Data Source Configuration Wizard (Visual Web Developer)

The Data Source Configuration wizard helps you to configure a data source when you want to display data in an ASP.NET Web server control that supports data binding. For more information about data binding, see ASP.NET Data Access Options.

Web server controls that support data binding include, but are not limited to, the following:

To open the Data Source Configuration wizard from an ASP.NET Web server control

1. In Visual Web Developer, create or open an existing .aspx page and then switch to Design view.

2. From the Toolbox, drag one of the controls from the previous list onto the page. For example, from the Standard group of the Toolbox, drag a GridView control onto the page.

3. Right-click the control and then click Show Smart Tag.

4. In the tasks window, from the Choose Data Source drop-down list, select New data source. (If there is no drop-down list available in the tasks window, click Choose Data Source.)

   Note

   Some controls only allow you to click Choose Data Source, after which you select New data source from the Select a data source drop-down list.

Tasks

• How to: Populate List Web Server Controls from a Data Source

• How To: Secure Connection Strings when Using Data Source Controls

• Walkthrough: Basic Data Access Using the SqlDataSource Control in Web Pages

• Walkthrough: Creating a Web Page to Display XML Data

• Walkthrough: Using the ObjectDataSource with an XML File

• Walkthrough: Calling a Stored Procedure Using the SqlDataSource Web Server Control

• Walkthrough: Displaying Formatted Data in Web Pages with the FormView Web Server Control

• Walkthrough: Displaying Hierarchical Data in a TreeView Control

• Walkthrough: Editing and Inserting Data in Web Pages with the DetailsView Web Server Control

UI Elements

• Where will the application get data from?
  Specify the type of data that you want to retrieve. The following data types are available:

  • Access Database   Configures a Microsoft Access data source for the purpose of displaying Access database data. After you click OK, an AccessDataSource control is placed on your page. The DataSourceID attribute of your server control refers to the Access data source by its identifier.

    For more information, see Configure Data Source Dialog Box - AccessDataSource.

  • **Database   **Configures a SQL data source for the purpose of displaying relational data. After you click OK, a SqlDataSource control is placed on your page. The DataSourceID attribute of your server control refers to the SQL data source by its identifier.

    For more information, see Configure Data Source Dialog Box - SqlDataSource.

  • **Object   **Configures an object data source for the purpose of displaying data from a business object. After you click OK, an ObjectDataSource control is placed on your page. The DataSourceID attribute of your server control refers to the object data source by its identifier.

    For more information, see Configure Data Source Dialog Box - ObjectDataSource.

  • **Site Map   **Configures a site-map data source for the purpose of displaying a site map. After you click OK, an SiteMapDataSource control is placed on your page. The DataSourceID attribute of your server control refers to the site-map data source by its identifier.

    For more information, see SiteMapPath Web Server Control Overview.

  • **XML File   **Configures an XML data source for the purpose of displaying data from an XML resource. After you click OK, an XmlDataSource control is placed on your page. The DataSourceID attribute of your server control refers to the XML data source by its identifier.

    For more information, see Configure Data Source Dialog Box - XmlDataSource.

• Specify an ID for the data source
  Specify an identifier for the data source control. This identifier will become the value of the id attribute for the data source control that is created by the wizard.

See Also

Configure Data Source Dialog Box - AccessDataSource
Configure Data Source Dialog Box - ObjectDataSource
Configure Data Source Dialog Box - SqlDataSource
Configure Data Source Dialog Box - XmlDataSource
Add Field Dialog Box
Fields Dialog Box
ASP.NET Data Access Options