Using ASP.NET and Web Services in Courses

1. Using ASP.NET and Web Services in Courses Paul Roe Queensland University of Technology p.roe@qut.edu.au

2. Discuss Two Courses • Software Development for the Web • Run twice, focus on ASP.NET • Some web services • IT Degree, third year elective subject • (¼ full time student load × one semester) • Web Services • New course, to commence Feb 2004 • Postgraduate elective subject • (¼ full time student load × one semester) © Paul Roe 2003

3. Software Development for Web: Objectives • Understand issues of s/w dev for web • Different from PC s/w dev. • Client server • State management • N-tier architecture, data access • Security, performance, web UI etc. • Teach standard technology e.g. HTTP, HTML, XML, web services • Give students experience with ASP.NET • Why? State of the art, easier than Java, useful, sexy… © Paul Roe 2003

4. New Strategy for this Year • Give students an existing system, ask them to make modifications • Study a well architected system • Easier marking • No need to bake one ourselves (to gauge complexity) • More realistic – don’t start from scratch © Paul Roe 2003

5. Example System: gasTix • gasTix example event ticketing system like Ticketek • http://www.gastix.net • Example system • best practice • well architected • Uses C#, VB.NET, database, security, ASP.NET, web services • Comes with all source code • Described in: G. Sullivan, “NET e-Business Architecture”, SAMS, 2002 (ISBN: 0672322196) • Other possibilities on MSDN: IBuySpy, … © Paul Roe 2003

6. Other Reference Material • Visual Studio and SDK doco • Walk throughs • Tutorials • Reference • Web, particularly for generic technology: HTTP, HTML, XML • MSDN Academic Alliance notes © Paul Roe 2003

7. Course Structure • Prerequisites • Java • Intermediate level object oriented programming • Basic HTML • Basic databases / SQL • 2-3 hour lecture & 1 hour prac X 13 weeks • Some guest lectures • Assessment: 35% assignment, 65% exam © Paul Roe 2003

8. Lectures • Topics: • Web basics, HTTP, HTML, CGI, ActiveX, ASP/JSP (evolutionary perspective) • .NET basics: CLR, C#, VS.NET • ASP.NET, form lifecycle • ADO.NET, N-tier architecture • Security • XML, web services • Real world issues: deployment, testing, team management etc. • New developments: UDDI, GXA, P2P • Most lectures mix of: • Concepts, design, architecture • standards (e.g. HTTP, XML, web services) • .NET: practice inc. demos • Guest lectures © Paul Roe 2003

9. Assignment • Work in pairs • Extend the gasTix system • Gave them a database with some new tables • Force them to use that database, only access via stored procs! • Additional features • Customer registration • Support different counties • Web services address validator • Assignment required them to understand existing code, but less coding for them to do © Paul Roe 2003

10. Lab Setup • Students developed and tested code on individual machines • run web server and database on each PC • Machine configuration • Windows 2000 Professional • Internet Explorer • Visual Studio.NET Professional • IIS (optional Windows Professional component) • SQL Server • Deploy final system on a server to make grading easier (xcopy deployment!) © Paul Roe 2003

11. Ok so what happened? (2003) • Lots of interest from students • Got 230 students, and most stayed the duration despite it being on a Friday evening! • Lot of material to cover • Made good use of academic alliance program • Students can work on assignment at home • couldn’t run the unit without this! • Assignments • Initial results good (being graded now!) • Marked by tutors (research students, finding staff with expertise is difficult) • Guest lectures went really well • Better student behaviour and participation than for academics! © Paul Roe 2003

12. Web Service Unit • New, never run, this is the plan… • Postgraduate elective • Content • Why, big picture, business reasons • Core technology: SOAP, WSDL, UDDI • Case studies • New developments • Use Java and .NET, WS are about interop! © Paul Roe 2003

13. Environment • Run on single machines • Windows XP • Run IIS and Tomcat – two web servers • .NET web services • Java web services: Apache Axis / IBM / Sun • Also program against some existing web services such as Amazon, Google, Terraserver, UDDI test servers • Perhaps use Windows server 2003 for UDDI © Paul Roe 2003

14. Teaching • Subject will be taken by CS and IS students • Want to support specialisation, hence: • First Half: intense lecture series • Second half (specialisation): group projects, associated readings • Books? Probably won’t use one © Paul Roe 2003

15. Lectures • Teach how web services can and are being used – business case, case studies(?) • Web service architecture – where they fit in • Basic web service technology • XML, Schema, SOAP, WSDL, UDDI • .NET and Java implementations • Teach how to design web services, web service evolution, versioning, reusing WSDL, schema • Generic web services: .NET Passport, Alerts etc. • How to secure web services • New technologies: WS-Security, WS-Coordination, BPEL4WS – some projects using these © Paul Roe 2003

16. Software Development for the Web: Assignment: 2002 • [Students built a system from scratch] • Pizza ordering system for work group • “Here’s one I made earlier” • Incorporate some web services and other issues • Required: ASP.NET, ADO.NET, data base • Emphasized simple and elegant design © Paul Roe 2003

17. Assignment Constraints • Work in pairs • Only use ASP.NET and C# • Use at least one custom web control • Use code behind and minimal inline program code • Start from scratch © Paul Roe 2003

18. Best Assignment © Paul Roe 2003

19. Best Assignment © Paul Roe 2003

20. Best Assignment © Paul Roe 2003