First of all there are only a few books out there like this now, and none of them come close to this one. This one will really teach you how to write your own server controls, and will show you how to do it for ASP.NET using C#...oh yeah, they use Visual Studio.NET (thankfully) and they also do it code behind (there is no other way for server controls, but in general they use VS.NET like it should be). The code which can be downloaded from Apress also works, and is updated for VS.NET 2003.

In regards to the book, the author(s) make this book a fairly easy read. The first few chapters go through a bit of ASP.NET and then explains about HtmlControls and WebControls. The author explains the differences between the two, and when and why to use each one in a specific scenario. The book goes on to talk about OOP in general and how it fits in (they don't expalin OOP, but they show it and make passing references, not a lot...throughout the book, I have seen less than a total page worth, but they put it in the right spots). The chapter on Viewstate is excellent, and the chapter on binding and creating your own repeater server control inheriting from the DataRepeater was an eye-opener.

The last 5 chapters in the book deal with more complicated server controls. The author dedicates time to speak about mobile controls...I read it quickly since I don't really do that, but it seemed good. Then there is a chapter which puts a lot of things together (everything you have read in the book so far) and shows how to make an image gallery (well sort of..it's more than just a gallery of course). The last chapter deals with how to use the Google API and create your own search engine...which was very cool.

The author dedicates time explaining attributes and how they are used for server controls. He also spends time showing how to create a server control that can be easily put into VS Designer, which is good for someone selling a custom control. There is so much more to say, but Amamzon limits my words to 1000, and I have not slept in 36 hours...deadlines, and this book helped a ton!

Just to end off, this book is C# (not VB.NET), and it is for advanced programmers working with ASP.NET...this book did not give a primer on C# or ASP.NET (thanks Dale/Rob). The authors know what they are talking about, and the book is easy to read.

Enjoy!