Multiple forms in one page or 3 different pages with session state variables?

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I'm currently in the process of transforming a classis ASP web application to Asp.net

THe application is relatively simple, it is a 3-page web application.

Page 1: enter info into textboxes (time, date, name, name, name, yadda yadda yadda), some radio buttons, some checkbox choices, etc.

Page 2: Given the choices made on page one (if Checkbox 1 was clicked, then display categories pertaining to checkbox 1, etc.) and the info input in page one, all of this is displayed here, on page 2, along with new radio buttons and checkboxes, more textboxes, etc. perhaps 100 total or so.

Page 3: Everything is summarized and then entered into a DB

My question is the following:

I have been working on transforming everything from the old asp application to .net

Anyway, I got the session variables for the checkboxes, radio buttons (using checkboxlists and radiobuttonlists as these can be easily saved into an arraylist in a session variable), textboxes info, etc, etc, etc.

Suddenly, my peer tells me it is best to dump all the info into ONE PAGE with multiple forms, two of each forms hidden at a time... only one form displayed at once... behavnig like an individual page (each form simulating a page)... that way, we would not deal with session variables!

I had not thought of that, but something tells me that is not the correct approach... besides, dumping everything into one page would be A LOT OF CODE!!!!

Who is correct or what would be the right approach for this?

Thank you!

Posted 13-Aug-14 9:14am

TheAbominable

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Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter 13-Aug-14 15:18pm

Angular is a perfect framework to build small single-page web application - your case sounds me like a perfect candidate...

TheAbominable 13-Aug-14 15:35pm

Yes, but I'm strictly sticking to ASP.NET
Thank you.

I forgot to add/mention that we MUST stick to .NET at my job, so we cannot use another platform/language.

Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter 13-Aug-14 15:52pm

In that case just do 3 pages as before...

TheAbominable 13-Aug-14 16:01pm

WHY??? LOL That is the original question! What is the advantage and/or disadvantage or using multiple forms in one page as opposed to different pages?

Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter 13-Aug-14 16:07pm

Oh! ASP.NET has a big problem to handle multiple form elements in one page (it not goes in line with HTML). Also it will give you a clear separation of the steps...
If you use a technique (any technique) to show/hide content on the same page you will get a code that hard to maintain and understand.
If you have problem to use session variables store your data in temporary table in your DB or in cookies. Both solution will give you the advantage to stop/continue the process ath any time and any step...

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 13-Aug-14 16:50pm

I'm not quite agree and would prefer single-page approach. But it depends on the complexity of the application and many other factors.

One important note is the forms: actually, forms are needed only of HTTP request on form Submit buttons are used. In all other cases, this is no different from the arbitrary collection of controls. Even if the HTTP request is sent via Ajax, it has nothing to do with HTML form functionality, because Javascript can put values of any set of controls together, totally irrelevant to what forms they are or if forms are used at all or not.

—SA

Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter 13-Aug-14 16:56pm

The problem of the standard ASP.NET approach is that have to have one - and exactly one - form on it, specially if you want to use ASP.NET AJAX. That's the first reason I suggest using 3 different pages. The other is the response of OP about Angular - he knows nothing about such kind of thing and have no time (will?) to learn at this point (of course it is only my conclusion), so I think he better stick to the simple things...

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 13-Aug-14 17:19pm

I understand those concerns. Not sure why ASP.NET should have one form; you should agree that it's quite possible to work without forms and freely combine the controls in an HTTP request. If HTTP page can have two (functional) forms on a page, ASP.NET can generate such HTML; call it "not standard", I won't mind... :-)
—SA

Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter 13-Aug-14 17:25pm

There is no problem to work no-form or multiply forms with ASP.NET - it's just not comes 'naturally' - I think it's a design problem of ASP.NET...
If it was for me I would go for an Angular kind application - but it's for OP :-)

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 13-Aug-14 17:39pm

Yes, this is how I understood your statement in first place, just making it clear. I also understand your concern about the use of Angular for OP, but this is a "philosophical" question: who is loosing or gaining what by not learning something. :-)
I guess we are on the same page now. Thank you for this discussion.
—SA

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 13-Aug-14 16:46pm

Who told you that ASP.NET and Angular are mutually exclusive? :-)
—SA

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PhilLenoir · Answer 1 · 2014-08-13T11:14:00

Solution 1

I LOVE the Multiview control for this. No complex code to show and hide, use button events to set the active view. State is held on the page in View State. Technically just one form, but only the active view is sent to the browser so it functions much like multiple pages. Theres' no management of session variables per se, all objects are available server side. The only down sides are control IDs for any client Javascript and using FindControl to locate the controls.

Posted 13-Aug-14 11:14am

PhilLenoir

Comments

Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter 13-Aug-14 17:21pm

And all the server/client side functionality is on the same page, so you easily can get into a state where you mess with a too complex code for nothing...

PhilLenoir 13-Aug-14 17:27pm

I can't say I've ever had that problem and the last one I did was a pretty complex eCommerce application that involved passing data to and from a card processor via an iFrame. The application that the poster mentioned was a simple application. My programming mantra is KISS: Keep It Simple Software developer!

Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter 13-Aug-14 17:44pm

A complex eCommerce application in one ASP.NET page? It sounds awful to me...I would consider a ASP.NET page with more then a few (and I mean 2-3) hundred lines of code in as a bad design...Even ASP.NET forms are not support/force separation of code it should be kept in sight anyway - by the developer...