Data Binding with Windows Forms 2.0

Programming Smart Client Data Applications with .NET 2.0

by Brian Noyes

Purchase from Addison Wesley Book Page

Data binding is a critical part of any rich data application if you care about productivity in developing your application. When you use data binding, you hook up user interface controls to data sources and let the controls take care of rendering the content. Data bound controls can also allow the user to interact with the data and make changes to it, and can take care of pushing those changes back into the underlying data source.

Data Binding with Windows Forms 2.0 covers everything you need to know to build data bound user interfaces using Visual Studio 2005 and .NET 2.0. Data binding has been around in .NET since version 1.0, but significant improvements and new capabilities have been introduced in .NET 2.0 and Visual Studio 2005.

This book covers the following topics:

• Data bound application architecture
• Typed DataSet design
• Creating data access layers with table adapters
• Using BindingSource components to decouple bound controls from data sources while supporting rich, synchronized data binding scenarios
• Simple and complex data binding of DataGridView, ComboBox, ListBox, TextBox, Label, PictureBox, DateTimePicker, and other controls
• Comprehensive coverage of the new DataGridView control
• Data binding interfaces
• Building custom data bound controls
• Building custom objects and collections for data binding
• Error handling and validation

 

You can download the sample code here:  Sample Code

 

 

You can download the book errata here:  Errata

 

 

Purchase from Amazon.com!!

 

 

If you want to run the samples on a machine that does not have a default installation of SQL Server 2000 or 2005 with the Northwind database installed, or if you are using the Express versions of Visual C# 2005 or Visual Basic 2005, download this document to learn how to configure your environment and modify the samples to run.

 

SQL Server 2005 Sample Database Scripts

SQL Server 2005 Express Sample Database Scripts

Testimonials:

“Brian Noyes’ writing style easily captures your attention as he elaborates on all aspects of data binding in his book. He has a refreshingly clear and crisp delivery as he starts each chapter with a simple tour of each topic, and then leads you into practical concerns for sound practices and extensibility opportunities. Most importantly, as Brian explains approaches to data-binding architecture, patterns of usage, the value of data sets, binding controls and the rest, he always describes how he reaches his recommendations on the topic. This book is perfect for newcomers to .NET 2.0, but also for those that have some experience. Anyone who cares about data in their applications (okay, that should be almost everyone) is guaranteed to learn something new and useful by reading Brian’s book.”
—Michele Leroux Bustamante, IDesign chief architect, Microsoft regional director, and MVP

“Brian has saved me a lot of time. I’m writing The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server 2005 (7th Edition) and I’m not going to have to cover data binding nearly as deeply because Brian has done it for me. His book gets right to the meat of the subject and makes data binding look easy. I was also pleased to see that the book focuses on the misunderstood and under-applied Windows Forms architecture. It’s a must-read for anyone trying to make their application more interactive and to leverage the new Visual Studio 2005 technology. I’m planning to point my readers to this resource when they need an in-depth treatment of data binding.”
—William Vaughn, president, Beta V Corporation

“Data binding has finally come of age in Windows applications. Back in the Visual Studio 6.0 days, I ignored data binding completely and wrote my own repetitive code to encapsulate my business logic. With Visual Studio 2005, we finally have a robust and compelling data-binding technology. To ignore it today would make you inefficient and put you behind the curve. Brian delivers a clear and concise discussion of a core topic of development for Windows today. A combination of an easy-to-follow conversational yet technical tone, excellent examples, and solid explanations make this a must-read for any developer writing for Windows or learning to write for Windows.”
—Stephen Forte, chief technical officer, Corzen Inc.

“This book provides a clear, readable, and in-depth treatment of data binding, with detailed discussions of best practices in the presentation and use of data. Brian communicates his knowledge on the mechanics of data binding to give the low-level understanding that makes all the difference when building sophisticated applications and troubleshooting difficult problems. Effective data binding can enormously reduce the amount of code in your applications and will allow new levels of sophistication in your development. Read this book.”
—Jonathan Cogley, chief executive officer, Thycotic, ASPInsider, and C# MVP

“The .NET Framework 2.0, Visual Studio .NET 2005, and Windows Forms 2.0 incorporate the most powerful data-binding platform yet, and absolutely need a book like this to expose it. Brian’s extensive data-binding knowledge and experience shine through as he comprehensively explores its many facets, starting with the fundamentals before tackling a wide variety of real-world scenarios. I’ve always thought a data-binding book was necessary, and I’m glad Brian found the time to write his.”
—Michael Weinhardt, freelance author and application developer

“Data Binding with Windows Forms 2.0 earns a gold star and a prized place in my development book library. Brian is an exceptional teacher of technology, best practices, and technique. He continues to educate at every presentation I attend; his book carries that quality to paper. I found this book to be highly informative and full of all the important steps and examples necessary to learn this technology. In this book, Brian demonstrates a firm grasp on the concepts and I really enjoy his efforts to promote best practices at every chance. Definitively a cover-to-cover read.”
—Randy Hayes, president, Expert Network Solutions, Inc.

“Brian’s direct and well-organized presentation makes this much misunderstood topic finally understandable.”
—Sahil Malik, author of Pro ADO.NET 2.0 and C# MVP