MartinThePanda

I build things that go *splonk*

Jul 9, 2016

C#, .NET, etc. are my native languages and I literally build ASP.NET services and solutions everyday as part of my career. Hopefully, I can provide some insight.

First, C#, .NET and ASP.NET while related are not all the same thing:

C# is a programming language that's generally associated with .NET but can be used elsewhere. That's all. It's just the language

.NET is a Framework. It's a set of API's, classes, etc. that all come together to make programming easier. In general, you write C# code (or VB, F#, etc.) utilizing the .NET Framework and that all gets compiled during build or run time for execution by the .NET compiler. With the latest release of .NET (Core) you can either use the default compiler Roselyn, use a third party compiler or roll your own. There's a lot more to it than that, but I could write pages on just the compilation stuff alone and you really don't need it to get started.

ASP.NET is a subset of the .NET Framework specifically geared towards web development. Initially it consisted of what Microsoft called WebForms which were Microsoft's way of pulling traditional application developers over to web development. I personally don't work with WebForms anymore as they are too reliant on session and ViewState and for the most part, most people are moving on to MVC. MVC and WebApi are the kids on the block and with .NET Core, they have been merged. MVC tacked rending Html views as well as returning data, whereas WebApi was geared specifically to returning data via REST generally via XML or JSON although you have full access to the HttpContext so you could theoretically can return whatever you want.

Ok, so. With that wall of text out of the way, what you're looking to do is actually pretty simple. Crack open Visual Studio (preferably 2015 with Update 2 or 3 installed) and create a new ASP.NET Web Application or ASP.NET Core Web Application. I'd personally say go with the first for the time being even though ASP.NET Core is the new hotness because Core was literally just released and there isn't a ton of documentation on it. StackOverflow, on the other hand, is full of questions about ASP.NET.

Once you've selected your project type, go ahead and select the WebApi template. This will create a project template with everything you need to get started with WebApi. There will be a controllers folder where you'll put your data controllers, a models folder for your models, etc. These controllers are going to be your server side code. By default, they'll all be prefixed by '/API' when you call them.

Now, to add a client, you have one of two options:

You can dump your files into the same project and have everything there.
You can create a new empty web project and put your files there

Regardless of where you put our client code, you'll need to make a note of the port number that the web api project runs under (usually http://localhost:SomePortNumber) and have your Angular project point to that for data.

That's a REALLY high level overview of how to get started and I'm sure you have more questions but a Hashnode post is a very limited area for a tutorial :)

Check out this tutorial: asp.net/web-api/overview/getting-started-with-asp…

Also, feel free to hit me up if you need help or a starter project to get going with as an example. I'm more than happy to help.

I love C#. It's super powerful, really elegant and the .NET Framework has a lot to offer, but I can understand how difficult it can be coming from another language. Once you get past the initial hurdles, it's all pretty much downhill for a while.

@actias

Ah yes the reply I was hoping for. I really love this community. I come from Java and developing with javascript has been a little confusing because of how simple it is. Angular 2 is now using Typescript which to me is amazing. I have classes and the feel of a real programming language now. And of course I do have lots of questions ha.

I don't believe I need help with concepts of building an API or with the front end really all my troubles come from Visual Studio. Like for instance when I open up new web project I get 3 options. The Web application, ASP.NET Core(.NET Framework) , ASP.NET Core(.NET Core). What are the differences?

When you finally choose one you have all these things like web forms, MVC, API, and then Azure which I think I understand. Does VS literally hook you up to a cloud server or is this a like encapsulated server on your home machine? I don't really understand what all these choices will give me, yes they have descriptions and I have made all the projects to see what comes out but then they all have different file structures and this is very confusing. I have no idea what any of these files do. Also why can't I make my own file structure. I guess I am just used to working on bash or cmd to build my app that way and not clicking on dropdown menus to do it.

Also I know there are these nuget packages, do I have to use those? Or can I use npm with the cmd to import the packages I want. I really want to develop with Angular 2.

Last question set, what database system do I use? Do I just use my own? I have mongodb on my local machine which I use for all my projects. I know MySQL very well also I just don't know how to integrate it with pure javascript only PHP.

I know there is no PM with Hasnode how would I "hit you up"?

These questions I feel like are skipped in every tutorial I go to. Maybe I should go to a Visual studio class.

So. The 3 project types are thus:

Web Application - This is the classic .NET 4.6.1 template. It's been around for a while but you can't use NPM very easily with this project type.
ASP.NET Core (.NET Framework) - This is still .NET 4.6.1, but it uses the new ASP.NET 5 setup. A nice intermediary bridge between .NET Framework and .NET Core.
ASP.NET Core (.NET Core) - This is the same as the previous project, but with everything initially setup for .NET Core.

Out of the 3, I'd choose the first or second; probably the second. .NET Core is still really new and there isn't a tonne of documentation. The second option is a little more flexible and lets you use NPM, Bower, etc. within VS easily.

So when you get to the project template selection, that's all they are, templates. They are just projects with certain pages, controllers, etc created for you. At their core they're all the same; just showing off different aspects of the platform. I usually role with the empty project, but I've been doing this for years.

Also, you'll be given the option to host in Azure. This is up to you. Everything of my generally ends up there at some point, but you don't have to use it. When your project loads and you click the debug button (or press F5), VS will launch a mini version of IIS called IIS Express to run your website. It runs locally and within its own memory space. When you stop debugging, it stops IIS Express as well; though you can changes this in the options.

Creating your own folder structure is done through the GUI for the most part UNLESS you use the ASP.NET Core project types. These project types will pick up folder and file changes made outside of the IDE, so feel free to BASH/PowerShell/Console it up.

Nuget packages are generally for .NET libraries only; like NPM is for JavaScript, etc. You should use them, but you don't need to use them for any of your client side stuff. If it's .NET use Nuget; if it's client-side/javascript stuff, go NPM.

You can use whatever database you like. There are drivers for just about every major database out there. SQL is generally included by default via EntityFramework.

If you want to use MongoDB type: "Install-Package MongoDB.Driver" in your package manager console.

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