Different - and fun.

During the last few days, I did a small ASP.net project. Most of my experience is working on WinForms apps. This proved to be a fun project because it was outside my normal groove.

It is a simple one page internal report. No interaction. It just displays data in two grids. I started out creating a class library - not really knowing how I might deploy a front end. I got the queries and the data massaging done in a few classes. Not really thinking about how this would be used - I did my standard WinForms thing: created a form, dropped two grids on it, wired it up and it worked. I was not impressed. Battleship grey, standard grids, nothing to write home about.

A random thought came to me to try this as a web application. I would not have to write a setup application or worry about deploying and maintiaining it on various user workstations.

I added a web application to the class library solution and started to ponder Default.aspx. Writing an ASP.net application really is a different beast when your brain is configured for WinForms. After a few google searches, some help file reading, and some bookshelf skimming - I had something starting to work. With a little more effort it started to look much better than the WinForms version.

Not knowing much about IIS, I had my co-worker Bob help me get this deployed. Finally, I sent a hyperlink around to the users. They all tried it and sent email within a few minutes!

No technology breakthrough here. This is a very simple non-interactive page. The breakthrough is more in my developer mindset. In the past, I've kept ASP.net applications at arms length...I have a ton to learn but this project got me past that initial hesitation...I should force myself outside the groove more often!