Chapter 9. Data Binding

Nearly every ASP.NET application displays data of some sort, either from a database or from other data sources. Data binding allows you to create a relationship between a control (such as a list box or data grid) and a source of data (such as SQL Server). ASP.NET takes care of the details of displaying the data in your control.

You can bind to any data source, including such simple sources as properties, expressions, or the result of a method call, and such complex sources as arrays, collections, and databases. For controls that display a collection, such as a list box or data grid, you must bind to a source which implements the ICollection interface. This allows ASP.NET to iterate the collection and display each member in turn.