ASP.Net | Tom Wayson

Excel output from ASP

Send unformatted HTML with content type set to application/vnd.ms-excel
Increase control over formatting and file properties using XML and CSS w/in HTML.
Writng a CSV response
Using the file system object to write a text file
Office Web Components may be the “right” way, but they require a license of Office 2000 to be installed on the web server and that each client have an Office license.
4 Guys From Rolla article on using the OWC to Stream Recordset results as an Excel document.
Several ways to integrate ASP, XML, and Excel – This includes a section on using ASP to Transform an XML-Persisted ADO Recordset into an XML Spreadsheet.
Soft Artisanns Excel Writer appeaers to be the industry standard third party solution, and surprise, surprise, it costs between $500.00 and $1500.00.

I like the use the GetString method of the Recordset object in some of the above.

C# PDF Class Library

Generate your own PDF documents on the fly!

Generate your own PDF documents on the fly with the Gios Pdf.NET C# code library. I haven’t tried it, but I’m sure this comes in handy for reporting.

Charts in ASP

I’m going to need a chart tool for ASP for a project I am currently working on. A quick survey of what is available on the web yeilded the following:

I’m going to need a chart tool for ASP (classic) for a project I am currently working on. A quick survey of what is available on the web yeilded the following:

An HTML Bar Chart Class for ASP – Very lightweight, runs in classic ASP using a VBScript class, but supports bar charts only.
MS Chart Example – A client-side ActiveX chart control.
Create Snazzy Web Charts and Graphics On the Fly with the .NET Framework – MSDN suggestions.
WebChart Demo – ASP.Net – A free WebChart class library from a Microsoft developer. [source]
Dundas Chart – Seems to be the standard comercial charting solution, but it carries a sticker price of $999.00.

More recently, I found Steven C. Orr’s article on Bar Graphs to Go, which is a simple implentation of a bar chart using an ASP.Net control to render a no frills (and no overhead) HTML/CSS bar chart.

Migrating from ASP to ASP.NET

A list of migration resources from gotdotnet.com.

On the list is Migrating to ASP.NET: Key Considerations from MSDN.

Become a more efficient as an ASP.Net developer

Eight tips to make you more efficient as an ASP.NET developer by Paul Heap is a has some good tips on best practices for ASP.Net development. I’ll write more when I get a chance to try some of them out.