The Old Joel on Software Forum: Part 4 (of 5) - Anyone here use/look into the CSLA .NET framework?

Anyone here use/look into the CSLA .NET framework?

Hi All,

Has anyone here used or looked into the CSLA .NET framework? I've seen it mentioned a few times and had been planning on buying the C# book when it is released in May. I have a project that I'm about to do that may be a good fit, so I'm going to go find the VB.NET version tomorrow, but thought I'd ask here for everyone's thoughts/experiences with it.

--Josh

JWA
Monday, March 1, 2004

Never heard of it. Link?

Chris Tavares
Monday, March 1, 2004

A little googling yielded this http://www.lhotka.net/ArticleIndex.aspx?area=CSLA%20.NET I'm guessing that's what he's talking about.

Ken Klose
Monday, March 1, 2004

I do A LOT of work in CSLA.Net. I became a Lhotka fan with his first book Visual Basic 6 Business Objects and I immediatley bought the new CSLA.Net book when it came out.

Getting through the CSLA.Net book has taken me around 3 months. I converted the code from VB.net to C#, so I became quite famaliar with the whole framework.

I recommend reading Chapter 1, 2 & 3 in the bookstore if you can to determine if its something you want / need. Reading the book gives you a good deal of experience in related .Net technologies and in general gives you a lot of great architectural insight.

However, if you will benefit out of all this is dependant on what kind of software want to write.

CSLA.Net is mostly for multi-tiered database apps.

SteveA
Monday, March 1, 2004

As a note, the CSLA.Net book is very heavy reading-- thats why it took 3 months for me to get through. A lot of the chapters really sink in once you've read the whole book and go back and look them over. This is NOT a weekend read.

Furthermore, you can wait for the C# version or you can start now in the VB.Net version. I had no problems converting to C# and there are people who have even posted their conversions so you can use them for reference.

SteveA
Monday, March 1, 2004

Yes, I'm currently writing an app based on it. It's a well-thought-out framework, which has taught me a great deal. Rocky gives tremendous support and encouragement, both through his website and the MSN group, and makes frequent improvements. There's also a forum on it at the CodeSmith codegen site.

I'm also working in C# using the VB.NET book - it's not a big problem. If you need to start work nowish, buy the existing one. You'll also want to visit the MSN group - there's a lot of helpful people there. Link on lhotka.net.

And it's not just a framework. Rocky is at pains to explain his choices at every step: he looks at the design goals, the choices available, and why he eventually chose the route he did - a rare thing, in my experience. If you are interested in building a scalable n-tier application, this is a great place to start. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me, and I'll try to help.

Dave Hallett
Monday, March 1, 2004

Just bought the book.

Best $60 I spent, so far anyway.

--ee

eclectic_echidna
Tuesday, March 2, 2004