Leveraging httpHandlers to Stream Custom Content in ASP.NET
WROX released my custom httpHandler eBook, Leveraging httpHandlers to Stream Custom Content in ASP.NET, late last week. It is the second part of two WROX BLOX I recently authored, the first being about custom httpModules. The main purpose of the two eBooks is to expose ASP.NET developers to how ASP.NET functions at the root. Custom modules give you the ability to hook into the processing pipeline to execute any custom logic. Custom handlers allow you to control every piece of content that is served by the ASP.NET engine to the client.
Custom httpHandlers are a key concept eventually every ASP.NET developer needs to understand and start to leverage. Nothing is actually served from ASP.NET without a custom handler being responsible for it, even static content.
In this eBook I walk through several examples of custom httpHandlers and give the reader some potential real world handlers to get started with. I also try to expose the reader to key concepts they need to be cognizant to understand how to control how the request is processed on the client. Some of these concepts involve understanding the HTTP protocol, others explain MIME types. I also touch on a little about controlling how content is cached.
The examples I demonstrate in the book are:
- A Simple httpHandler
- An RSS Feed
- A vCard handler
- An Image Resizer and Cropper
- A PDF Handler
- A Stock Quote handler
- Returning a Zip Compressed Document
The eBook is priced at an affordable $6.99 and available for immediate download.