Displaying Data

New to .NET is data binding: a method of attaching tables of data to user interface elements. Using data binding, you can query results from a SQL Server database, and "bind" the results to a drop down box. ASP.NET will handle the HTML code, so there is no longer a need, as there was in classic ASP, for writing Response.Write "<option>"... etc.

Binding Data

Binding data to a control is simply a matter of setting the control's DataSource property to a data source, and calling the control's DataBind method. The following ASP.NET page queries a database, and then binds a list of Authors to a DataGrid control.

<%@ Page Language="C#" %>
<%@ Import Namespace="System.Data.SqlClient" %>
<%@ Import Namespace="System.Data" %>

<script runat="server">

void Page_Load(Object sender, EventArgs e)
{
        SqlConnection myConnection;
        SqlDataAdapter myAdapter;
        string CmdStr;
        string ConnStr;
        DataSet ds = new DataSet();

        // Establish Connection
        ConnStr = "server=localhost;uid=sa;pwd=;database=pubs";
        myConnection = new SqlConnection(ConnStr);

        // Run Query and Fill DataSet
        CmdStr = "select * from authors order by au_lname";
        myAdapter = new SqlDataAdapter(CmdStr, myConnection);
        myAdapter.Fill(ds, "Authors");

        // Bind to Grid
        ArticleGrid.DataSource = ds.Tables["Authors"].DefaultView;
        ArticleGrid.DataBind();
}

</script>
<html>
<body>
    <h1>Authors</h1>
    <asp:DataGrid id="ArticleGrid" runat="server" width="100%" />
</body>
</html>