Why can't I use server controls in ASP.net MVC?

Question

I\'m getting ready to be responsible for leading the development of a small ASP.net MVC application. This is my first time creating an MVC application, so I am excited!

Answer 1

I'm so used to using controls like GridView and the MS Chart Controls that I'm almost at a complete loss as to developing without them. It seems almost like starting over.

In this case, starting over is good.

I've gone through a similar journey. If straight HTML scares you, try working with the System.Web.UI.HtmlControls namespace. This will allow you access to standard HTML controls, but you'll still have the comfort of turning them into server controls if you need to (either by specifying the runat="server" attribute, or by converting them into equivalent ASP.NET controls.

In addition to Darin's answer, there's another problem with ASP.NET: you're bound to Microsoft's view of the web. That GridView you love? It's generating bad HTML. The Paging controls it provides? Even worse. Even if you know very little about HTML compliance, nested tables should give you the chills. In a way, everyone who uses a GridView is lucky that legacy web supported by Microsoft (and to a lesser degree, Google and Mozilla) came from such a god awful starting point.

Finally, to summarize: my suggestion is that you try to rewrite your pages or develop new web applications (as best as you can) using HtmlControls only. You'll probably have to learn some JavaScript/jQuery, and might have to venture into the world of AJAX to make your controls operate the way you want them to.

Use this as a stepping stone into the world of MVC. You won't use the same technologies (and may drop a lot of JavaScript/jQuery), but it will help you change the way you think about web development in much smaller, and perhaps easier-to-absorb chunks.

Ultimately, however much you like your ASP.NET controls, you'll have a much greater degree of freedom, and you'll also be developing websites that make use of newer technologies, which will provide added value to your websites.