The ASP.NET PowerPack is a collection of web controls, some extended versions of default controls,
some completely new.
The ASP.NET PowerPack is designed to:
There are just so many different controls (28!) with so many different purposes it's just not
possible to summarise them all in a sentence or two. Instead, here they are split into 6 categories
with a complete list at the end.
Rich GUI controls
These controls are similar in function to standard Windows or GUI controls. They take
advantage of Dynamic HTML where it is available, but crucially they still provide the
equivalent functionality in older browsers. The solution for older browsers may not
be nice, but your web forms will still work.
We have an additional rich control. Unlike the other controls however, the nature of this
control means it does not work in older or unpopular browsers. It still is a very useful
control however, because it can help provide a more interactive experience for the
majority of your users, without impacting the functionality of your site.
Server controls
These controls greatly simplify some aspects of developing a site. Want to draw your
users' attention to an important piece of text? Highlight it in a
Note.
Want to only show a 'Create' button to users who have the 'author' privilege? Just put the button in a
ShowIfInRole
tag. Want to hide the username and password boxes when someone has logged in? Wrap a
ShowIfNotLoggedIn
tag around them.
If you want to get really fancy, use
ShowOnConditionServerSide
to make your forms more usable and
ShowAtTime
to make your special offers appear on schedule. And the
SwearFilter
just might save you from serious embarrassment.
Validation controls
ASP.NET provides a really neat validation mechanism to ensure you’re not storing garbage every
time someone submits a form. The built-in validators cover a lot of varied situations, but these two
additional controls provide some really special functionality. The
EmailAddressValidator
can be used to give a lot more confidence in the email addresses you gather, by validating them for format,
server lookup and recipient lookup. The
NoRepostValidator
prevents duplicate submission of forms, so you’re customers don’t end up paying twice!
Print controls
These controls provide a simple way of allowing users to print web pages. Instead of you
having to provide instructions on how to print from each browser, just put a
PrintButton
on your page. If you have an invoice page for your users to print out when they make a purchase,
why not save them time by putting a
PrintAutomatically
control on the page.
Popup controls
These controls provide a simple to popup up a MessageBox alert when a user clicks a button.
All apart from the
PopupAutomatically
control allow the user to then cancel out of the operation.
Homepage controls
OK, it's cheesy and it can be really annoying, but these controls make it easy for you
to encourage a user to make the current page their home page. Use with care!
Enhanced versions of default controls
Sometimes the default controls are good but just not quite what's needed. We've
extended the
HyperLink
control so that it doesn't 'linkify' the text if the link points to the current page (a
usability no-no), and our version of the
TextBox
allows you to add some prompt text which disappears when the user clicks on the field,
or set the control to have the input focus automatically when the page loads.
Complete list of ASP.NET PowerPack controls
This is the complete list of all 28 controls.
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