Website vs web application

Web Sites vs Web Applications. You can choose either from Visual Studio. What's the diff?

There are physical differences, compilation differences, and they are for different usage scenarios.

First of all, what's the difference btw a website and a web application?
For one, a web application is on a modular scaffold of logically connected namespaces. It uses a central codebase and can be added to at any time, from a variety of directories. A web site conversely is locked down by file structure, so to speak.

So if you are a codewolf, why would you ever go with a Web Site instead of a Web Application?

There are fundamental and deep differences between the two.

WEB SITES
Known as the "2005" web project model
Uses a folder-based approach to web dev
Typically associated with moving 2003 projects to 2008

WEB APPLICATIONS
Known as the "2003" web project model
Uses a project-based approach to web development
Created to address some of the feedback from customers

In short, the 2003 model was project-based, which was great for .NET but not platform agnostic for other deployment environs such as dreamweaver. Those type of platforms are folder-driven and don't read code to establish connections.

PRECOMPILATION
Web applications are packaged into dlls, while web sites are not.

Notice some immediate diffs btw web sites and web applications:
Websites use a folder-based style, so it matters which folder you put your content in.
Websites do not run on VisualStudio, they run on IIS.

Websites have a solution file (file that launches the solution), but all it does is launch the solution into VS2008.

More at http://blogs.msdn.com/zainnab/

Deploying WebORB for .NET

To deploy WebORB into an existing ASP.NET application, follow the steps below:

1. Copy the following files/folders from the default Weborb installation directory to the corresponding folders in the target virtual directory:

/weborb.config
/bin/weborb.dll
/bin/MySql.Data.dll
/bin/Mono.Security.dll
/bin/Npgsql.dll
/diagnostics.aspx
/WEB-INF
/weborb.js (required only for the AJAX clients)

2. Add the following XML configuration to web.config in the target virtual directory:

<configuration>
<system.web>
  <httpHandlers>
    <add verb="*" path="weborb.aspx" type="Weborb.ORBHttpHandler"/>
    <add verb="*" path="codegen.aspx" type= "Weborb.Management.CodeGen.CodegeneratorHttpHandler"/>
  </httpHandlers>
</system.web>
</configuration>

(Thanks to formatmysourcecode.blogspot.com for code formatting)


3. (Optional) To deploy console, example and code generator, copy the following folders with all files and subdirectories:

/weborbconsole.html
/console
/examples
/weborbassets
/all mdb files from the root

4. (Optional) Create /logs folder as the place where WebORB stores its log files

5. Grant Write permission to the user account ASP.NET uses for the following files and directories:

/weborb.config (required only if making configuration changes from the console)
/logs (required only if logging is enabled)
/weborbassets/codegen (required only if codegen is used in the console)
/weborbassets/uploads
/*.mdb (required only if writing data back on the server in some examples)

Additional steps may be required to configure logging and code generation features when deploying WebORB into another application. Generally the user account used by ASP.NET needs to have Write permission to the following files and folders:

/weborb.config
/logs
/weborbassets/codegen

Please direct any questions or comments to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/flashorb/.

Original document.

Starting the new MS Website

Site Setup Process

Microsoft Management Console

1. Start local IIS
   
2. Start local SQL Server

Visual Studio 2008

1. Create new ASP.NET site of type .NET Web Application
   
2. Install Forms Authentication Framework to establish user accounts

Visual Studio
MasterPage

1. Sitemap
1. Add provision for Web.sitemap
   
2. Create Web.sitemap
3. Add siteMap entry to web.config
2. User Authentication
   
1. Install Forms Authentication schema to application
   
2. Customize FormsAuthentication class for user accounts