Do you prefer Master Page or User Controls?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Cirene
  • Start date Start date
C

Cirene

I know that sometimes referring to controls deep in a page using a Master
Page can be funky.

For a website using a standard header/footer/nav, do you prefer using User
Controls for the common items, or do you prefer Master Pages?

What is best from your experience? I've downloaded a few sample projects
(like for the Telerik Rad Controls) and have noticed that they like to use
User Controls.

What are the pros/cons of each?

Thanks.
 
In addition to Eliyahu's response, MasterPages are actually UserControls
anyway... There is often a misconception (not aimed at you) that MasterPages
are somehow the ASP.NET implementation of framesets - nothing could be
further from the truth...

Eliyahu is also correct in that MasterPages do introduce a certain level of
complexity, but it's not exactly rocket science... :-)

IMO, MasterPages were one of the major innovations in ASP.NET 2, and I
personally never use anything else for common layout.
Click to expand...

IMHO

Master pages are not really user control. It's really hard to debug on
user control but master page.
 
I hate to disagree with you, but Mark is right - according to Microsoft,
Masterpages become implementations of User controls on the pages

David Wier
http://aspnet101.com
http://iWritePro.com - One click PDF, convert .doc/.rtf/.txt to HTML with no
bloated markup


news:[email protected]...
Click to expand...
In addition to Eliyahu's response, MasterPages are actually UserControls
anyway...
Click to expand...
IMO, MasterPages were one of the major innovations in ASP.NET 2, and I
personally never use anything else for common layout.
Click to expand...

IMHO

Master pages are not really user control. It's really hard to debug on
user control but master page.
 
I agree with David.

MasterPage class is derived from System.Web.UI.UserControl as opposed to
System.Web.UI.Page.
 
Yes and no.

Technically, yes, master pages are user controls. But from development
pattern perspective they are very different. Typically, regular user
controls address one well-defined and limited task whereas master pages are
commonly used as a base for building the whole page with much richer markup
and code-behind. Perhaps that's why many developers don't perceive master
pages as user controls.

--
Eliyahu Goldin,
Software Developer
Microsoft MVP [ASP.NET]
http://msmvps.com/blogs/egoldin
http://usableasp.net
 
re:
!> MasterPage class is derived from System.Web.UI.UserControl as opposed to System.Web.UI.Page.

The UserControl, Page and MasterPage classes all are subclasses of System.Web.UI.

See :
http://quickstarts.asp.net/QuickStartv20/util/classbrowser.aspx?namespace=System.Web.UI

When an HTTP request is made for a page at run time, the master page and content
pages are combined into a single class with the same name as the content pages.

The *resulting* compiled, merged class derives from the Page class.

The MasterPage class derives (inherits, actually) from Control,
and is last in a chain which includes Control, TemplateControl and UserControl:

Here's the inheritance hierarchy for the MasterPage class :

System..::.Object
System.Web.UI..::.Control
System.Web.UI..::.TemplateControl
System.Web.UI..::.UserControl
System.Web.UI..::.MasterPage

The master page is initialized as the top control in a page’s control hierarchy by
clearing the page’s Controls array and adding the master page to the Control collection.

The master page initialization happens after the PreInit event
fires for a Page object, but before the Init event fires.




Juan T. Llibre, asp.net MVP
asp.net faq : http://asp.net.do/faq/
foros de asp.net, en español : http://asp.net.do/foros/
======================================
 
I see a bunch of off-topic discussion about whether MasterPages are
userControls (they are). I use MasterPages quite frequently as they make it
very easy to "skin" a page with a consistent layout, theme and features.
They do introduce an additional level of complexity from a programmatic
perspective but as others have indicated, once you understand what a
MasterPage actually is, it's not rocket science.

Usercontrols fit in more as specific units of functionality to be dropped on
to the page proper. Hope that helps.
Peter
 
Back
Top