Chapter 1: Introducing the Project: TheBeerHouse

Overview

This chapter introduces the project that we're going to develop in this book. I'll explain the concept behind the sample web site that is the subject of this book, but as you read along you should keep in mind that this is a general-purpose, data-driven, content-based style of web site that can easily be modified to meet the needs of a myriad of real-world web site requirements. Although we'll use many of the older features of ASP.NET, the clear focus of this book is directed at showing you how to leverage the powerful new features of ASP.NET 2.0 in a real-world, non-trivial web site.

This book follows a "Problem-Design-Solution" approach in each chapter: The Problem section explains the business requirements for the module designed in that chapter, the Design section is used to develop our roadmap for meeting those requirements, and the Solution section is where we write the code to implement our design. This is unlike traditional computer books because the focus is not on teaching basic concepts, but rather showing you how to apply your knowledge to solve real-world business requirements. If you are new to ASP.NET, then this is perhaps not the best book to start with, but if you're generally familiar with the basic concepts of web development and ASP.NET (any version of ASP.NET), you're ready to put that knowledge to use, and perhaps you want to learn about the new features in ASP.NET 2.0, then fasten your seat belt!