Programming Data-Driven Web Applications with ASP.NET

IN THIS CHAPTER

• What Is a Template?

• DataGrid .NET Server Control

• DataList .NET Server Control

• Repeater .NET Server Control

• Summary

Up to this point you've seen how to retrieve data from multiple data stores and how to bind different server controls to that data. Though useful and efficient, the pages you've created thus far have been quite plain and your control on how the page is rendered has been limited to the default rendering of that particular control. In this chapter you will learn how to make your pages look exquisite using templates. Not all server controls support the use of templates. We will be demonstrating the three intrinsic server controls that do inherently support templates ”the DataGrid , DataList , and Repeater controls.

In this chapter we will cover the following:

• What a template is

• DataGrid column controls

• How to use templates with the DataGrid

• How to use templates with the DataList

• How to use templates with the Repeater