ASP.NET 3.5: A Beginner's Guide - www.mustafaof.com

Chapter 7: CSS for ASP.NET 3.5 Page Formatting 179Figure 7-4 CSS-styled Web forms added to web controlsDesigning with CSSMost of the work done with ASP.NET will be to set up forms and controls that users doone of two things with: enter data or extract data. A user enters data when she types inher name, the product she wants, and her payment information. By extracting data, a userusually just looks at the information made available on the web site, but extraction alsoincludes interactive data that respond to data input or stored data. Along with those twokey functions, users will be clicking buttons, making selections from lists, and selectinglinks. However, the key role of ASP.NET and C# is to get and give information.TIPIf you’re reading this book, you’re probably not a designer. (If you are, bless you, andskip the remainder of this tip.) While there are exceptions, most developers need to facethe fact that they’d probably not make very good designers. One of the best tips I gotfrom a designer was to get ideas from what other designers have done. When it comesto CSS, you can find some first-rate designs in CSS style sheets. Here are a few URLswhere you can freely (and legally) download designs created with CSS:www.templateworld.com/free_templates.htmlwww.opensourcetemplates.org/www.oswd.org/By comparing your designs with a designer’s design, you’ll see what I mean.