Return to Programming Book Reviews.
Publisher: O'Reilly Buy it Now!
ISBN: 0596526725
Programming Atlas
by Christian Wenz
Format: Paperback, 404pp
CD: NO
Programming Atlas, a great book about great the technology. If you try to look for resources about MS Atlas you'll find a great deal of info but nothing is straight forward and easy for learning. Therefore, in Atlas area, we are limited in quality resources. Christian Wenz has written a great book that contains information that an AJAX developer really needs, a book that is easy to read and is straightforward.
Inside the book
Before I say anything we need to give respect to Christian Wenz for having a courage to write this book despite the fact that Atlas was (is) a technology that is changing from day to day. However, the great thing is that changes are not as big as you may think, and book covers all basics of AJAX technology using MS Atlas, so you may use releases as they come without any extensive learning.Book covers programming AJAX from scratch, so if you are "pure" ASP.Net developer (or a web developer using other tools) this is just a thing for you. Book starts with simple explanation of Atlas (AJAX) workflow, and extends to introducing reader to JavaScript part of framework.
Author explains how to use JSON with ScriptManager and Web services, and I love that all the explanations are covered with source code examples. Also we have clear examples of how to use external Web services in JavaScript. When we step into a Chapter 4 author briefly explains client-side Atlas controls and moves the focus to data binding part of client-side framework (the Chapter 5).
Data binding is well explained by covering binding with often-used client-side controls trough examples. Binding in JavaScript is very handy, so we are glad that author did not skip this part of Atlas functionality, as many of on-line tutorials and quick how-to-s do. After reading about binding on client-side reader is familiar with basic concepts and logic of binding in Atlas framework and he is ready to move one, so author then explains various things about components and their behavior followed by chapter dedicated to animations and related effects. These two chapters are small but valuable chapters, and we all love to enhance our UI by some interactive behaviors:, so we need to give some extra credits to Christian Wenz, although it would not hurt to have few extra pages on this subject.
When we step into Chapter 8 and the following chapters we letting our self's into serious subject. Client Script Library (Chapter 8) explains what are we gaining by using Atlas framework on client-side, as we all know (the ones that have read the book) that Atlas extends JavaScript and brings Namespace functionality to it, which is well covered. Later in the book author explains how to user server data with binding functionality described in Chapter 5., also he explains how to use inline Web service methods in JavaScript (very handy), how to extend controls, explains WebParts & Gadgets in detail and all is followed by examples accurse.
Even Atlas Control toolkit has own chapter. Not only that author has thought on Asp.Net developers, but also he has written whole chapter for developers that use other server technologies such as PHP. And for those who are not satisfied with Atlas framework author has wrote whole chapter on other alternative Ajax tools that you can use.
Programing Atlas at a Glance
I have found that not only that this book has covered all aspects of the AJAX programming with MS Atlas, but it shows how to use AJAX Control Toolkit, and other alternative AJAX tools, and what is the best of all is that every single part of the book is covered with examples even the alternative AJAX tools have examples.Being one of the first books written about Atlas (Asp.net AJAX) it can be considered as first and most complete resource for Asp.Net Ajax developer. I think that you'll find this book very useful in day to day tasks, and if in the past you have written your share of callbacks and you want to start using new AJAX (Atlas) I encourage you to read this book and learn a few tricks that Christian Wenz have share with us.
by Zarko Gajic, your About Guide to Delphi Programming; and Kristijan Horvat - web developer at Mono-Software.
