Introduction to ASP.NET C# with MVC

Course Summary

This course introduces students to building web applications using ASP.NET Core MVC and C#. It is designed for students, developers, IT trainees, and business application builders who want to create structured web systems using the Model-View-Controller pattern.

C# ASP.NET Core MVC Razor Views Entity Framework Core SQL Server/PostgreSQL

Target Audience

• Beginners learning web development with C#
• Developers moving from desktop applications to web applications
• Students learning ASP.NET Core MVC
• GIS and land information system developers building web portals
• Developers building business applications, dashboards, and admin systems

Prerequisites

• Basic computer skills
• Basic understanding of HTML and CSS
• Some programming knowledge is helpful but not required
• Visual Studio 2022 or later
• .NET SDK installed

Course Duration

Total Suggested Duration: 55 hours

Module 1: Introduction to ASP.NET Core MVC

Learning Objectives

• Understand what ASP.NET Core is
• Understand the MVC design pattern
• Learn how web requests are handled
• Create a basic MVC application

Topics

• What is ASP.NET Core?
• What is MVC?
• Model, View, Controller responsibilities
• Request and response lifecycle
• Advantages of MVC architecture

Module 2: C# Fundamentals for MVC

Topics

• Variables and data types
• Classes and objects
• Properties and methods
• Lists and collections
• LINQ basics
• Nullable types

Example C# Class

public class Student
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string FullName { get; set; } = string.Empty;
    public string Email { get; set; } = string.Empty;
    public DateTime DateRegistered { get; set; } = DateTime.Now;
}

Module 3: Project Structure and MVC Pattern

Common MVC Folders

Module 4: Controllers and Actions

Controllers receive requests, execute logic, and return views or data.

Example Controller

using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;

public class StudentsController : Controller
{
    public IActionResult Index()
    {
        return View();
    }

    public IActionResult Details(int id)
    {
        ViewBag.StudentId = id;
        return View();
    }
}

Module 5: Views and Razor Syntax

Views are Razor .cshtml files that generate HTML. Razor allows C# to be used inside HTML pages.

Example Razor View

@{
    ViewData["Title"] = "Students";
}

<h1>Students</h1>
<p>This page displays student records.</p>

Module 6: Models and ViewModels

Models represent data. ViewModels are special classes designed to pass only the required data to a view.

Example ViewModel

public class StudentViewModel
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string FullName { get; set; } = string.Empty;
    public string CourseName { get; set; } = string.Empty;
}

Module 7: Forms and Validation

Topics

• HTML forms
• POST requests
• Model binding
• Data annotations
• Validation messages
• Anti-forgery tokens

Example Model with Validation

using System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations;

public class RegisterStudentModel
{
    [Required]
    public string FullName { get; set; } = string.Empty;

    [Required]
    [EmailAddress]
    public string Email { get; set; } = string.Empty;
}

Module 8: Routing and Navigation

Routing maps incoming URLs to controllers and actions.

Default MVC Route

app.MapControllerRoute(
    name: "default",
    pattern: "{controller=Home}/{action=Index}/{id?}");

Module 9: Entity Framework Core

Entity Framework Core allows applications to work with databases using C# classes.

Example DbContext

using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;

public class ApplicationDbContext : DbContext
{
    public ApplicationDbContext(DbContextOptions<ApplicationDbContext> options)
        : base(options)
    {
    }

    public DbSet<Student> Students { get; set; }
}

Module 10: CRUD Application Development

Students build a complete Create, Read, Update, and Delete application.

CRUD Features

• Create new records
• Display records in a table
• Edit existing records
• Delete records safely
• Search and filter records

Module 11: Authentication and Authorization Concepts

Topics

• User registration
• Login and logout
• Password hashing
• Roles and permissions
• Protecting controller actions

Example Authorization Attribute

[Authorize]
public IActionResult Dashboard()
{
    return View();
}

Module 12: Error Handling, Logging, and Security Basics

• Exception handling
• Logging with ILogger
• Input validation
• Cross-site scripting prevention
• Cross-site request forgery prevention
• Secure connection strings

Module 13: Publishing and Deployment

Topics

• Publishing from Visual Studio
• Deploying to IIS
• Using appsettings.json
• Database connection strings
• Environment settings

Module 14: Final Project

Students build a complete ASP.NET Core MVC application.

Suggested Final Project: Student Registration System

• Home page
• Student registration form
• Student list page
• Edit student page
• Delete confirmation page
• Database storage using Entity Framework Core
• Basic authentication concept

Alternative Final Project: Land Parcel Administration Portal

• Parcel registration
• Owner records
• Search by parcel number
• County and locality filtering
• Basic dashboard

Practical Labs

Assessment Strategy

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Explain the MVC design pattern
• Create ASP.NET Core MVC applications
• Write C# classes for models and ViewModels
• Create controllers and action methods
• Build Razor views
• Create forms with validation
• Connect an MVC application to a database
• Build full CRUD functionality
• Understand authentication and authorization concepts
• Deploy an ASP.NET Core MVC application

Recommended Tools

• Visual Studio 2022 or later
• .NET SDK
• SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or SQLite
• Entity Framework Core
• Git
• Browser developer tools