Trip in the Atlas - Part 1

After a smooth integration of Atlas in the new version of Tech Head Brothers website, I decided to go a step further with a project a bit more complex then the scenario developed here.

The new version of the site is totally rewritten in C# and ASP.NET 2 and uses the Webparts.

So the new scenario I wanted to implement was a system of connected Webparts, one showing an article, a how-to or news and the other the comments associated with that. The connection of the webparts was done in about 10 minutes, really cool techno.

Then I learned that an Atlas UpdatePanel can’t be part of a Webpart because then you have the UpdatePanel in a Template of the WebpartZone and that doesn’t work, so you have to move the UpdatePanel to have it around the Webpartzone. As I am working with nested Master Pages I decided to have the UpdatePanel in an asp Content control around the WebPartZone like this:

<%@ Page Language="C#" MasterPageFile="~/OneColumn.master" AutoEventWireup="true"
    CodeFile="Articles.aspx.cs" Inherits="Articles" Title="Tech Head Brothers - Articles" %>

<%@ MasterType VirtualPath="~/OneColumn.master" %>

<%@ Register Assembly="Nsquared2.Web"
    Namespace="Nsquared2.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts"

    TagPrefix="nsquared2" %>

<asp:Content ID="Content1" ContentPlaceHolderID="ContentPlaceHolder" runat="Server">

    <atlas:UpdatePanel ID="panelarticles" Mode="Conditional" runat="server">
        <ContentTemplate>
            <nsquared2:TemplatedWebPartZone
                    ID="ContentZone"
                    runat="server"
                    ChromeTemplateFile="~/Templates/Chrome/THBOriginalTemplate.chrome"
                    CssClass="webpartzone"
                    Padding="0">
                <ZoneTemplate>
                </ZoneTemplate>
            </nsquared2:TemplatedWebPartZone>
        </ContentTemplate>
    </atlas:UpdatePanel>

</asp:Content>

Then in my comments WebPart I implemented a button doing a response redirect to another page that will handle the writing of a new comment, and this in the UpdatePanel postback not the whole Page postback. To be able to access some information from the calling page I had added some information in the Session on the first page that I wanted to read on the second one. Boom!! Session is empty on the second page. I then removed the UpdatePanel and session was back again. hum!!! But that was not the scenario I wanted for my comments, so I added again my UpdatePanel and made several tests withtout any success.

Then searching on the forum I found why, here : “The specific reason it happens is that when ScriptManager detects a Redirect during an async postback, it clears the response, which means all cookies are lost. One of those cookies is the session ID cookie. This doesn’t necessarily affect all scenarios, but it does affect some.” A bug in the CTP april of Atlas.

Then it was clear if the Response is cleared, no chance to get my Session values.

As it was not critical data I decided to use QueryString to pass on data and that’s for sure worked. I will revert to Session when it will be fixed.

Now I have a system with connected WebPart, one displaying comments using Atlas UpdatePanel to reload only the comments that the suer wnats to see. Great stuff!!

There is one thing I don’t liked in the WebPart connection is that if you have a link button in your page and the OnCommand is set, then when the Command is called the WebParts connection is not already done so you have to remmeber parameters given to your method and reuse them in OnPreRender.

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