Book Review: Beginning ASP.NET 2.0 E-Commerce in C#
Beginning ASP.NET 2.0 E-Commerce in C# 2005 was money well spent. It is an excellent step-by-step tutorial of building an online store. It's just packed with ASP.NET, C# and SQL Server programming tips. I bookmarked many as I was building my web site and now I find myself turning back to it to implement these goodies.
The authors have outdone themselves. I own the 2002 Wrox version as well so I can tell you that ASP.NET 2.0 E-Commerce in C# 2005 has been completely updated! It is a fantastic tutorial for anyone new to ASP.NET and the best reference for more experienced programmers who may be new to e-commerce. The authors will walk you through (in detail) the creation of a fully functional online store.
One nice feature is that the authors don't assume anything. They thoughtfully explain each plase of the store's construction as the book progresses. What, you're in a hurry? No problem. The first few chapters are enough to get a basic store up and running. Subsequent chapters continue to build onto this existing solution. So you can get started fast and then add on features as you learn or have time.
I also find this book to be a valuable reference to more experienced programmers because it is chock full of developer tips. There is a great example of building a key word search, and search ranking system with SQL Server. The authors touch on error handling and how to show custom error messages in a way that anyone will find helpful. Other handy tips include:
- Real-word examples of how to use SQL OUTPUT parameters.
- How to send automatic email alerts when the application encounters an error.
- How to use C# static classes to cache information and improve performance.
- How to build an order pipeline!
The information on using PayPal's payment gateway, PayPal API and credit card processing is worth the cover price alone. There are five chapters on how to wire up your own order processing system. There's even a whole chapter devoted to integrating your ASP.NET web site with Amazon's web services.
I highly recommend this book for anyone new to ASP.NET or new to e-commerce. It's hands down one of the most thorough ASP.NET books I've ever read. I can also recommend it to more experienced programmers who are looking for a good e-commerce reference. Don't let the title fool. It's a great tool for anyone who wants to make money using ASP.NET. I cannot say enough good things about it so I'll close with the table of contents.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Starting an E-Commerce Site
- Laying Out the Foundation
- Creating the Product Catalog: Part I
- Creating the Product Catalog: Part II
- Searching the Catalog
- Improving Performance
- Receiving Payments Using PayPal
- Catalog Administration
- Creating a Custom Shopping Card
- Dealing with Custom Orders
- Making Product Recommendations
- Adding Customer Accounts
- Advanced Customer Orders
- Order Pipeline
- Implementing the Pipeline
- Credit Card Transactions
- Integrating with Amazon
A: Installing the Software
B: Project Management Considerations
ps. Did you know ASP.NET is free? It is. http://www.asp.net/ has the framework, developer tools, tutorials and fully functional starter kit goodness.