Datasheet

enables users to programmatically build programs or scripts that create, read, and update configuration
files such as
Web.config and machine.config. In addition, there is a new comprehensive admin tool
that plugs into the existing IIS Administration MMC, enabling an administrator to graphically read or
change any setting within the configuration files. ASP.NET 2.0 also provides new health-monitoring sup-
port to enable administrators to be automatically notified when an application on a server starts to expe-
rience problems. New tracing features will enable administrators to capture runtime and request data
from a production server to better diagnose issues.
Visual Studio 2005 also ships with a new web-based tool that provides a very easy way to administer an
ASP.NET web site. You can access this by clicking Website
➪ ASP.NET Configuration in Visual Studio
2005. This web-based tool wraps much of the Management API, thereby providing an easy and effective
way to remotely administer a site. Figure 1-4 shows the ASP.NET Web Application Administration tool
in action.
Figure 1-4
As you can see from Figure 1-4, it provides a simple web interface that allows configuration of all aspects
of a site. The interface is designed to be customized, so corporations and hosts can give it a company look.
Precompilation
One of the significant improvements in ASP.NET 2.0 is the capability to request a web form (.aspx file)
from a browser without having to compile the code even once. When the page is first requested,
ASP.NET compiles the page on the fly, dynamically generating the assembly. This makes it possible for
you to resort to the “Just Hit Save” programming model (similar to ASP), wherein you just develop and
test the page without having to compile it. After the initial compilation, the compiled page is cached,
which is used to satisfy the subsequent requests for the same page. Although this approach is flexible, it
does result in a performance hit, especially when the page is requested for the first time, since ASP.NET
requires a bit of extra time to compile the code. You can avoid this overhead by leveraging a new feature
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Chapter 1: Introduction to ASP.NET 2.0
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