syntax, then stick with VB.NET. No need to make the learning curve steeper.

[Sunday Ironfoot]

OK, thanks that helps me alot Looks like I'll just stick with VB.net.

One other thing, could anyone recommend a decent book to get me started? I've used Wrox Beginning Active Server Pages 3.0 before, so would Wrox's Beggining ASP.net with VB.net 1.1 be a good place to start? I prefer books that I can work through chapter by chapter with various 'try-it outs' and excercises to do along the way. Cheers!

[Doomah]

I have Wrox "Beginning ASP.NET 1.1 with VB.NET 2003".

PROS:
-Starts slowly, very easy to pick up and start learning.

-Plenty of examples and sample code to play with.

-A good deal of "misc" stuff in there, database stuff, web services, security ..


CONS:
-LOTS of typos/unintentional errors. The book will try to explain one thing, but in the code, it just doesn't happen. These are pretty easy to find and figure out though. A little programming background should help point these things out no problem.

-The title is ASP.NET with VB.NET, in essence, it teaches you VB.NET along side of ASP.NET. I already knew a bit of VB.NET, so I skipped quite a bit of that stuff. One of the longest chapters in there is about objects and VB.NET.

-It uses Web Matrix. Web Matrix is good for practice, but Visual Studio is pretty standard, and although they do have an appendix to help set up Studio with ASP.NET, it would be nice if they focused more on that. It's not hard to port over anyway, but it's just a personal gripe.


Before you buy it, see if you can go to a bookstore and take a peek through it. If you already know VB.NET pretty well, then you might want to look elsewhere for a book that hits solely on ASP.NET. But, I got it pretty cheap, and a little VB.NET refresh isn't bad.

[Sunday Ironfoot]

Thanks for that detailed answer Doomah, looks like this may be a good book to get...I've heard a few people mention the errors and typos in that book, hopefully it won't cause too much of a problem, and I could do with a VB.net refresher since I haven't used it in a while now, thanks!

[Sunday Ironfoot]

Just one other question, what is WebMatrix? Is it just a glorified text editor, are you simply typing your ASP.net/html code into notepad and then running it on IIS web server (like with ASP 3.0) with .net framework installed? Or is Web Matrix more than that?

[Doomah]

Originally posted by Sunday Ironfoot
Just one other question, what is WebMatrix? Is it just a glorified text editor, are you simply typing your ASP.net/html code into notepad and then running it on IIS web server (like with ASP 3.0) with .net framework installed? Or is Web Matrix more than that?

Basically it's an ASP.NET ... mini web server, that you can use to write ASP.NET/html with on the spot. You can simply install it, then put in your code into the editor, then run, and it runs. It isn't a REAL server though, it's basically for local use only. Easy to use, pretty hassle free. The code editor is a little less than elegant though (no intellisense/autocomplete arghh! ), a reason why I prefer Visual Studio.

Of course, once you start to know your ASP.NET, you could set up IIS and do it that way as well. IIRC the book has an index about running with IIS too.