I'm trying to learn ASP.NET and C# and I'm really frustrated with the book selection out here.  I've bought 3 books so far and none of them are very helpful.

• Beginning ASP.NET 2.0 in C# 2005 (by Matthew MacDonald). 1 out of 5 stars.  The worst of the three I've bought.  For a book over one thousand pages, the author does a whole lot of skimming over important topics.  For example he teaches you C# in 67 pages.  Each topic gets about one paragraph of explanation.  If you don't grok it by then...well too bad, its off onto another topic.  Avoid this book.
• ASP.NET Programming with Microsoft Visual C# .Net (G Andrew Duthie) 2 out of 5 stars. A better book, but also lacking in many areas.  The examples are better, but the author continually explains the intricate differences between ASP.NET and ASP.  As someone trying to learn ASP.NET this is not only useless, but it makes the book really hard to follow.
• ASP.NET Web Matrix Starter Kit (Mike Pope) 3 out of 5 Stars.  This book might have gotten 5 stars, had I bought it three years ago.  I really like to examples, pace and the authors writing style.  However the unforunate thing about this book is that it's based on Web Matrix, an apparently dead IDE project.  Trying to do the examples using VWD 2005 has proven difficult.  Of the three, I've choosing this book even though its aimed at a dead IDE and the examples are in Visual Basic.Net.  That shows you how badly I consider the first two books!

Now for my question.  I'm following a tutorial (In Mike Pope's book) where he uses a tool in Web Matrix called "Code Builders". He says to drag a "INSERT Data Method" element onto my page.  I've looked everywhere and cannot find something similiar in Visual Web Developer Express.  I did find this page that speaks of TableAdapters.  It sounds like this could be what I'm looking for, but the help system is difficult to understand.  Does VWD Express support TableAdapters?  Where exactly can I find them?

-=STZ=-

The answer is very simple C# is three times the size of Asp.net so using Asp.net book to learn C# is futile.  You have to learn C# before buying an Asp.net book using C#, two authors that write good comprehensive C# books out with C# 2.0 are Herbert Shildt and Jeffery Richter.  I used Jeff Prosise book for Asp.net 1.1 in C# but his book for Asp.net 2.0 is not out because he is writing documentation for Micrsoft.  Hope this helps.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0072262095/ref=pd_sbs_b_1/102-3838077-3561766?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735621632/102-3838077-3561766?v=glance&n=283155

Sorry I did not give you a link to good Asp.net 2.0 tutorials, try the link below and check November 2005 to April 2006 for Asp.net 2.0 tutorials.

http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu

stzaske:

ASP.NET Web Matrix Starter Kit (Mike Pope) 3 out of 5 Stars.  This book might have gotten 5 stars, had I bought it three years ago.  I really like to examples, pace and the authors writing style.  However the unforunate thing about this book is that it's based on Web Matrix, an apparently dead IDE project.  Trying to do the examples using VWD 2005 has proven difficult.

Keep in mind that ASP.NET 2.0 builds on ASP.NET 1.1, so everything you learn from Mike Pope will still be applicable to ASP.NET 2.0 websites.  Even better, a good ASP.NET 1.1 book, like the one from Mike, will teach you the real basics.  An ASP.NET 2.0 book may skim passed the basics and focus on the funky features of ASP.NET 2.0, which is not a good way to learn the technology.

My recommendation would be to work with ASP.NET 1.1, the Web Matrix, and Mike Pope.  Work with these guys until ASP.NET 2.0 Unleashed is released in June.  Then you can work with ASP.NET 2.0, Visual Web Developer, and Stephen Walther.  That will give you a fun and easy path into ASP.NET, learning the basics in ASP.NET 1.1 and then the clever features of ASP.NET 2.0.

I hope this helps you.