.NET for Domino Developers: The Basics

In order to start this series out properly there needs to be some post about 'the basics'. A lot of the basic knowledge and skills you need to get started will fall into one of two categories - it's either stuff which has been covered elsewhere extensively already, or it's knowledge which is best learned by a bit of experimentation. Everyone is different in their approach to a new technology - you might say that everyone will write a slightly different HelloWorld application. I'm not going to spend a lot of time on the basics, but here are a few things which are good starting points if you're new to the world of ASP.NET:

• Download and install Visual Studio, and some sort of database server - SQL Server Express is a good choice, as it comes with Visual Studio, however you could also use a full version of SQL Server if you were really keen, or even something like MySql.
• Learn a bit about the concept of 3 tired development. You don't need to stick to these concepts when you're starting out, but you should be aware of the different layers and what they should ideally contain. It'll also make your life a lot easier if you go on to work in an environment where it is followed (most large corporate shops). It'll give you more opportunities to take advantage of good OO benefits.

• Learn a bit about C# coding standards and syntax. C# Coding Standards v1.13 is a good read. It talks about standards and conventions, and in doing so tells you some useful things about coding in C#.

• Finally, and most importantly, make a basic Hello world application . Create a form, add a label. Create a database or use Northwind. Try and establish communication with your database, and display some resulting data on the screen. Sounds simple, and for most it will be, but no doubt it'll expose you to some gotchas and force you to learn a few things along the way.

That's all I'm going to write on the Basics. There are others out there who have written a lot more on the basics which should help to get you started, so here's a selection of links:

Link: Crossed Connections: .NET for Domino Developers Part 1
Link: Crossed Connections: My Portal Project
Link: Ferdy Christant: HelloWorld in .Net
Link: Merauderweb: From Domino to .NET, a Developers tale (Part 1)
Link: Merauderweb: From Domino to .NET, a Developers tale (Part 2)
Link: .NET and Domino coexistence
Link: Proposion N2N - .NET to Lotus Notes Integration
Link: Interoptips.com

 Print | Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 2:00 PM |