HowTo: SQL Database web access with ASP.NET Dynamic Data and Entity Framework (hosted on IIS 6.0)

30Jan Code Inside Team HowTo 5 comments

I started my programming career with PHP and MySQL and I used very often a webbased mysql admin panel called "PhpMyAdmin".
It has (of course) not all features of the SQL Management Studios, but if I only want to have a quick look at the database it is very cool – and you only need a simple browser.
You can create such an tool with ASP.NET Dynamic Data and Linq2Sql or the Entity Framework within minutes.

Intro ASP.NET Dynamic Data
This feature was a part of the .NET 3.5 SP1. If you create a new projects you´ll see two different project templates:

Both templates are nearly the same, but there is a difference:

Dynamic Data Entities Web Applications: Use it only with ADO.NET Entity Framework
Dynamic Data Web Application: Use it only with Linq2Sql

If you try to use the EF in the wrong template you´ll get a runtime error: "The method ‘Skip’ is only supported for sorted input in LINQ to Entities" (Source and more info)

Both templates take a datacontext (Linq2Sql or EF) and create at runtime CRUD and list pages. It use a templating system and you could change everything if you want it.

Step 1: Create ASP.NET Dynamic Data Entites Web Projekt
We choose the entity web project and should see the following project structure:

The "DynamicData" folder contains all the templates, pictures etc.:

"PageTemplates" holds all CRUD and the List templates. The "FieldTemplates" render the different types (e.g. a DateTime).

I´ll keep the default behaviour, templates and styles for this HowTo.

Step 2: Create the Entity Model
Now we need a entity model – that´s why we now need a database. I choose the Northwind sample database.
Now we create the model:

In the next screen you have to establish the connection to your database. Use ".\SQLExpress" if you have a local running SQL Express Server and add everything you want:

Step 3: Setup Dynamic data with the datacontext
This is the important step: Just add the datacontext to the DynamicData "MetaModel", read the comments and paste your datacontext into the metamodel:

MetaModel model = new MetaModel();

            //                    IMPORTANT: DATA MODEL REGISTRATION
            // Uncomment this line to register LINQ to SQL classes or an ADO.NET Entity Data
            // model for ASP.NET Dynamic Data. Set ScaffoldAllTables = true only if you are sure
            // that you want all tables in the data model to support a scaffold (i.e. templates)
            // view. To control scaffolding for individual tables, create a partial class for
            // the table and apply the [Scaffold(true)] attribute to the partial class.
            // Note: Make sure that you change "YourDataContextType" to the name of the data context
            // class in your application.

            //--> Code-Inside Change HERE!
            model.RegisterContext(typeof(NorthwindEntities), new ContextConfiguration() { ScaffoldAllTables = true });

NorthwindEntities is my datacontext and I set the "ScaffoldAllTables" to true. But be carefull with this setup – it allows anybody to create, read, update and delate everything on your model/database. Limit the access via configuration or (the easy way) the IIS settings.

Result

The result (after few minutes) :

Overview

List

Details

Edit

If you just need a plain admin panel for your application (and use Linq2Sql or EF) this is a very nice.

Dynamic Data on IIS 6

Dynamic Data use the Routing API like ASP.NET MVC, thats why you have such URLs:

http://localhost:52016/Alphabetical_list_of_products/Edit.aspx?CategoryName=Beverages&Discontinued=False&ProductID=1&ProductName=Chai

If you have only an IIS 6.0, you should read this great blogpost.

[ Download Democode (without DB) ]

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5 Responses

q
January 30, 2009

Better to use linq to sql, instead of entity framework, for this purpose, since it provides one-to-one mapping from table to class.
Reply
Gerardo Gala
June 27, 2010

Hi All!

Has someone tried to modify the mappingSource of the DataContext at run-time before anything is excecuted. I want to able to change the datasource at run-time to point at different databases depending on who the User is.

Right now it is using this code:

base(global::System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["FAMP_ConnectionString"].ConnectionString, mappingSource)

Thanks!
Reply
Sam
July 11, 2010

Hi, thanks for the example.

I have a problem, I was able to view data but its showing error while updating, inserting , deleting

Can please advise what might be the problem

Thanks,
Sam
Reply
Sam
July 11, 2010

I’m able to view the data from the table but I’m getting folling Error: while Inserting, updating, deleting the records

Microsoft JScript runtime error: Sys.WebForms.PageRequestManagerServerErrorException: Unable to update the EntitySet ‘Jobs’ because it has a DefiningQuery and no element exists in the element to support the current operation.
Reply
Ziaur Rahman
June 18, 2011

Informative. But I suggest to provide code beside menu ….
Reply