I love ASP.NET, but one thing I find extremely frustrating is dealing with the automatically generated ID properties that it places on page elements.

For example, let's say you have a div with an id of "contentTop" like below:

Because you have made the control a server-side control by adding the runat="server" attribute it will now be rendered with a different ID when it hits the browser (view the source code and you will see). It will get rendered as something like this:

This is because ASP.NET generates its own IDs to ensure that every element on the page has a unique ID. Developers that work with JavaScript and CSS will immediately see the problem. This causes difficulty when using JavaScript and CSS which rely on those IDs to reference elements, as they can't easily predict what the generated ID will be. When it comes to CSS specificity the ID selector is extremely useful. In addition, anyone that uses JavaScript knows that getElementById (or one of the JavaScript library ways) is the most popular way to target an element. So why the hell does ASP.NET do this to us? Honestly, I can't really tell why, other than the fact that they must not trust us enough to be able to uniquely ID our elements ourselves.

But I don't want to just complain here, I would like to provide some solutions too.

Solution

The solution will be found in the ClientID property of the server-side control. The ClientID property represents the ID that ASP.NET will use for the element on the client.

Using the ScriptManager we place the ClientID in a hidden form field. This can all be done in the code-behind file by using the following code:

Be sure to have included the ScriptManager to your page, like so:

Now we can use JavaScript to retrieve the value from our hidden form fields.

That's it, if you know of another way, please let us know.
Happy coding.

1. Automatic Properties

Automatic properties provide you with a shorthand for defining a new property. No more do we have to create the private property and then use Getters and Setters to access and set that property. Here's the old code:

Now here's the code using automatic properties:

Oh my! How nice is that? The C# compiler creates the Getters and Setters and the private fields for you automagically!

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Almost every object you create needs to be initialized in some way. In C# 3.0 you now have a new shorthand method for doing so called an object initializer.

Here's some typical code to initialize an object:

Stud mark = new Stud();
mark.Name = "Mark";
mark.Hotness = 10;


Here's the new C# 3.0 object initializer way:

mark = new Stud() { Name = "Mark", Hotness = 10 };


This does exactly the same thing as the three lines of code above, but in one line! And the IDE (Visual Studio 2008) even helps out with IntelliSence showing you the fields available. Pretty cool eh? If you're running Visual Studio 2005, then this won't work.

This past week, I have been undergoing a week of rigorous training learning the key differences between .NET 2.0/3.0 and .NET 1.1. For the past two years our company has been working with the 1.1 framework, and is now migrating towards the 2.0/3.0 framework. This week the instructor said something I knew, but was glad to be reminded about. It wasn't even a .NET oriented question, it was an object oriented question that does not apply to one specific language, but to all OOP (object oriented programming) models in general.

What is the difference between a struct and a class? When should you use a struct versus a class? How do you know?

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If you hang out on enough web development forums, mailing lists, or chatrooms, you'll eventually get asked this question:

What language should I use to program my next project?

As someone who has been on a few of said forums, mailing lists, and chatrooms for a while now, I hate seeing this question. Yes, it comes around a lot, but repetitiveness isn't what bugs me about it. What bothers me is that there's usually very little background information attached to that question, which makes it as open-ended as asking what mode of transportation you should take to get to the store. I can tell you anything from a skateboard to a jet and either vehicle can get you to the store, but to give you the best answer I need to know how far you have to travel, what you plan on buying, and how much money you have, among other things. The same holds true for the programming language question, so let's look at some factors that can help you choose which language to use on your next project.

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Search-This welcomes Louis Simpson to the team!

Often times when you belong to a forum you start stalking certain people. Every time the person you are stalking post and you notice it, you go read what they have to say because you know it's going to be good. Well, Louie was the first person I ever stalked

So when I was putting together the Search-This team I knew that I had to get him on board, it makes it easier to stalk him that way! We're glad to have you on the team Louie.

Enjoy Louie's bio below:

User Name: louissimps

• childhood ambition: marry a rich woman
• fondest memory: going to my grandpa's ranch
• favorite music: a little something from every genre
• retreat: the ocean
• proudest moment: the path I have lead so far
• biggest challenge: not going to college
• alarm clock: 6:50(snooze until 7:45)
• perfect day: coffee, surfing, lunch with my wife, afternoon nap, head to my favorite bar
• first job: busboy at a banquet hall
• indulgence: Belgian Ale
• favorite movie: too many to name, Super Troopers, Napolean Dynamite, Platoon
• inspiration: accomplishment

Something I think every blogger should do is introduce themselves; it gives the community a little more insight to you. Mark gave me a sweet introduction, but I wanted to share a little bit more and give you a preview of what you're in store for with my posts.

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