Re: What makes an excellent web developer? - Web Development Discussion Boards

In a vb.net 2010 web form application, I want to create an error message when the user clicks on a checkbox or a process button. This error message will occur when there is a duplicate record when the same school year appears for the same student.

The problem of the student having more than 1 record for the same school year is nothing I can change since my school is using vendor software. I just basically want to tell the user to fix the problem using the vendor software and then they rerun my supporting web form application.

My goal is to keep the user on the current web form page they are on and allow them to do whatever processing they need to do for another student.

Thus my question is what is the best way to display the error message? Would I use a javascript alert, a regular alert, place the error message within the web page, and/or something you would recommend?

Would you tell me:

1. Why you recommend a particular method?

2. Would you show me the code on how to accomplish this goal and/or point me to the url that will show how to generate this code?

dcof wrote:
Would I use a javascript alert, a regular alert

Those are the same thing.

The easiest way is to use alert("Some Message Here");

However, you can easily do nicer looking dialog boxes using jQuery and jQueryUI. Dialog | jQuery UI[^]

With jQuery UI, you add a div to your page that will display the message, write the necessary jQuery to wireup your dialog and then call it. Very simple and looks way better than alert();.

There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

I downloaded this app[^]. It runs fine on my PC.

I then followed this[^] to host it in IIS on my server. My server is Server 2012.

I get

This page can’t be displayed

•Make sure the web address http://76.91.84.151:8052 is correct.
•Look for the page with your search engine.
•Refresh the page in a few minutes.

I can ping the server, and I can connect remotely to my SQL Server instance on my server, I just cannot reach this app in IIS on my server. I'm guessing it's not hosted correctly.

I'm not sure how to fix this. My experience in Web stuff is limited. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks

[UPDATE]
I got it working. I had not opened a port on the router. Don't I feel silly.

If it's not broken, fix it until it is

modified 15-Aug-16 22:36pm.

What qualities do people look at web developers when they hire them to build a Web site.

How to be become an expert web devloper????

Read, study and practice, practice, practice.

Web developers make web applications.

Web designers make web sites.

There is a fairly fundamental difference: developers make the web work and designers make it pretty.

If you're interested in site design, I would suggest looking more deeply into graphic design and specific tools, like DreamWeaver (is that still a thing?), Wix, and WordPress.

If you're interested in development, be prepared to become a subject matter expert on networking, security, web-stack architecture, database technologies, JavaScript, PHP/C#/Java, abstraction, and "The IT Crowd".

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
- Benjamin Disraeli

Nathan Minier wrote:
Web developers make web applications.

Web designers make web sites.

There is a fairly fundamental difference: developers make the web work and designers make it pretty.

This is well put, but perhaps not the whole story.

1. For a web site to work well, you would also need someone writing great content, have an understanding of information architecture, web usability, and more. I sometimes teach the Web Editor program at our university, which links text, image handling, usability/accessibility, structuring the site, and also some coding.

2. Even if you are more into the backend of a web site/web application, the level of expertise you would need varies. For example, ASP.NET WebForms is much easier (if you're not good at OO practices) and more similar to a traditional HTML web site than ASP.NET MVC.

To develop web sites, I usually say you need five skills:

1. HTML
2. CSS
3. Database logic (traditionally SQL Server or MySQL)
4. Server code (ASP.NET, PHP)
5. Javascript

Of these five, Javascript could perhaps be omitted, depending on the website's needs, but you can't live without the other four.

If you keep things simple you will find that web development is much easier than most other programming. It's also more rewarding, as you get results very quickly, and people from all over the world can watch your work. Thus, if you're new or relatively new to programming, then web development is a great way to expand on your knowledge.

Good luck!

Petter

I'm 100% on board with your points about designers. Perhaps a better way to put it is that designers are more invested in the UX while developers generally are more concerned with the plumbing. It's just not my world, so I don't have terribly much to say about it.

That said, I think there are some points of contention in the block that you wrote about developers (I do live in that world, so have a whole hell of a lot to say Smile | :)

).

petter2012 wrote:
For example, ASP.NET WebForms is much easier (if you're not good at OO practices) and more similar to a traditional HTML web site than ASP.NET MVC.

I'm sorry, but IMO this is terrible advice. WebForms obfuscate the dual nature of web applications and lead to confusion, not clarity. It was a bad stop-gap to try and make WinForm developers comfortable using a RAD tool for the web. At this juncture, I think advising learning it is an exceedingly bad idea, and I don't just say that because I'm getting tired of modernizing applications that were written using it. New devs (in the MS stack) should put in the time to learn MVC.NET; it will serve them far better and will improve the state of software overall.

I would also contend that MVC.NET is quite a bit closer to the DHTML pages that I worked on with PHP and CGI gateways in the last 20 years than WebForms. WebForms are much closer to that Adobe Cold Fusion garbage that is like some sort of torture from the very pits of hell.

petter2012 wrote:
Of these five, Javascript could perhaps be omitted, depending on the website's needs, but you can't live without the other four.

I'm afraid that I need to argue this point as well.

The fact is that Java(ECMA)Script is the language of the web; modern stacks can even use it for the server-side. Realistically, it's the only item that you mentioned that is a programming element that absolutely needs to be learned for a modern web application. HTML and CSS are important, but those are ostensibly templates and configurations. SQL queries are nice and all, but a decent ORM can stand in. Even server logic can (depending on the application) potentially be ignored as DBMS have begun exposing http data endpoints to support the asychronous nature of the current web application (not to mention those goofy mobile apps).

petter2012 wrote:
If you keep things simple you will find that web development is much easier than most other programming.

I would argue that this is true for amateurs using a WYSIWYG toolset to make a web page for their bowling league, not aspiring professional developers. It also serves the aforementioned designers well as a proof-of-concept for their designs. I think that learning code is very much a value-for-dollar item, with the dollar in this case being the time and effort spent on it.

Yes, a CRUD application using total bolierplate can be created and running within minutes if you have even nominal skill, but that's no different from a native application. Developing a robust and useful web application requires at least as much complexity, planning, and headache as a native app; effectively the user's browser is the UI thread.

I guess ultimately what I'm saying is that I don't want to see the people who are just starting out being soft-balled on this. If they want to be a graphic designer then hey, go the designer route. This isn't for everyone, a point on which I think we're all in agreement. But if a fresh face is not intimidated by the depth and breadth of knowledge needed to be a real developer, then they should do it and do it right.

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
- Benjamin Disraeli

Nathan Minier wrote:
if a fresh face is not intimidated by the depth and breadth of knowledge needed to be a real developer, then they should do it and do it right.

Hi,

No need to apologise: please note that I never advised the OP to use WebForms - it's a matter of how far down the programming path one wants to go.

By the way, ASP.NET WebForms was created to differentiate between presentation (HTML) and logic (ASP.NET) as opposed to blurring them together (like in ASP and PHP), which it still does well. Quite many member portals (for example) have been written using WebForms, at a time when PHP was a competitor. I agree that WebForms is less adequate for a Web 2.0 scenario, but it's much easier to learn than MVC.NET for example, so once again, I think we are in agreement.

Skipping out on SQL? No, I dont think so... Smile | :)

So sure, if one wants to dig deep into coding, then he or she should by all means explore ASP.NET MVC, some advanced PHP, and many several newer and perhaps more exciting languages. It all depends on what one tries to achieve, and where in the path from design to code one wants to place oneself. As you said, the route you are suggesting "isn't for everyone", and Scott Gunthrie himself said some time ago that WebForms and MVC.NET are for different people but both have their merits (or something along those lines). I for one live happily with both approaches.

modified 31-Aug-16 19:55pm.

petter2012 wrote:
Skipping out on SQL? No, I dont think so...

Well, one can dream.

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
- Benjamin Disraeli

You should know how to handle problems, most of the companies want developers who can found solutions of a problem in the most efficient way,
for example you can write "hello world" 10 times or you can use a loop
that are the traits which a good developer should possess.
Now to become a web developer you should know.
1-HTML
2-CSS
3-one client side language
4-one Server side language

I am storing html string formatted in database. Now I want that string to be shown formatted but it's putting string as it is with tags. This is in C#. Good answer is appriciated

It depends how you display it. If you put it into a simple Textbox then it will be treated as such. If you want to display it formatted then you need to display it in a control that understands HTML.

You need to think about what it is you're working with. The contents of your database record is just simple text. There's no reason, when displaying it, that it will be anything but exactly what is stored.

If, on the other hand, that text is opened in a web browser (IE, FireFox, Chrome, etc.) then it will interpret the text (that is what browsers do) and display it with the context that you want. The browser does have to consider the text is coming from a website and isn't just a simple file that happens to have HTML in it by accident. It, too, will then just show the text.

As a hint, the text will have to be part of a web page that the browser can open or opened within a webpage that's already on the browser.

Ravings en masse^
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010

You can use the HttpUtility.HtmlEncode method:

var htmlString = HttpUtility.HtmlEncode(user.Company);

It's a method called HtmlEncode in the HtmlUtility class which takes a string parameter and encodes it into a Html-safe string.

modified 5-Jan-17 10:54am.

we're loading all partials views to a common div.

JavaScript

$(divname).load(url);

on clicking a row in a table or clicking on an icon,or clicking on link, view changes. my requirement is, in a partial view, we have two text boxes which are free type. before this view clears, i need to save these data to db. what appropriate event is to be used before this view goes? i tried

JavaScript

$(document).unload
$(document).unbind
$(div).change
$(div).unload

etc. nothing worked.
please help me to resolve this issue

modified 11-Aug-16 5:46am.

Write a little intermediary function and call your div updates using it

JavaScript

var loadPartial = function(target, url, asyncPromise){
   if(asyncPromise){
      asyncPromise().done(function(){target.load(url)});
   }else{
      target.load(url);
   }
}

You can then update your values via AJAX safely before the div is loaded, or not pass a callback if that's not appropriate for a particular navigation. Using $(button).click for the save of ease, I don't know what your navigation event looks like.

JavaScript

$(button).click(function(){
   loadPartial($(div),this.url,$.ajax({.../update your database/}));
});

It's not the prettiest thing, but it's flexible.

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
- Benjamin Disraeli

modified 11-Aug-16 8:32am.

I am trying to add background color to my page, and padding the paragraphs, and divisions. But its not working. I would appreciate it if you could go through the code and explain whats wrong. Any tips on how I should do it, or what I can learn from or follow will be appreciated too. Thanks

HTML

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>

    <title>Jake's Coffee Shop</title>
    
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    
   <style>
      <! CSS For Menu >
    
   
     
      
       
       
       
   ul {
    list-style-type: none;
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0;
    width: 50px;
    background-color: #f1f1f1;
       }
       
body{background-color: black;}
      
       
       #UnorderedList li
       {
           display:inline-block;
       }
       
       
      
       
       
       
       li a {
    display: block;
    color: #000;
    padding: 8px 16px;
    text-decoration: none;
           
    
       }
       
       
       li a:hover
       {
           background-color: #555;
           color: navajowhite;
       }

       </style> 
    
</head>


<body>

    <h1>Jake's Coffee Shop</h1>
    

    
    
  
    
    
   <div id ="MenuBar">
    <ul id = "UnorderedList">
        <li> <a href= "https://www.google.com" > Home </a> </li>
        <li> <a href= "https://www.yahoo.com" > Menu </a> </li>
        <li> <a href= "https://www.music.com.bd" > Music </a> </li>
        <li> <a href= "https://www.google.com" > Jobs </a> </li>
    </ul>
    </div> 
    
    
    <div id = "content">
        
        <p><div>Come In And Experience...</div>
        
            <br>
            
            <div><img src="images.jpeg" alt="Heartmelting Coffee Picture"></div>
        
            <br>
            
            <ul id="ItemMenu">
                <li>Specialty Coffee And Tea</li>
                <li>Freshly Made Sandwiches</li>
                <li>Bagels, Muffins, And Organic Snacks</li>
                <li>Music And Poetry Readings</li>
                <li>Open Mic Nights</li>
                <li>...</li>
                
        
            </ul>
    
        
    </div> </p>
    
<footer>
    <address>
        23 Pine Road <br>
        Nottingham, NGI 5YU <br>
        0115 9324567 <br>
    </address>

<p>Copyright &copy; 2011 Jake's Coffee House</p>
<p><a href="mailto:ratul_shams@yahoo.com"> yahoo@ratul_shams.com </a></p>
</footer>

    
</body>
</html>

Your code works for me in Firefox and IE - although it's difficult to read black text on a black background! Smile | :)

ScarletMcLearn wrote:
<! CSS For Menu >

That's not a valid construct, although most browsers will ignore it. If you were trying to write a comment, you need to use the correct syntax depending on the context:

HTML

<!-- Outside of the "style" block, use HTML comments. -->

<style>

/* Inside the "style" block, use multi-line "C" style comments. */
body { background-color: black; color: white; }

</style>

"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined."
- Homer

As an ad-on to the previous comment.

I've often found a typo in a style statement ends the implementation of that particular style at that point. By type, I mean a real syntax error, such as ; instead of :. An unrecognized style isn't usually so serious.

for example, the following would be a problem:

HTML

<div style='color:#400;background-color;#888;text-shadow:2px 2px 0px #444;'></div>

because of the semicolon after background-color. As this has some browser dependency on how the error is handled, partial style implementation is possible and often puzzling.

Ravings en masse^
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010

I am confused which should I learn, Django/Python or NodeJS/ExpressJS. I am new to both of them. I am trying to create a back end for my android application but can't decide which language to choose.

So...Java then?

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
- Benjamin Disraeli

My vote is for Python! It's the best for start learning I guess!

That's a thing that I hear, and I sort of believe, because people tell me it is so.

The Android API is derived from Java, though, so I would think that would be a good focus point.

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
- Benjamin Disraeli

Why do we need [ChildActionOnly] attribute in MVC??