MCSD to MCPD Enterprise Developer 70-553-VB Short Notes: Exam Passing Tips

MCSD to MCPD Enterprise Developer 70-553-VB Short Notes: Exam Passing Tips

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Developing applications that use system types and collections

• The Inherits keyword is used to define inheritance of one form from another.


• The MyBase keyword refers to the base class of the current instance of a class. It is also used to refer to methods and properties of a class from which the current instance is inherited.


• The MustInherit keyword in a class declaration specifies that the class should be used only as a base class. It is not possible to create instances of MustInherit classes directly.


• The AutoPostBack property of the TextBox control specifies whether or not an automatic postback to the server will occur whenever the contents of a text box are changed.


• The ToString method of the Exception object provides the maximum information about the exception.


• In generics, no typecasting is required when an element is taken out of a collection. In generics, code is also checked at the compile-time rather than at the runtime.


• Generic types are used to maximize the reusability of code, type safety, and performance of .NET applications.


• An interface describes a group of related behaviors that can belong to a class or a structure.

• The Print method of the Debug class can be used to display a message with a line terminator in the trace listeners collection.


• The Output debugging window is used to display status messages at runtime. Its content is cleared each time the application is compiled or run.


• A breakpoint is a location in an application at which the execution of the application pauses temporarily. When an application encounters a breakpoint, it enters into break mode.


• The EventLogTraceListener class directs tracing or debugging output to the event log.


• The TextWriterTraceListener class is used to redirect output to a TextWriter or a Stream object.


• The Assert method of the Trace class checks for a condition and displays a message if the condition is false.


• The Fail method of the Trace class emits an error message unconditionally.


• A logical error that can occur in a Web form, the program is executed step-by-step to get the exact location of the error.

• By default, a property or a field that returns an object or array of objects is automatically serialized.


• The CopyTo method of the FileInfo class copies an existing file to a new file.


• The Path class is used to get the file extension using the GetExtention() method and to change the file extension using the ChangeExtention() method.


• The FileInfo class contains methods to create, delete, copy, and move files and properties related to a file.


• When the Serializable value of the IsolationLevel enumeration is specified, it prevents more than one user from updating the dataset until the transaction is complete.

• The users attribute of the <deny> element is used to specify user names that are denied access to a resource.


• Setting the users attribute to "*" will deny all users from accessing the application.


• Setting the users attribute to "?" will deny anonymous or unauthorized users from accessing the application.


• In the Packet Privacy authentication level, authentication and encryption of data are performed. This level includes data integrity and the identity and signature of a user.


• The Custom Authentication with SOAP headers is suitable for both secure and non-secure Internet scenarios. For user authentication, the user credentials in encrypted format are passed within the SOAP header of the SOAP message.


• The RSACryptoServiceProvider class is used to encrypt and decrypt data.


• The TripleDESCryptoServiceProvider class is used to encrypt and decrypt data in memory.


• The IsSubSetOf method of the PrincipalPermission class is used to determine whether or not the current permission object is a subset of the specified permission object.


• The Union method of the PrincipalPermission class creates a permission that is the union of a permission object and a target parameter permission object.


• The Demand method determines at run time whether or not the current principal matches that of the permission object demanded.


• The WindowsPrincipal class is used to check the Windows group membership of a Windows user. It can be used to check whether or not a user belongs to a domain user group.


• The GenericPrincipal class represents a generic principal. The GenericIdentity class represents a generic identity.


• Both GenericPrincipal and GenericIdentity classes are used in conjunction with each other to create an authorization scheme.


• The GenericPrincipal and GenericIdentity classes can be used to prompt users for their user names and passwords, to check these values against a database, and to create principal and identity objects.


• The WindowsIdentity and WindowsPrincipal are classes of the System.Security.Principal namespace. To use these classes without any error, the System.Security.Principal namespace needs to be imported.


• The IIdentity interface defines the basic functionality of a generic user's identity object.

• The WebResponse class derived from the System.Net namespace is used to provide a response from a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI).


• The WebRequest class derived from the System.Net namespace is used to make a request to a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI).

• The PrintPage event of the PrintDocument component is raised when the current page content of a document is send to the printer.


• The Me.BackColor = Color.Transparent statement will set a control's backcolor to transparent.


• The Me.SetStyle(ControlStyles.SupportsTransparentBackColor, True) statement will enable a control to support a transparent backcolor.


• The Brushes class contains static properties that allow a user to get a Brush object of different colors.

• The EnableViewState attribute of a control indicates whether or not the view state is maintained across page requests.


• The AutoPostBack attribute of the control specifies whether or not an automatic postback to the server will occur whenever a user changes the content of a text box.


• The Click event is used to programmatically control the actions performed on a Web page when the Submit button is clicked.


• Web server controls are used for advanced functionality and a more consistent programming model than HTML server controls.


• An advertisement file ensures security in order to prevent from being tampered by any unauthorized user. Therefore, guidelines must be followed while configuring, naming, and locating the file.


• The CellPadding property of the Calendar Web server control is used to set the spacing between the contents of a cell and its border.


• To disable the view state of a Web application in the Web.config file by setting the EnableViewState attribute to false in the @ Page directive.


• The CheckedChanged event of the CheckBox control is raised when the value of the Checked property is changed between posts to the Web server. The event will post back to the server only when the AutoPostBack property is set to true.


• The FileUpload control allows a user to upload pictures, text files, or other files from his own computer to a Web server.


• The AutoPostBack property of a server control is set to false for postback manually in response to a specific event.


• A HyperLink control is a Web server control that displays a link to another Web page. Clicking on the hyperlink will open the linked Web page.


• The Image Web server control can specify a graphics file both at design time and at runtime programmatically. It can also specify different types of text for displaying images on a Web page.


• The ImageMap Web server control defines several regions known as hot spots within the control. On the other hand, the ImageButton control does not define any region within the control.


• The Label Web server control displays text in a specific area on a Web page. Although the control cannot receive the user input focus, it can be used as an active caption in front of other Web server controls such as the TextBox and Button controls.


• The Panel Web server control acts as a container or a parent for static texts and other Web server controls in a Web page. It creates specific areas on a Web page to provide custom appearance to other server controls.


• To set the login and password authorization for users, the following must be performed:
  1. The forms-based authentication is enabled in the Web.config file.
  2. Anonymous users will be denied from accessing the site by making necessary changes in the Web.config file.
  3. Finally, a login page will be created that will allow users to enter credential information that can then be authenticated.


• The users attribute of the <deny> element specifies the user names that are denied access to a resource. Setting this attribute to "?" denies anonymous or unauthorized users from accessing the application.


• The allowOverride attribute of the <location> element specifies whether or not the configuration settings in child directories are overridden by configuration settings in the Web.config file.


• The <customErrors> element provides information about custom error messages for ASP.NET applications. The mode attribute of the <customErrors> element specifies whether custom errors are enabled, disabled, or shown only to remote clients.


• The <appSettings> element is a predefined configuration section of the .NET Framework, which contains custom application settings. Each element added to the <appSettings> element has a key attribute and a value attribute.


• The <authentication> element in the Web.config file is added to identify users to view an ASP.NET application.


• Tracing can be enabled for an application by using the <trace> element. The settings of the Web.config file override the settings of the Machine.config file.


• The roles attribute of the <allow> or <deny> element is used to specify a comma-separated list of roles that are granted or denied access to a resource.


• A new Web.config file can be created for a Web application by using the Web Site Administration Tool.


• The Execute method of the HttpServerUtility class is used to execute a request to another page using a specified URL path to the page. It continues to execute the original page after completing the execution of the new page.


• The Transfer method of the HttpServerUtility class terminates execution of the current page and begins execution of a new page.


• The HttpServerUtility class defines two overloaded versions of the Transfer method. Their signatures are given below:
  1. Overloads Public Sub Transfer (String)
  2. Overloads Public Sub Transfer (String, Boolean)


• The Page_Error event handler is created at the page level when an unhandled exception occurs in code that does not contain Try/Catch block in a Web application during execution.


• When a user requests data from the current Web page, he is redirected to the target Web page programmatically on a Web server by calling the Transfer method. The method terminates the execution of the current Web page and starts the execution of a new Web page.


• An HTML server control can be converted to an HTML element by right-clicking the HTML server control and unchecking the mark next to the Run As Server Control drop-down menu option. It can also be converted by deleting the runat="server" attribute from the input tag of the Button control in the source code.

• The ImageUrlField property of the AdRotator class sets a custom data field to be used and replaces the ImageUrl attribute for an advertisement.


• The SqlDataSource data source provides binding data to ODBC, OLEDB, SQL Server, Oracle, or databases that use the SQL language.


• The FormView control displays a single data record from a data source in a table. It displays only user-defined templates instead of row fields.


• The SqlDataAdapter class represents a set of data commands and a database connection that are used to fill a DataSet and update a SQL Server database.


• The SqlCommand class represents a transact-SQL statement or stored procedure to be executed at a SQL Server database.


• The SqlConnection class represents an open connection to a SQL Server database.


• The Min Pool Size value of the ConnectionString property of the SqlConnection class is used to specify the minimum number of connections allowed in a pool.


• A connection string is modified to use the same login ID and password for all connections to a database. This will enable the application to use a single connection pool.


• The SqlConnection class represents an open connection to a SQL Server database.


• ADO.NET supports connection pooling where the SqlConnection class is used to increase the performance of the application.


• The OleDbConnection class represents an open connection to an OLE DB data source, a Microsoft SQL Server 6.x database, or earlier version.


• The OleDbCommand class represents a stored procedure or a SQL statement to execute at a data source.


• The SqlCommand class represents a stored procedure or a SQL statement to execute at a SQL Server database.


• The CommandType property of the SqlCommand class specifies how the command string is interpreted.


• The SqlDataReader class avoids creating unnecessary objects or making unnecessary copies of data. Hence, it provides optimal performance.


• The ExecuteScalar method of the SqlCommand class is commonly used to execute aggregate functions such as COUNT, SUM, etc., on a table.


• The CommandText property of the OleDbCommand class is used to get or set the stored procedure or SQL statement that is to be executed at the data source.


• The Connection property of the OleDbCommand class is used to get or set the OleDbConnection that is used by an instance of the OleDbCommand class.


• The Close method of the SqlDataReader class closes the SqlDataReader object. It is called explicitly while using the SqlDataReader object.


• The SqlDataReader class avoids creating unnecessary objects or making unnecessary copies of data. Hence, it provides optimal performance.


• A SQL Server database version 6.5 can be upgraded to later version in order to improve performance of program code.

• A Web user control creates the control using the same technique, which is used in the creation of Web form pages.


• A Web user control has both the user interface and a code-behind file and cannot be added to the Visual Studio.NET Toolbox. If multiple applications need to use a Web user control, a separate copy of the control is required in each application.


• A Web page can be converted to a user control via code by the following manner:
  1. Change the extension of the Web page from .aspx to .ascx.
  2. Create the @ Control directive at the top of the page, instead of the @ Page directive.
  3. Remove the <html>, <body>, and <form> elements from the ASP.NET code.


• A user control page can be created by selecting Website > Add New Item... menu option in Visual Studio 2005.


• A Web page can be converted to a user control by using Visual Studio 2005.


• When a user control is added to a Web page by using Visual Studio 2005, the Web Designer creates the @ Register directive in the source code of the Web page.

• The Copy Web Site tool copies files between a current Web site and another Web site.


• The Copy Web Site tool supports a synchronization feature that examines the existing files on current and remote Web sites and ensures that all the files are up-to-date.


• The Duration attribute of the @ OutputCache directive specifies the amount of time (in seconds) for which a control is cached.


• ASP.NET controls the enabling or disabling of tracing both at the page-level and at the application-level.


• The TraceMode attribute of the @ Page directive specifies the order in which the trace information is to be displayed. It can be sorted either by the Category column (SortByCategory) or by time column (SortByTime).


• The Cache object implements the cache for a Web application.


• The Session object pertains to an individual user's session with an application. It is used to store and retrieve information during a specific session for a user.


• The Duration and VaryByParam attributes are used in the @ OutputCache directive so that a parser error does not occur when a Web page is first requested.


• Tracing can be enabled or disabled for a page by using the Trace attribute of the @ Page directive.


• The EnableSessionState attribute in the @ Page directive defines session-state requirements for a Web page.


• The @ OutputCache directive controls the output caching policies of an ASP.NET page or a user control contained in an ASP.NET page.


• The Trace.axd Http handler is used to view the trace details of an application by setting the value of requestLimit="[n]" in the application's configuration file.


• Errors in the application can be avoided by the following:
  1. Responding to health monitoring events
  2. Using a debugger to the process in which the application is running
  3. Using a tracing feature

• All the Web pages of the application can be declaratively attach to a specified master page.


• The Culture property of the Page class helps to localize the Web page content.


• The UICulture property of the Page class sets the user interface ID and is defined with either neutral or specific cultures.


• The advantages of using a master page are as follows:
  1. It centralizes the common functionality of all the pages of a Web application.
  2. It easily creates one set of controls and code in order to apply the results to a set of Web pages.
  3. It gives control over the layout of the final Web pages.
  4. It provides object models to customize the master pages from all content pages.


• An application or a page theme can be applied to all the Web pages within a single Web application.


• A skin is an element of theme and is stored in the Theme folder with a .skin file extension.


• A default skin is automatically applied to all controls of the same type. On the other hand, a named skin has to be explicitly applied to a control by setting the SkinID property of the control.


• A Web part is an integrated set of control that creates Web sites so that a user can easily modify the contents, appearance, and behavior of all Web pages directly from a Web browser.

• When cookieless forms authentication is used, the CookieMode property is set to one of the values of the HttpCookieMode enumeration.


• In order to enable the forms authentication mode for the application, some modification needs to be made in the Web.config file that is an application's root directory file.


• The timeout attribute of authentication specifies an integer value that denotes the time (in minutes).


• The slidingExpiration attribute of authentication specifies that the session timeout is periodically reset as long as a user stays active on the site.


• A session cookie can be used as a user preference so that important information of a Web site is provided to users.


• The UrlAuthorizationModule class of the System.Web.Security namespace is used to provide URL-based authorization services to allow or deny access to specified resources.


• The <authorization> element is used to configure ASP.NET authorization support. It contains <allow> and <deny> sub elements. These sub elements are used to allow or deny access to a resource based on specific users or roles.


• ASP.NET login controls can be used both for unauthenticated and authenticated users by implementing them on a Web page.


• The LoginStatus Web server control is used to display a login link for unauthenticated users and a logout link for authenticated users.


• The Login control displays a user interface on a Web site to authenticate users. It is used to prompt a user for a user name and a password in text boxes.

• A cookieless session is implemented on a mobile Web application to ensure that a mobile Web site is compatible with mobile devices of several users.

• The CreateControl method of a GroupBox control is used to force the creation of a copy of the control with all its child controls.


• The TabStop property of a control indicates whether the control will receive focus as the user tabs through a window by using the TAB key.


• Controls can be added to a Windows form at runtime via code.


• The AutoScroll property of a Panel control displays scroll bars when independent controls are hosted in the panel, but outside the visible bounds of the Panel control.


• The following are the reasons for grouping Windows Forms controls inside a Panel control:
  1. They can be used to give a clear user interface and visual cue to a user.
  2. They can be used to subdivide form elements programmatically.
  3. They can be used to move group controls together as a unit at design time.


• The FlowLayoutPanel control arranges its contents and creates a layout that flows horizontally or vertically.


• The SplitContainer control can be used to create complex user interfaces. It is useful for users to display and browse information.


• The following steps should be taken to dynamically add a control to a Windows form and make it visible:
  1. Create an object of the control.
  2. Set the Visible property of the control to true.
  3. Add the object to the Controls collection of the form.


• The AccessibleName property of the Control class is used to get or set the accessible name of a control, which is reported to the accessibility aids. It contains a string value used by clients to identify, find, or announce a control for users.


• The Capture property of the ComboBox class is used to get or set a value that indicates whether or not a control has captured the mouse.


• To set the MaxLength property of a TextBox control to a specified character will prevent a user from entering a password above the specified characters.


• To hide the password from other users, set the PasswordChar property to a symbol, i.e., an asterisk "*".


• The AddRange method of the Control.ControlCollection class is used to add an array of controls to a collection. It is also used to add a single control to a collection.


• Shortcut keys or accelerator keys are keys or key combinations that users can press for quick access to actions they perform frequently.


• The MaxLength property of a TextBox control is used to specify the maximum number of characters that can be entered into the text box control.


• The ComboBox component is a standard HTML drop-down, scrollable list. When a user clicks the component instance, a list of options appears from which only one option can be selected.


• The top-level menu items can have the same access keys. If the same key is defined as an access key for more than one menu item, a user has to hold down the ALT key and the access key to move from one menu option to another.


• Controls can be added to a Windows form at design time by four different techniques. They are as follows:
  1. Select View > Toolbox menu and double-click the control to be added.
  2. Select View > Toolbox menu, select the control to be added and double click the form.
  3. Select a control in the View > Toolbox menu and draw it on the form with the help of the mouse.
  4. Select a control in the View > Toolbox menu and drag it to the form.


• The DisappearAfter property of the Menu class is used to get or set the duration for which a dynamic menu will be displayed when the mouse cursor is removed from the menu.


• The Checked property of the MenuItem class is used to check a menu item the corresponding toolbar will become visible.


• The IsCheckable property of the MenuItem class is used first in a Windows form, as it returns a value to indicate whether or not a MenuItem can be checked.


• The IsChecked property of the MenuItem class is then used, as it sets or returns a value to indicate whether or not the MenuItem is checked when a user clicks on the menu item.


• Context menus or pop-up menus are shortcut menus that appear only when a user clicks the right mouse button over a control or a form. They are built using the ContextMenu class.


• The CloneMenu method is used to create a copy of the specified menu item and its entire members such as sub-menu items, properties, and event handlers.


• The Select event occurs when a user places the mouse cursor over a menu item. This event also occurs when a user highlights a menu item by scrolling to the menu item by using the arrow keys on the keyboard.

• The TabStop property of a control indicates whether the control will receive focus as a user tabs through a window by using the TAB key.


• The bound mode used by a DataGridView control is suitable for managing data by using automatic interaction with a data store. In this mode, unbound columns can also be added to a DataGridView control.


• The unbound mode is suitable to display small amounts of data that can be managed programmatically. A DataGridView control does not require to be attached directly to a data source.


• The DataGridView control replaces the DataGrid control, as it adds more functionality to the DataGrid control.


• Following are the steps to access a database through ADO.NET:
  1. Create a connection to the database by using a Connection object.
  2. Create a DataSet object by using an adapter object.
  3. Use the DataSet object to display data or change items in the database.
  4. Update the database from the DataSet object.
  5. Close the database connection.


• The Commit, Rollback, and Save methods are defined in the SqlTransaction class.


• The SqlConnection.BeginTransaction method starts a database transaction.


• The SqlTransaction.Connection property returns a SqlConnection object in association with a transaction that can take place for each new database connection.


• The XmlReader class defines properties that are used to retrieve information about the name and content of the current node.


• The Namespace property of the DataSet class is used to specify the namespace of a DataSet object.


• SQL Server 2000 supports the FOR XML clause with the SELECT statement.


• The FOR XML clause instructs the SELECT statement to return the query result in an XML format instead of a tabular format.


• An XmlReader class is created to display the XML file from a database. The Read method is implemented in order to read data from the XML file.


• To validate XML data by using the XmlValidatingReader class is now obsolete in .NET Framework 2.0. Instead the XmlReader class is used to validate XML data.

• The Active property of a ToolTip control determines whether the ToolTip control is currently active or not.


• The properties of a Windows Form control can be set by using the PropertyGrid control at runtime.


• The VScrollBar control represents a vertical scroll bar within the ScrollBar control.


• The HScrollBar control represents a horizontal scroll bar within the ScrollBar control.


• The Maximum property of the ProgressBar control sets the maximum value of the range of the control. It specifies the upper limit of the Value property.


• The ToolStripStatusLabel control represents an individual panel of a StatusStrip control.


• The HelpProvider component associates a help file with a Windows application and provides help to users in different ways.


• The ErrorProvider component provides feedback to a user when an error condition occurs due to invalid data entry. It displays an error icon next to a control such as a text box or a list box.


• The Interval property of the Timer component is used to get or set the time (in milliseconds) between the timer ticks in an application.

• The RunWorkerAsync method of the BackgroundWorker component starts execution of a background operation by raising the DoWork event.


• The RunWorkerCompleted event of the BackgroundWorker component is raised to announce the completion a background operation.


• The WorkerSupportsCancellation property of the BackgroundWorker component sets or obtains a value to indicate whether the BackgroundWorker object supports asynchronous cancellation. When the property value is set to true, the CancelAsync method is called in order to interrupt a background operation.


• When the WorkerReportsProgress property value is set to true, the ReportProgress method is called in order to raise the ProgressChanged event.


• The IsBusy property of the BackgroundWorker component obtains a value to indicate whether the BackgroundWorker object is running an asynchronous operation.

• If an application calls a large number of methods or large shared libraries at startup, using pre-compilation is the best technique to optimize the performance of the application during startup. Pre-compiling the application with Native Image Generator (Ngen.exe) reduces its startup time.


• In the .NET Framework version 2.0, the ClickOnce deployment technique is most appropriate for deploying Windows-based applications.


• ClickOnce is a deployment technology that allows a user to create self-updating Windows-based applications


• The three different deployment strategies for deploying a ClickOnce application are as follows:
  1. Installing a Windows-based application from the Web or a Network Share
  2. Installing the application from a CD
  3. Starting the application from the Web or a Network Share.


• ClickOnce technology overcomes three major deployment issues. These issues include difficulties in updating Windows-based applications, dependence of multiple application programs on shared components, and allowing permissions only to administrative users for application installations.

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