NGWS SDK Documentation  

This is preliminary documentation and subject to change.
To comment on this topic, please send us email at ngwssdk@microsoft.com. Thanks!

When to Use Custom Web Forms Controls

Adding Custom Functionality to a Web Application

Although the controls provided with ASP+ provide a broad range of functionality, you will eventually want to add features to a Web site that are not readily accomplished using the resources available out of the box. Using the ASP+ Web Forms framework, you can create new controls or modify and extend existing controls. You can write your own control in any language supported by the NGWS runtime, compile it to an assembly, deploy it on a Web server, and use it in your ASP+ pages.

Partitioning an Application Into Code and Content

With ASP+, it is no longer necessary to mix literal HTML and executable code together on the same page. Web page developers and programmers can now work independently on their respective pieces of a Web application.

Creating Reusable Code

Web Forms controls can be designed to be completely self-contained so that a page developer can simply drop an HTML tag onto one or more pages to gain the functionality provided by a single control.

Simplifying the Application Programming Model

Using the ASP+ programming model, Web pages can be developed in a much more intuitive way than in traditional Web applications. With functionality encapsulated in a custom control, page developers can use that functionality by setting control properties and responding to events. The Slideshow control example presented in Building a SlideShow Control is a good example of a self-contained control that handles all user interaction, visual display, and program logic.