.Net For Online Businesses -Is It Worth It?

.Net is actually an OOP or Object Oriented Programming model that has been introduced to assist the developers specifically in creating internet-based distribution system, which is an extremely important aspect for online business. The model or platform provides a framework that is independent of platforms.

It also enables the developers to quickly design or develop, deploy as well as manage various web based applications, XML Web service applications and smart client applications. This platform independent quality or feature of .Net helps the developers in quickly building, deployment, and managing various web-based as well as smart client applications along with various XML web services applications. This platform-independence feature also enables the businesses, especially the ones that are carried out online, to quickly as well as seamlessly integrate their systems, devices, or information, thereby using the end users along with customers to collaborate as well as communicate in an effective way.

Let us discuss some of the features that make .Net an indispensable part of online business.

.Net is designed to support side-by-side execution of codes and this helps to resolve various versioning problems. This particular feature also helps in solving the issue of overwriting of shared component by letting multiple versions of a particular component that are to be installed. This implies that the .Net developers do not need to maintain a backward compatibility just because there are different applications that can use various versions of a particular shared component.

As a particular application instantiates any new component, the directory of the applications as well as the other predefined locations pertaining to the component are scanned. As soon as the component is located, all the information regarding the component is cached for use in the future. This decentralized registration of the components helps in minimizing the probability of these components interfering with one another. This also reduces the need of registering as well as unregistering the components. Therefore, .Net makes application deployment much easier and this can simply be done by copying the files into a particular directory.

When it comes to individual users who are carrying out online businesses, .Net gives them a fantastic mobile computing experience. It helps to call and integrate data and information from a wide range of computing hardware like laptops, smart phones and other devices. This helps the users to carry out online business irrespective of their location.

Besides, .Net applications can easily be installed with the use of XCOPY. Users can install the desktop applications with much ease and seamless manner by simply copying the files on respective computers from even a remote server or from any disk. Further, .Net applications are not all dependent on the Registry. That makes it easier to replicate or remove them. In order to delete the files, the user would just need to override them.

.Net code generally remains in a half compiled form or format. However, when it runs, the compiler translates all these half-complied codes into native codes though that does not take any extra time at all. In order to bring down the startup time, the 4.5 version comes up with profile optimization, which has a list or array of methods that the application engages during the startup, speeding it up by many folds.

In the nutshell, the objective of .Net is to make development of desktop and various web based applications much easier and thus it plays a central role in development of net based businesses.

Thus, when it comes to speeding up the online communication, .Net technology plays an extremely pivotal role and more and more organizations are installing this particular application to ensure seamless communication network facility, which takes the center stage so far as online business is concerned. You can get in touch with a custom .net development company who can help you develop web apps that are stable, scalable and secure.

We provide dot net application development services. If you would like to hire dot net programmers for your web development needs, please visit Mindfire Soutions.

How ASP.NET SignalR reduces Client's Waiting Period?

As a server-side software system, SignalR is used widely by ASP.NET developers to add real-time web functionality to their applications. The term real-time web functionality refers to the ability to push content from the server to connected clients as soon as the data becomes available. The functionality does not require the web server to wait till the client requests new data. Thus, ASP.NET SignalR used effectively to reduce the client’s waiting period.

Often users refresh web pages with the intention of seeing new and updated data. Each time a web page is refreshed or try to retrieve updated data by implementing long polling, the developers can use Signal R to reduce the waiting time. SignalR further makes it easier for programmers to build applications that need high frequency updates from the server, including collaborative applications, dashboards, real-time forms and real-time games.

Features that Make ASP.NET SignalR Effective in Reducing Client's Waiting Period

Selects the Best Available Transport Automatically

ASP.NET SignalR reduces the client’s waiting time by taking advantage of multiple transportations. It evaluates the best available transport of both server and client, and chooses the best one. At the same time, it also avails the benefits of WebSockets to enable bidirectional communication between the browser and server. However, SignalR relies on the HTML5 API only when it is available. If WebSockets is not available, it uses techniques to facilitate bidirectional communication. The programmers are not required to write specific or additional code to choose the best transportation.

Provides a High-Level API to Create Server-to-Client RPCs

The users can further create server-to-client remote procedure calls (RPC) by using the high-level API provided by SignalR. It uses ASP.NET code from server-side, and calls JavaScript functions in the web browser or any other platform of the client. At the same time, SignalR also allows programmers to smoothly manage connections by adding a variety of hooks, including grouping connections, authorization, and connect or disconnect events.

Facilitates Long and Consistent Polling

Normally, polling consists of making periodic connections from the client to server with the intention of checking if any relevant update to the server content. Some applications like chat programs frequently poll the server to deliver updated data to users. Some application requiring high frequency data often open a connection and keep it open. SignalR uses WebSockets to facilitate long and consistent polling. So the programmers are not required to write complex code to keep the connection open.

Pushes Data Effectively to a Variety of Clients

Often developers have to explore ways to reduce the overhead on server. Some programmers even add capabilities to the server to reduce the overhead by notifying the clients about any updates. They also use a variety of technologies to reduce the server overhead including WebSockets, long polling and Server Sent Events (SSE). But these techniques are not supported by all clients and web browsers. On the other hand, SignalR is designed as an ASP.NET library that uses the existing and available transport technologies. So it is effective in pushing data to a variety of clients including web pages, web applications and Window Phone Apps.

Helps in Building Asynchronous Applications

SignalR is used widely by programmers as a framework to create asynchronous applications. The framework makes it easier for them to build ASP.NET applications by overcoming the limitations of the response and request cycle of internet communication. They can further move to conventional one-on-one connection offered by the conventional client server architectures to push the content quickly from the web server to the client.

Despite being effective in reducing client’s waiting period, ASP.NET SignalR is simple and easy to implement. That is why; many developers rely on the efficient library to rapidly build applications that poll the server constantly to provide updated information to users. You can get in touch with a custom .net development company who can help you develop web apps that are stable, scalable and secure.

We provide .Net development services. If you would like to hire .net web developer for your web development needs, please contact us Mindfire Solutions.

What would businesses benefit by migrating to higher versions in ASP.Net?

.NET Migration is the mechanism of porting various applications that are developed in ASP/VB to .NET framework. More and more businesses are migrating to higher version of ASP.Net in recent years, more so after the introduction of newer, feature-rich .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0 as well as 3.5 versions. Now the question is whether it is worthwhile to migrate to these higher versions of ASP.Net or continuing with the earlier versions is much more fruitful from the technical as well as financial point of view.

Though the .NET framework is designed to provide a wide range of flexible environment for migration as well as porting from ASP and VB to their more advanced versions, it encompasses a considerable extent of technological issues when it comes to successful and effective implementation. In fact, migration to the higher version opens up an entire new world of possibilities for various web-based applications.

Let us discuss some of the benefits that the businesses are likely to enjoy once they migrate to the higher ASP.Net versions.

Even though the primary objective is to maintain the ASP.Net sites that already exist, a business should basically be concerned about the fact that no further service packs for Visual Studio 2003 and .NET Framework 1.1 are available on and after 14^th October, 2008, though extended support was available till 8^th October 2013. It is this that has prompted the businesses to migrate to the higher versions. More so, they have been encouraged by the fact that an increasing number of third party vendors have stopped offering supporting components that would have helped running of the lower version like .NET Framework 1.1 or Visual Studio 2003 IDE. In fact, these two apps have ceased to exist and have been pushed to oblivion.

Again, once should not ignore the tremendous technological enhancements that the .NET framework has undergone over the last few years and this is reason enough as well for the companies to migrate.

The latest cutting-edge technology that the Visual Studio 2010 IDE has come up with is a fantastic platform that provides businesses to use various languages as well as powerful third party plugins, each of which would provide a new degree of programming productivity to the businesses.

Migrating to the higher versions will provide businesses the following benefits.

• It will help businesses to fully integrate the .NET developers into the already-existing team of developers

• It will also enable the businesses to enjoy professional services from a pool of experienced .NET consultants.

• It will enable businesses to out-source as well as offshore services – an option that has always been a plus point of .NET application development.

After migrating the businesses can take the privilege of a wide range of technological superiority. Let us discuss them in short.

Superior Security and Performance

Businesses that have migrated have enjoyed much better security as well as performance

Easier and much superior Integration with external applications as well as tools

Advanced User Interface Elements

High Quality Coding

Migration to higher versions of results in much higher quality, pure C# coding, which can be designed to play the role of the best and the most wide accepted launching point for all the future business centric needs and requirements of the application.

In short, migration to higher version involves the following benefits:

• New Functionality - XML Web Services, Web based forms

• Fully incorporated Support for Debugging– Tracing

• Cleaner Coding Model that is based on the Code Behind concept

• Improved Performance as well as Scalability – compiled language support, improved caching

• Simpler Configuration along with Faster Development

• More Intelligent Web Controls

However, to ensure a successful and effective migration, certain processes need to be followed. Several process groups that the process of migration can be divided into the following phases:

1. Evaluation Process
2. Automatic Conversion
3. Manual Changes
4. Functional Equivalence
5. Customized Evolution

We provide .net web development service. If you would like to .net developers for your web development needs, please contact us Mindfire Solutions.

How can You Leverage the Power of ASP.Net MVC Platform?

As a lightweight and highly testable web application development framework, ASP.Net MVC is used by developers across the world to create robust applications by implementing the model–view–controller (MVC) pattern. The open source framework further allows developers to avail existing ASP.NET features. It uses interface-based contracts to combine models, views, and controllers seamlessly.

Thus, it becomes easier for software QA professionals to test each component independently. The recently released ASP.NET MVC 5.1 also comes with a set of enhanced features to complement the current trends in web application development. Also, you can avail certain features to leverage the power of the latest version of ASP.Net MVC platform.

5 Techniques to Leverage the Power of ASP.Net MVC Platform

1) ASP.Net MVC Scaffolding

Like other MVC frameworks, ASP.Net MVC also allows you to use scaffolding technology to generate code for you database quickly. In addition to generating code for basic database operations like create, read, update and delete (CRUD), you can further use scaffolding to customize and modify the auto-generated code. Scaffolding allows you to create functional data-driven websites rapidly by using several Scaffold templates like page templates, filter templates, field page templates and entity page templates. You can use these templates to generate code basic CRUD operations within the ASP.NET MVC framework.

2) AJAX Helpers

ASP.Net MVC further allows developers to create AJAX enabled elements through AJAX Helpers. You can use the extension methods of AJAXHelper class to create AJAX enabled forms and links. The framework also supports unobtrusive AJAX. So you can use the helper method to define custom AJAX features through different configuration options. At the same time, the properties defined by AjaxOptions class can be used to specify callbacks for various stages of AJAX request life cycle.

3) HTML Helpers

HTML Helper can be defined as a method that returns HTML string. You can use the TML string to represent a variety of content according to your specific needs. For example, the method can also be used to render <img>, <input>, <button> and other standard HTML tags. You also have option to use several types of HTML helpers including inline, built-in, and template HTML helpers. Also, you can render more complex content by creating customized HTML Helpers. For instance, you can create custom HTML Helper to display the data retrieved from database in a tabular format, or render a menu strip.

4) TempData

While using ASP.Net MVC, you have option to pass data from the current request to subsequent request through TempData. The option will make it easier for you to pass data while redirecting from one page to another. However, the lifespan of the option is short, and it will expire once target view is loaded fully. So you have to call the Keep() method to persist data in TempData. The Keep method, however, needs to be called within the current action to keep the value in TempData even after the request is completed.

5) ASP.Net MVC Filters

Often developers have to put extra effort to inject a logic or piece of code before or after executing an action. ASP.NeT MVC makes the process simpler for programmers by allowing them to use custom attributes. The ASP.Net MVC attribute or custom attribute contains the logic or code by implementing filter interface. While developing web application with ASP.Net MVC, you have option to use filters for custom authorization, custom authentication, error handling, data compression and data caching. Based on the requirements of the application, you have option to choose from several types of filters including authentication, authorization, action, result, and exception filters.

It is always important for a developer to decide if ASP.Net MVC is the best option to develop a specific internet application. So you must compare the features of ASP.NET MVC 5.1 according to specific needs of the web application development project to leverage its power more effectively. You can get in touch with a custom .net development company who can help you develop web apps that are stable, scalable and secure.

We provide asp.net web development service. If you would like to hire dot net developers for your web development needs, please contact us Mindfire Solutions.

Applications in ASP.Net and WCF - Some Differences

There is a lot to be discussed about the difference between ASP.Net and WCF or Windows Communication Foundation.

What ASP. NET Web API is

First of all, let us know what actually ASP. NET Web API is. It is actually a framework that utilizes HTTP services and in the process, makes it easier to respond to the requests raised by the clients. The response provided depends upon the type or nature of the requests. The main function of the Web API is to build the HTTP services, along with handling the requests by using various HTTP driven protocols. Hence, it can well be said that ASP. NET Web API is an HTTP service that uses typical HTTP applications and is designed to reach a wider spectrum of clients having a wide range of requirements.

ASP.Net Web based API is used to create RESTful or Representational State Transfer services. Some of the salient features of the ASP.Net Web API are discussed below.

• It supports various features of MVC applications
• It is a typical REST services platform
• It is a HTTP service creating framework
• It comes up with API MediaType Formatter that can format the responses into JSON or JavaScript Object Notation as well as XML or Extencible Markup Language.

Choosing between WCF and Web API

Web API

• For creating a service with all HTTP features, you need to choose Web API. Some of these features include request headers and response headers, versioning, URIs and the likes.
• Choosing API becomes imperative when there is need for exposing HTTP services to a wider spectrum of clients through mobiles, iPhones, browsers and so on.

WCF

• WCF is generally chosen when creating any service that would support one-way messaging, duplex communication, message queues and so on.
• It is also chosen for creating services that utilizes a quick transport channel like UDP, TCP, named pipe criteria etc.

Choosing Web API over ACF or the other way round

Interoperability Of The Clients

RESTful services and particularly API, mainly put emphasis on simplicity. Applications that can access websites as well as RESTful services by using HTTP calls. This may differ from the SOAP, where clients need to understand the web service by using similar HTTP calls. This is different from the SOAP where clients need to understand the web service with the utilization of WSDL file. WSDL configuration makes things to some extent complicated and needs some additional logic that a lot of devices might not come up with. These devices include phones, interactive TVs and so on.

In short, let us discuss the features of the two frameworks so that the readers have a thorough idea.

WCF

• The ServiceContract as well as OperationContract attributes are generally utilized to define the WCF service

• It Supports a number of protocols such as Named Pipes, TCP, HTTP, MSMQ, HTTPS, and TCP

• Hosted by IIS, Windows Activation Service or WAS, Self-hosting, as well as Windows Service

• Supports fast as well as reliable messaging security, absolutely safe, quick and foolproof transaction along with AJAX and REST support.

• Supports DataContract serializer with the use of System.Runtime.Serialization

• Supports Request-Response, One-Way, as well as Duplex service operations

• WCF is much faster than the Web Services

• There is the option of serializing the Hash Table.

•  Unhandled Exceptions do not get back to the clients as in SOAP faults. WCF supports a better handling of exceptions with the use of FaultContract.

• Supports XML, MTOM, as well as Binary encoding of messages.

• Supports multi-threading with the use of ServiceBehaviour class

ASP.NET Web Service

• WebService as well as WebMethod attributes is used to define a web service.

• Supports only HTTP and HTTPS protocols.

• Hosted solely in IIS.

• Support security but it is considered less safe than the WCF.

• Supports serializer of XML with the use of System.Xml.Serialization

• Supports One-Way as well as operations of Request-Response service.

• Web Services are much lower than the WCF in terms of speed

• One cannot serialize Hash Table. It can be done with only those selective collections that implement IEnumerable as well as ICollection.

• Unhandled Exceptions are returned as SOAP faults to the clients.

• Supports XML as well as Message Transmission Optimization Mechanism or MTOM message encoding.

• Does not support multi-threading

You can get in touch with a .net development company who can help you develop web apps that are stable, scalable and secure.

We provide .net application development services. If you would like to hire dot net programmers for your development needs, please contact us Mindfire Solutions.

New Features In ASP.NET 4.5 Webforms

The new version 4.5 of ASP.NET Web Forms has come up with a string of latest value-added features that are specifically designed as well as developed for superior user experience, that come in handy at the time of working with huge databases.

In all the earlier versions of ASP.NET, the users had to use various expressions like Bind() and Eval() while using data-binding for deriving the object member value. However, in case of the latest version, the users will be able to declare the type or class of the control-bound data with the use of the new ItemType property. Once this property is set, the user will be able to use a strong variable for receiving the benefits that Visual Studio features. Some of the benefits include effective member navigation, IntelliSense, compilation-time checking option and so on.

The latest data-bound controlling features also help the users to specify customized methods that may be used to select, update, modify, delete, or insert data, and to simplify the interactions between application logics and page controls. Besides, the latest version also comes up with a latest model binding feature that helps users to map the data directly from the page into the method parameters.

Validation of user input has become much easier in the latest version which helps users to annotate the customized model classes with various attributes of validation from the System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations namespace.

The new 4.5 version of the web form also integrates jQuery with the client end validation and that provides a much cleaner as well as more composite client-end codes along with the standard features of JavaScript.

Besides, with the introduction of the new version the area that is designated for requesting validation has seen certain improvements. These new features make it much easier for the users to deactivate the request validations selectively, for certain definite parts of the application. Also, going through the request data that have been invalidated, becomes much easier in the newer version.

The server controls of the new version of the Web Form have undergone significant facelift specifically with a view to take maximum advantage provided by the new HTML5 features.

TextMode Property

TextMode Property of the TextBox control has gone through a major modification for supporting the input types like datetime, email etc that HTML5 features.

FileUpload Control

FileUpload Control of the new version can now support upload of multiple files simultaneously from the browsers that support this unique feature of HTML5.

Improved Validator Controls

Improved Validator Controls of the newer version support validation of the input elements that HTML5 comes up with.

UpdatePanel control

The new UpdatePanel control is specifically designed for supporting posting of the input fields that are customary with HTML5.

Client Side JavaScript APIs

The new version also comes up with the client side JavaScript APIs that can be used for initiating connections, sending and receiving messages to and from the server.

Server Side APIs

ASP.NET 4.5 provides improved APIs that the users can easily use for writing codes that specifically accept the WebSocket request from the clients and upgrade HTTP for receiving WebSocket requests.

Improved features of Request Validation

Request Validation is one of the most significant features that have been incorporated in the new version. The new feature examines all the incoming requests to ensure whether they contain harmful contents or not.

Improved Pocket

The latest avatar comes up with an improved pocket that has two features – Deferred Request Validation and ValidateRequestMode property.

Other features that the latest ASP.NET comes up with include Text Box TextMode properties, that supports increased number of values like datetime and email, and huge number of HTML5 controls that support runat=”server” attribute for supporting the “~” sign when it specifies a particular URL.

Also there is an improved File upload control that supports uploading multiple files. You can get in touch with a custom .net development company who can help you with your .Net software projects.

We provide .net development services. If you would like to hire .net developers for your development needs, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.

Creating Web API's and mobile sites with .Net

The ASP.NET Web API framework makes building of HTTP very easy; the services will be able to reach a huge assortment of clients, including both on mobile devices as well as browsers. WebAPI content negotiation ensures data return according to client requests. For example, if the client request is to return data as XML or JSOB, the request type is dealt with the framework, returning the appropriate data according to the media type. This platform is ideal for the building of pure services that are HTTP based. Here HTTP protocol is maintained for the request as well as response. GET, DELETE, PUT and POST request can be made by the client and the appropriate Web API response can be got.

Just serving webpages is not what HTTP is for. The powerful platform also helps in the building up of APIs which expose data as well as services. HTTP is ubiquitous, simple and flexible. Almost all platforms have HTTP libraries so a wide range of clients can be reached through HTTP services, including conventional desktop applications, browsers as well as mobile devices.

ASP.NET WebAPI can be used for the creation of web API which returns a product list. For display of results, jQuery is used by front-end web page. The Visual Studio should be started and New Project selected from Start page. Alternatively, you can also select New from File menu and then choose Project. Go to Templates pane to choose Installed Templates to expand Visual C# node under which Web should be selected. Choose ASP.NET Web Application in the project templates list. The project should then be named “ProductsApp” and then clicked OK. There will be a dialog box named New ASP.NET development Project in which the Empty template should be selected. Check WebAPI under “Add folders and core references for”. Then click OK. The WebAPI template can also be used for the creation of API project.

There is no substantial difference between developing web pages for desktop browsers and that for mobile device browsers. For the creation of apps for mobile devices, a System.Web.Mobile namespace is provided by .NET which is devoted particularly for mobile app development. Webpage may be created from the base class called MobilePage and then controls may be added from System.Web.Mobile namespace which determines a suite of web server adapters and controls that turn out to be extremely useful during the creation of applications. The apps then should be made available to many various mobile devices like cell phones.

Control adaptive architecture is also provided by .NET, which allows the creation of custom device adapters for web server controls. Custom rendering can be created by the adapters for controls, supported by requesting browser. Adaptive architecture helps in the creation of custom adapters for server controls so specific output can be rendered to particular devices accessing the application on browsers. Standard, event-driven model is followed by development so that the application can respond to button clicks, user requests, etc and this is standard for both mobile devices as well as desktop browsers.

Even existing websites can be embedded with some changes to transform it to a more user-friendly version for mobile devices so that the content can fit the tiny screen, boasting of an efficient as well as clean design. All you need is Mobile browser emulator. However, in case of complex applications, it is best to create different user interfaces that have different flows of UI.

The creation of both web APIs as well as mobile sites are easy processes by virtue of .NET. This free framework not only offers ease of development but is extremely versatile, making it a preferred choice amongst developers.

We provide .net application development services. If you would like to hire dot net developers for your development needs, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.