ASP.NET Web Matrix
Encyclopedia
Microsoft WebMatrix is a free tool released by Microsoft
, allowing developers to build websites capable of running on Windows or Linux
platforms. It's notable in that it allows developers to use free open source web applications written in either PHP
or ASP.NET
.
Another Microsoft tool, ASP.NET Web Matrix (which was released in 2003 and later discontinued) should not be confused with Microsoft WebMatrix. While the names of the two tools are similar, the name of the latter is inspired by the former.
, the SQL Server Compact
database engine
and the ASP.NET Web Pages framework. The ASP.NET Web Pages framework contains the 'Razor' syntax for inline coding of C# and VB
within HTML.
WebMatrix also integrates the Web Application Gallery and Web Application Installer from Microsoft, enabling developers who use PHP, MySQL
or other web development components to download, install and configure these components directly from WebMatrix.
WebMatrix claims to simplify the website development process because it:
s running on servers which support ASP.NET.
ASP.NET Web Matrix grew out of a pet project started by Nikhil Kothari. It was originally conceived as a test bed for working with ASP.NET controls in a designer environment. The ASP.NET team saw a number of benefits for a tool of this type, and used it to try out a variety of additional ideas for creating an Integrated development environment that could act as a lightweight alternative to Visual Studio. The project was developed into a product (originally code-named "Saturn") that was released in the summer of 2002 as free download on the www.asp.net Web site, without official support (only community support) and with only word-of-mouth marketing. The original release supported only Microsoft SQL Server
, which was bundled with Web Matrix in the form of MSDE
, a desktop version of the database engine. A subsequent release of Web Matrix ("Web Matrix Reloaded") in June 2003 included support for Microsoft Access
.mdb files, which simplified deployment.
Web Matrix included a number of features that made it an appealing alternative to Visual Studio 2003:
Many of these features were incorporated into Visual Studio 2005, and the WebMatrix style of web application development became the default. The success of the Web Matrix project, both in terms of features and in the appeal to the community of a free IDE with a limited feature set, also caused the Visual Studio team decide to release Microsoft Visual Studio Express
2005.
, integration with the debugger, an integrated compiler for developing class libraries, and support for the ASP.NET code-behind page model.
Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2005 did include most of these features, and the Web Matrix's role has been taken by Visual Web Developer Express Edition.
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, allowing developers to build websites capable of running on Windows or Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
platforms. It's notable in that it allows developers to use free open source web applications written in either PHP
PHP
PHP is a general-purpose server-side scripting language originally designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. For this purpose, PHP code is embedded into the HTML source document and interpreted by a web server with a PHP processor module, which generates the web page document...
or ASP.NET
ASP.NET
ASP.NET is a Web application framework developed and marketed by Microsoft to allow programmers to build dynamic Web sites, Web applications and Web services. It was first released in January 2002 with version 1.0 of the .NET Framework, and is the successor to Microsoft's Active Server Pages ...
.
Another Microsoft tool, ASP.NET Web Matrix (which was released in 2003 and later discontinued) should not be confused with Microsoft WebMatrix. While the names of the two tools are similar, the name of the latter is inspired by the former.
Overview
WebMatrix is a bundle of software running on the developer's machine, with the aim of simplifying the process of web application development using Windows. The bundle includes the IIS Express web serverWeb server
Web server can refer to either the hardware or the software that helps to deliver content that can be accessed through the Internet....
, the SQL Server Compact
SQL Server Compact
Microsoft SQL Server Compact is a compact relational database produced by Microsoft for applications that run on mobile devices and desktops. Prior to the introduction of the desktop platform, it was known as SQL Server for Windows CE and SQL Server Mobile Edition...
database engine
Database engine
A database engine is the underlying software component that a database management system uses to create, read, update and delete data from a database....
and the ASP.NET Web Pages framework. The ASP.NET Web Pages framework contains the 'Razor' syntax for inline coding of C# and VB
Visual Basic .NET
Visual Basic .NET , is an object-oriented computer programming language that can be viewed as an evolution of the classic Visual Basic , which is implemented on the .NET Framework...
within HTML.
WebMatrix also integrates the Web Application Gallery and Web Application Installer from Microsoft, enabling developers who use PHP, MySQL
MySQL
MySQL officially, but also commonly "My Sequel") is a relational database management system that runs as a server providing multi-user access to a number of databases. It is named after developer Michael Widenius' daughter, My...
or other web development components to download, install and configure these components directly from WebMatrix.
WebMatrix claims to simplify the website development process because it:
- Is a relatively small, free download
- Allows code to be written using ASP.NET, 'Razor', or PHP
- Supports HTML5
- Integrates a web server (IIS Express) and a database engine (SQL Server Compact)
- Installs and configures components such as PHP or MySQL for Windows users
- Integrates deployment via FTPFile Transfer ProtocolFile Transfer Protocol is a standard network protocol used to transfer files from one host to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet. FTP is built on a client-server architecture and utilizes separate control and data connections between the client and server...
or WebDeploy - Allows deployment to LAMPLAMP (software bundle)LAMP is an acronym for a solution stack of free, open source software, referring to the first letters of Linux , Apache HTTP Server, MySQL and PHP , principal components to build a viable general purpose web server.The GNU project is advocating people to use the term "GLAMP" since what is known as...
-based servers as well as Windows-based servers - Includes Search Engine OptimizationSearch engine optimizationSearch engine optimization is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the "natural" or un-paid search results...
(SEO) tools
ASP.NET Web Matrix (2003)
The original ASP.NET Web Matrix was a free tool released by Microsoft for the rapid development of web applicationWeb application
A web application is an application that is accessed over a network such as the Internet or an intranet. The term may also mean a computer software application that is coded in a browser-supported language and reliant on a common web browser to render the application executable.Web applications are...
s running on servers which support ASP.NET.
ASP.NET Web Matrix grew out of a pet project started by Nikhil Kothari. It was originally conceived as a test bed for working with ASP.NET controls in a designer environment. The ASP.NET team saw a number of benefits for a tool of this type, and used it to try out a variety of additional ideas for creating an Integrated development environment that could act as a lightweight alternative to Visual Studio. The project was developed into a product (originally code-named "Saturn") that was released in the summer of 2002 as free download on the www.asp.net Web site, without official support (only community support) and with only word-of-mouth marketing. The original release supported only Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database server, developed by Microsoft: It is a software product whose primary function is to store and retrieve data as requested by other software applications, be it those on the same computer or those running on another computer across a network...
, which was bundled with Web Matrix in the form of MSDE
MSDE
Microsoft SQL Server Data Engine is a relational database management system developed by Microsoft. It is a scaled-down version of Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 or 2000 which is free for non-commercial use as well as certain limited commercial use...
, a desktop version of the database engine. A subsequent release of Web Matrix ("Web Matrix Reloaded") in June 2003 included support for Microsoft Access
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Office Access, previously known as Microsoft Access, is a relational database management system from Microsoft that combines the relational Microsoft Jet Database Engine with a graphical user interface and software-development tools. It is a member of the Microsoft Office suite of...
.mdb files, which simplified deployment.
Web Matrix included a number of features that made it an appealing alternative to Visual Studio 2003:
- It was a comparatively small download and was fast and easy to install.
- It was specific to Web applications, thus avoiding some of the complexities required in Visual Studio to support the different tools, languages, and application types in Visual Studio.
- It used a folder-based model, rather than the project model used in Visual Studio. (For more information, see Scott GuthrieScott GuthrieScott Guthrie is a vice president in the Microsoft Developer Division. He runs the development teams that build ASP.NET, Common Language Runtime , Core .NET Base Class Library, Silverlight, Windows Forms, WPF, Internet Information Services 7.5, Commerce Server, .NET Compact Framework, Visual Web...
's blog entry VS 2005 Web Project System: What is it and why did we do it?.) - It did not require design-time compilation into a single deployable .dll. Instead, developers could deploy the source code for their ASP.NET pages and rely on ASP.NET to dynamically compile the pages on first request.
- It included a small Web-server tool ("Cassini") that ran on the local computer and enabled the developer to test ASP.NET Web pages without requiring Internet Information ServicesInternet Information ServicesInternet Information Services – formerly called Internet Information Server – is a web server application and set of feature extension modules created by Microsoft for use with Microsoft Windows. It is the most used web server after Apache HTTP Server. IIS 7.5 supports HTTP, HTTPS,...
. This feature made it appealing to developers who could not run IIS due to corporate policy or because they did not have a version of Microsoft Windows that includes IIS. - It included FTP support, rather than requiring FrontPage Server Extensions (FPSE). This feature made it a practical development tool for hobbyists and students who could develop and test on their own computer, and then deploy their files to a hosted server.
- It was free.
Many of these features were incorporated into Visual Studio 2005, and the WebMatrix style of web application development became the default. The success of the Web Matrix project, both in terms of features and in the appeal to the community of a free IDE with a limited feature set, also caused the Visual Studio team decide to release Microsoft Visual Studio Express
Microsoft Visual Studio Express
Microsoft Visual Studio Express is a set of freeware integrated development environments developed by Microsoft that are lightweight versions of the Microsoft Visual Studio product line. Express Editions were conceived beginning with Visual Studio 2005...
2005.
Visual Studio Express
While ASP.NET Web Matrix provided a number of firsts and innovations that made their way into the Visual Studio product line, it lacked important features required by professional web developers, such as IntelliSenseIntelliSense
IntelliSense is Microsoft's implementation of autocompletion, best known for its use in the Microsoft Visual Studio integrated development environment...
, integration with the debugger, an integrated compiler for developing class libraries, and support for the ASP.NET code-behind page model.
Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2005 did include most of these features, and the Web Matrix's role has been taken by Visual Web Developer Express Edition.
External links
- WebMatrix at ASP.NET website
- WebMatrix at IIS.NET website
- Learn WebMatrix
- Release announcement of v1