This is the first in a series of posts on getting started with ASP.NET Ajax and adding it to an existing application, in our case, Community Server 2007. This is possible because all of the source code for the controls is included in the Ajax Control Toolkit. Since we have the source code, we can create custom versions of existing Ajax toolkit controls that use the Community Server API. An example of a CS-customized Ajax Toolkit control is my CS Ajax Slideshow control.
Joe Stagman's Video series on the official ASP.NET Ajax home page is our starting point. We'll be downloading and installing the ASP.NET Ajax Extensions for VS2005 and afterward, the ASP.NET Ajax Control Toolkit. Joe provides videos for both that will walk us through each step of the installation.
Okay, the installation and setup is done (thanks to Joe), and we'll want to get comfy in ASP.NET Ajax before bringing another project like Community Server into the picture. To become familiar with ASP.NET Ajax we'll create a new web project and reference the Toolkit and Web.Extensions. We could work in the toolkit itself, but it's best to create a new web project so we can get the feel for integrating ASP.NET Ajax with another app. Using the Ajax VS2005 toolbox controls (shown below) makes reproducing the toolkit controls in our new web app a breeze. Using the code generated with the VS2005 toolbox as a basis for our custom Ajax control also gives us a jumpstart when we begin modifying the source for our custom Community Server Ajax controls.
The Ajax Control Toolkit comes with a sample web application that contains all of the current ASP.NET Ajax toolkit controls, so once we walk through all of those cool controls and start duplicating them on the web application we're referencing the toolkit and Ajax Extensions from, we know we're ready for our next step of bringing ASP.NET Ajax into Community Server.
