Do you prefer Master Page or User Controls?

[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.

[Eliyahu Goldin]

I am using user controls for the header and the footer. Master pages, with
all their convenience, certainly do introduce an extra level of complexity.
There are many issues and considerations related to them. I use them for
specific purposes when I anticipate that they can cover significant
functionality. Header and footer are often general for all pages and don't
usually include any reach functionality.

--
Eliyahu Goldin,
Software Developer
Microsoft MVP [ASP.NET]
http://msmvps.com/blogs/egoldin
http://usableasp.net
"Cirene" <ci****@nowhere.comwrote in message
news:ew**************@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

>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.

[Mark Rae [MVP]]

"Cirene" <ci****@nowhere.comwrote in message
news:ew**************@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

>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.
--
Mark Rae
ASP.NET MVP
http://www.markrae.net

[jc]

On 20 mayo, 06:22, "Mark Rae [MVP]" <[e-mail]:

"Cirene" <[e-mail] in message

news:ew**************@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

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.

[David Wier]

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" <jc*********@yahoo.eswrote in message
news:b0**********************************@t54g2000 hsg.googlegroups.com...
On 20 mayo, 06:22, "Mark Rae [MVP]" <[e-mail]:

"Cirene" <[e-mail] in message

news:ew**************@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

<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.

[Madhur]

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" <[e-mail] in message
news:eu**************@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

>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" <jc*********@yahoo.eswrote in message
news:b0**********************************@t54g2000 hsg.googlegroups.com...
On 20 mayo, 06:22, "Mark Rae [MVP]" <[e-mail]:

>"Cirene" <[e-mail] in message

news:ew**************@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

<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.

[Mark Rae [MVP]]

"jc" <jc*********@yahoo.eswrote in message
news:b0**********************************@t54g2000 hsg.googlegroups.com...

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

[Eliyahu Goldin]

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]" <ma**@markNOSPAMrae.netwrote in message
news:Op*************@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...

"jc" <jc*********@yahoo.eswrote in message
news:b0**********************************@t54g2000 hsg.googlegroups.com...

>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

[Mark Rae [MVP]]

"Eliyahu Goldin" <RE**************************@mMvVpPsS.orgwrote in
message news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

>>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

Technically, yes, master pages are user controls.

There's no need to go any further... :-)

Perhaps that's why many developers don't perceive master pages as user
controls.

Nevertheless that's what they are, regardless of how many developers
perceive them....

Lots of developers, especially beginners, perceive MasterPages as
framesets - that doesn't mean they're framesets.

In fact, it's been my experience that once developers realise that
MasterPages are precisely UserControls, then their understanding of what
they are and how to use them increases dramatically...
--
Mark Rae
ASP.NET MVP
http://www.markrae.net

[Juan T. Llibre]

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" <sd*@df.comwrote in message news:95**********************************@microsof t.com...

>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" <[e-mail] in message news:eu**************@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

>>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" <jc*********@yahoo.eswrote in message
news:b0**********************************@t54g200 0hsg.googlegroups.com...
On 20 mayo, 06:22, "Mark Rae [MVP]" <[e-mail]:

>>"Cirene" <[e-mail] in message

news:ew**************@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

<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.

[Peter Bromberg [C# MVP]]

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" <ci****@nowhere.comwrote in message
news:ew**************@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

>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.