Visual Studio LightSwitch 2012

Visual Studio LightSwitch 2012

Released July 2013
Publisher(s): Apress
ISBN: 9781430250715

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Book description

LightSwitch 2012 is included as part of the Visual Studio 2012 package. It is a rapid application deployment tool that lets power users and administrators build data-centric business applications for the desktop, cloud, and Web in just a few clicks, with no code required. The basics are very easily understood but more advanced users will hunger for more: how do you design complex layouts? How do you query data using LINQ and other syntax structures? How do you secure your application against malicious use? Visual Studio LightSwitch 2012 answers these questions and more as author Tim Leung—winner of a Microsoft 2011 Community Contributor Award for his LightSwitch expertise—covers this breakthrough product in detail. For serious developers building, enhancing and deploying advanced business applications using LightSwitch makes sense because they can benefit from the elegance, convenience and cost savings afforded by rapid application development before going beyond the "click-and-you're-done" interface to include the extra value and depth of coding expertise that their clients value.

What you'll learn

With Visual Studio LightSwitch 2012, learn how to:

  • Add visibility through with Relationships and Details screens

  • Use customized queries, sorts and filters, and reporting

  • Customize displays via user controls

  • Use multiple line-of-business data sources to aggregate reports

  • Handle events in code and debug applications

  • Master the intricacies of complex user interface design

  • Secure your applications through authentication

  • Write custom .NET code to enhance LightSwitch

  • Deploy maintainable LightSwitch projects

    • Who this book is for

    Visual Studio LightSwitch 2012 is a book designed for any software developer who wants to take advantage of the rapid application deployment (RAD) experience offered by LightSwitch. It is ideal reading for those wanting to build and design applications correctly from the onset. Developers who have grasped the basics of LightSwitch and are looking to do more will benefit greatly from this book. Anyone struggling to design complex screens and queries in order to meet user requirements will find the answers in this book.

    Table of contents

    1. Title Page
    2. Contents at a Glance
    3. Contents
    4. About the Author
    5. About the Technical Reviewers
    6. Acknowledgments
    7. Foreword
    8. Introduction
    9. CHAPTER 1: Introducing LightSwitch
      1. Understanding LightSwitch’s Architecture
      2. Introducing the Model-Centric Architecture
      3. Building Your Application
      4. Understanding the Model-View-ViewModel Pattern
      5. Examining LightSwitch Projects
      6. Reducing Project Sizes
      7. Summary
    10. CHAPTER 2: Setting Up Your Data
      1. Choosing Where to Store Your Data
      2. What Are Entities and Properties?
      3. Creating Tables (Entities)
      4. Creating Fields (Properties)
      5. Using LightSwitch Business Types
      6. Examining What Happens in SQL Server
      7. Creating Choice Lists
      8. Defining Relationships
      9. Attaching Existing Data
      10. Creating Computed Properties
      11. Summary
    11. CHAPTER 3: Introducing Silverlight Screen Design
      1. Choosing a Screen Template
      2. Showing a Single Record
      3. Organizing Your Screen
      4. Including Related Data Items
      5. Showing Collections of Records
      6. Using Data-Selection Controls
      7. Setting Control Appearances
      8. Creating a Search Screen
      9. Launching Child Screens
      10. Setting Application Properties
      11. Configuring Screen Navigation
      12. Designing Screens at Run Time
      13. Summary
    12. CHAPTER 4: Accessing Data with Code
      1. Performing Application Tasks in Code
      2. Working with Data
      3. Working with User Details
      4. Working with Screen Data
      5. Working with the Save Pipeline
      6. Working with Change Sets
      7. Managing Transactions in LightSwitch
      8. Understanding Concurrency
      9. Summary
    13. CHAPTER 5: Validating Data
      1. Understanding Validation in LightSwitch
      2. How Client Validation Works
      3. Defining Validation Rules
      4. Writing Custom Validation
      5. Custom Validation Examples
      6. Performing Screen Validation
      7. Validating Deletions
      8. Accessing Validation Results in Code
      9. Database Validation
      10. Summary
    14. CHAPTER 6: Querying Your Data
      1. Introduction to Data Retrieval
      2. Understanding the Query Pipeline
      3. Using LightSwitch’s Default Queries
      4. Filtering and Sorting Data
      5. Sorting Data
      6. Modifying Screen Queries
      7. Writing Queries in Code
      8. Performing Advanced Filtering
      9. Creating Global Values
      10. Summary
    15. CHAPTER 7: Mastering Silverlight Screen Design
      1. Working with Screen Data
      2. Managing Screens
      3. Working with Controls
      4. Custom Examples
      5. Working with Threads
      6. Reacting to Data Changes
      7. Working with Files
      8. Summary
    16. CHAPTER 8: Creating HTML Interfaces
      1. Introducing the HTML Client
      2. Setting Up Visual Studio for HTML Development
      3. Adding an HTML Client
      4. Adding Screens to Your Application
      5. Designing Screens
      6. Creating a Navigation Structure
      7. Adding New Records
      8. Using Dialogs
      9. Using Popups
      10. Creating a Search Screen
      11. Filtering the List Control
      12. Extending Your Application with JavaScript
      13. Adding Custom HTML to Screens
      14. Using Custom Controls
      15. Executing Queries
      16. Working with Documents
      17. Customizing the Appearance of Your Application
      18. Securing Your Application
      19. Summary
    17. CHAPTER 9: Creating and Using RIA Services
      1. Creating an RIA Services Project
      2. Retrieving Data
      3. Retrieving a Connection String from web.config
      4. Updating Data
      5. Calling SQL Stored Procedures
      6. Consuming Your RIA Service
      7. Summary
    18. CHAPTER 10: Sharing Data with OData
      1. What Is OData?
      2. Using External Data Sources
      3. Exposing Your LightSwitch Data via OData
      4. Consuming LightSwitch Data
      5. Summary
    19. CHAPTER 11: Creating and Using Custom Controls
      1. Using Custom Controls
      2. Creating a Custom Silverlight Control
      3. Calling Screen Code from a Custom Control
      4. Summary
    20. CHAPTER 12: Creating Control Extensions
      1. Using LightSwitch Extensions
      2. Preparing Your Computer to Develop Extensions
      3. Understanding Custom Control Types
      4. Creating Value Controls
      5. Running and Deploying Your Extension
      6. Creating a Detail Control (ComboBox)
      7. Creating Custom Property Editors
      8. Creating a Group Control Extension
      9. Creating a Command Control Extension
      10. Summary
    21. CHAPTER 13: Creating Data and Presentation Extensions
      1. Creating a Business Type Extension
      2. Creating a Custom Shell Extension
      3. Creating a Custom Theme Extension
      4. Creating a Screen Template Extension
      5. Creating a Data Source Extension
      6. Summary
    22. CHAPTER 14: Creating Reports
      1. Choosing a Reporting Option
      2. Using ASP.NET to Create Reports
      3. Using Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services
      4. Linking Reports to LightSwitch
      5. Creating Reports with Microsoft Word
      6. Creating Adobe PDF Documents
      7. Using Other Third-Party Solutions
      8. Summary
    23. CHAPTER 15: Sending E-mail
      1. Choosing How to Send E-mail
      2. Sending E-mail by Using Server-Side Code
      3. Creating Mail in a Pickup Folder
      4. Sending Mail via Outlook by Using COM Automation
      5. Opening the Default Mail Program
      6. Calling External Resources from LightSwitch Clients
      7. Summary
    24. CHAPTER 16: Authenticating Your Users
      1. Choosing an Authentication Method
      2. Understanding Where User Details Are Stored
      3. Summary
    25. CHAPTER 17: Authorizing Your Users
      1. Applying Permissions
      2. Defining Permissions
      3. Specifying the Application Administrator
      4. Creating and Managing Roles
      5. Custom Authorization Examples
      6. Summary
    26. CHAPTER 18: Deploying Your Application
      1. Getting Started with Deployment
      2. Using the Publish Wizard
      3. Setting Up Your Web Server
      4. Installing the Packages
      5. Three-Tier Manual Deployment
      6. Deploying Data
      7. Updating an Application
      8. Troubleshooting Deployment Errors
      9. Deploying to Azure
      10. Publishing to SharePoint
      11. Summary
    27. APPENDIX A: Culture Names
    28. APPENDIX B: Data Type Identifiers
    29. APPENDIX C: Using Properties in Custom Controls
    30. APPENDIX D: Custom Screen Template View IDs
    31. APPENDIX E: HelpDesk Tables
      1. HelpDesk Tables
      2. External Tables
      3. Database Diagram
    32. Index

    Product information

    • Title: Visual Studio LightSwitch 2012
    • Author(s):
    • Release date: July 2013
    • Publisher(s): Apress
    • ISBN: 9781430250715