Do you prefer Master Page or User Controls?

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.

Cirene

On 20 mayo, 06:22, "Mark Rae [MVP]" <m...@markNOSPAMrae.net> wrote:
> "Cirene" <cir...@nowhere.com> wrote in message
>
> news:...
>
> >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?
>
> 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.
>

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


"jc" <> wrote in message
news:b09e0e82-d264-47ba-b08d-...
On 20 mayo, 06:22, "Mark Rae [MVP]" <m...@markNOSPAMrae.net> wrote:
> "Cirene" <cir...@nowhere.com> wrote in message
>
> news:...
<snip>
> In addition to Eliyahu's response, MasterPages are actually UserControls
> anyway...
<snip>
> IMO, MasterPages were one of the major innovations in ASP.NET 2, and I
> personally never use anything else for common layout.
>

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.

--
Madhur
http://blogs.msdn.com/mahuja

"David Wier" <> wrote in message
news:...
>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
>
>
> "jc" <> wrote in message
> news:b09e0e82-d264-47ba-b08d-...
> On 20 mayo, 06:22, "Mark Rae [MVP]" <m...@markNOSPAMrae.net> wrote:
>> "Cirene" <cir...@nowhere.com> wrote in message
>>
>> news:...
> <snip>
>> In addition to Eliyahu's response, MasterPages are actually UserControls
>> anyway...
> <snip>
>> IMO, MasterPages were one of the major innovations in ASP.NET 2, and I
>> personally never use anything else for common layout.
>>
>
> IMHO
>
> Master pages are not really user control. It's really hard to debug on
> user control but master 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


"Mark Rae [MVP]" <> wrote in message
news:...
> "jc" <> wrote in message
> news:b09e0e82-d264-47ba-b08d-...
>
>> IMHO
>>
>> MasterPages are not really UserControl.
>
> That's incorrect. A MasterPage most certainly is a UserControl. In fact,
> all MasterPages by default inherit from the UserControl class:
>
> http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...asterpage.aspx
>
>
> --
> Mark Rae
> ASP.NET MVP
> http://www.markrae.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/QuickStar...=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/
======================================
"Madhur" <> wrote in message news:9570A98B-688A-42A9-AFDF-...
>I agree with David.
>
> MasterPage class is derived from System.Web.UI.UserControl as opposed to System.Web.UI.Page.
>
> --
> Madhur
> http://blogs.msdn.com/mahuja
>
> "David Wier" <> wrote in message news:...
>>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
>>
>>
>> "jc" <> wrote in message
>> news:b09e0e82-d264-47ba-b08d-...
>> On 20 mayo, 06:22, "Mark Rae [MVP]" <m...@markNOSPAMrae.net> wrote:
>>> "Cirene" <cir...@nowhere.com> wrote in message
>>>
>>> news:...
>> <snip>
>>> In addition to Eliyahu's response, MasterPages are actually UserControls
>>> anyway...
>> <snip>
>>> IMO, MasterPages were one of the major innovations in ASP.NET 2, and I
>>> personally never use anything else for common layout.
>>>
>>
>> IMHO
>>
>> Master pages are not really user control. It's really hard to debug on
>> user control but master page.
>>
>>
>

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
"Cirene" <> wrote in message
news:...
>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.
>