Themes are a way to allow programmers to establish "skinnable" websites that can be programmatically adjusted for various purposes. A webmaster may decide that there should be a certain look and feel for site administrators while registered users see a different look and the remaining users see still a different view when they visit the site. This could include, among other things, completely different controls, graphics, and/or color schemes for each group. Users may want to set up a theme specifically targeted to meet the needs of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that removes all images and background colors and leaves the pages in stark contrast for that particular user group. Or maybe the developer just wants to let people choose the way they experience the site each time they visit.

Themes are very powerful and this book aims to highlight the potential of ASP.NET 2.0 Themes as well as their relationship to master pages and CSS in web applications today and illustrate many of the facets that can and should be included in theme development. While not specifically a designer's book, an overview of good web design and even a cheater's guide to PhotoShop will be included with the intent of taking the average ASP.NET Programmer and given them the knowledge to be "Renaissance Men and Women" of web design.

Specific topics covered in the book include:

* Browser, bandwidth, and accessibility considerations
* Use of color, fonts, multimedia
* CSS classes, elements, and Visual Studio CSS tools
* Master pages, child pages, and inheritance
* Consistent navigation and Site Maps
* Theme files, skin files, and applying themes
* A mobile theme example
* Basic PhotoShop tricks for Web Developers

With ASP.NET 2.0, .NET developers finally have the tools in their hands to effortlessly create aesthetically pleasing web application interface designs that can be easily carried forward to create a consistent look and feel to their site. In this book you'll see how to join these new ASP.NET tools with universal web standards like CSS, color, graphics, and accessibility in the planning of any of your web projects. This combination will provide you with unique skills in the art of making powerful ASP.NET pages look as amazing as the technology that drives them.

Before delving into the new Navigation Controls, Master Pages, and Themes, ASP.NET programmers get a thorough grounding in basic web design considerations, including colors and fonts, Photoshop basics, and the fundamentals of CSS standards. With these tools in hand, ASP.NET developers can expand their programming horizons to make ASP.NET sites that are not only well-designed but attractive and easy-to-use.

What you will learn from this book

* How adding visual and interface design skills to your data access and business logic skills makes you a well-rounded and valuable developer
* How properly structured navigation controls can not only allow for the globalization of your site but can increase the security of your pages through integration with the ASP.NET Membership API
* How Master pages can be used to template the look and feel of your site and how other pages can then inherit them
* How to make ASP.NET controls render accessible CSS code rather than tables
* How to create a new theme for only mobile devices using new graphics, CSS rules, and master pages
* A preview of Microsoft's newest web developer technologies, including SilverLight and Visual Studio 2008