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00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page i

C E R T I F I C AT I O N

MCAD/MCSD.NET
Developing and Implementing Web
Applications with Visual Basic .NET

and Visual Studio .NET
Exam 70-305

Mike Gunderloy MCAD,MCSD Training Guide

00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page ii

MCAD/MCSD.NET TRAINING GUIDE: PUBLISHER

Paul Boger
DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING WEB EXECUTIVE EDITOR
APPLICATIONS WITH VISUAL BASIC .NET Jeff Riley

AND VISUAL STUDIO .NET (EXAM 70-305) DEVELOPMENT EDITOR

Steve Rowe
Copyright  2003 by Que Publishing MANAGING EDITOR
Charlotte Clapp
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, PROJECT EDITOR
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission Sheila Schroeder
from the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the COPY EDITOR
use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution Michael Dietsch
has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and
INDEXER
author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Nor is any lia-
John Sleeva
bility assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information
contained herein. PROOFREADER
Linda Seifert
International Standard Book Number: 0-7897-2818-4
TECHNICAL EDITORS
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2002114426 Ken Cox
Printed in the United States of America Emmett Dulaney
TEAM COORDINATORS
First Printing: December 2002
Rosemary Lewis
05 04 03 02 4 3 2 1 Kimberley Herbert
INTERIOR DESIGNER
Trademarks Louisa Klucznik
All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or COVER DESIGNER
service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Que Certification Charis Ann Santillie
cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this
book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark PAGE LAYOUT
or service mark. Cheryl Lynch

Warning and Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accu-
rate as possible, but no warranty or fitness is implied. The information
provided is on an “as is” basis. The author and the publisher shall have
neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect
to any loss or damages arising from the information contained in this
book.
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page iii

Que Certification • 201 West 103rd Street • Indianapolis, Indiana 46290

A Note from Series Editor Ed Tittel

Congratulations on your purchase of the 70-305 Training Guide,
the finest exam preparation book in the marketplace!
As Series Editor of the highly regarded Training Guide series, I can
assure you that you won’t be disappointed. You’ve taken your first
step toward passing the 70-305 exam, and we value this opportunity to help you on
your way!
As a “Favorite Study Guide Author” finalist in a 2002 poll of CertCities
readers, I know the importance of delivering good books. You’ll be
impressed with Que Certification’s stringent review process, which
ensures the books are high-quality, relevant, and technically accurate.
Rest assured that at least a dozen industry experts—including the panel
of certification experts at CramSession—have reviewed this material,
helping us deliver an excellent solution to your exam preparation needs.
We’ve also added a preview edition of PrepLogic’s powerful, full-featured test engine,
which is trusted by certification students throughout the world.
As a 20-year-plus veteran of the computing industry and the original creator and editor of
the Exam Cram series, I’ve brought my IT experience to bear on these books. During my
tenure at Novell from 1989 to 1994, I worked with and around its excellent education and
certification department. At Novell, I witnessed the growth and development of the first
really big, successful IT certification program—one that was to shape the industry forever
afterward. This experience helped push my writing and teaching activities heavily in the cer-
tification direction. Since then, I've worked on more than 70 certification related books, and
I write about certification topics for numerous Web sites and for Certification magazine.
In 1997 when Exam Cram was introduced, it quickly became the best-selling computer
book series since “...For Dummies,” and the best-selling certification book series ever. By
maintaining an intense focus on the subject matter, tracking errata and updates quickly,
and following the certification market closely, Exam Cram was able to establish the domi-
nant position in cert prep books.
You will not be disappointed in your decision to purchase this book. If you are, please
contact me at [email protected]. All suggestions, ideas, input, or constructive criticism are
welcome!
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page iv
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page v

Contents at a Glance

Introduction ..............................................................................................................................................1
Study and Exam Prep Tips....................................................................................................................9

PART I Developing Web Applications

1 Introducing Web Forms ....................................................................................................................19

2 Controls....................................................................................................................................................89
3 Implementing Navigation for the User Interface ................................................................191
4 Error Handling for the User Interface .................................................................................... 263
5 Data Binding ......................................................................................................................................311
6 Consuming and Manipulating Data ........................................................................................391
7 Creating and Managing Components and .NET Assemblies ........................................525
8 Web Services ........................................................................................................................................581
9 Globalization ......................................................................................................................................615
10 Working with Legacy Code ..........................................................................................................651
11 User Assistance and Accessibility ................................................................................................689

PART II Testing, Debugging, and Deploying a Web Application

12 Testing and Debugging a Web Application ............................................................................719

13 Deploying a Web Application ......................................................................................................785

PART III Maintaining and Configuring a Web Application

14 Maintaining and Supporting a Web Application ................................................................871

15 Configuring a Web Application ..................................................................................................911
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page vi

VI MCAD/MCSD TRAINING GUIDE EXAM (70-306)

PART IV Final Review

Fast Facts ..............................................................................................................................................963

Practice Exam ......................................................................................................................................987

PART III Appendixes

A Glossary ..............................................................................................................................................1011
B Overview of the Certification Process ....................................................................................1019
C What’s on the CD-ROM ............................................................................................................1027
D Using the PrepLogic, Preview Edition Software ..................................................................1029
E Suggested Reading and Resources ............................................................................................1035

Index ....................................................................................................................................................1037
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page vii

CONTENTS VII
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page viii

Table of Contents

Introduction 1
How This Book Helps You ................................................................................................................1
Organization ......................................................................................................................................1
Instructional Features ....................................................................................................................2
Extensive Practice Test Options ................................................................................................2
Final Review ......................................................................................................................................3
What the Developing and Implementing Web Applications with
Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET
Exam (70-305) Covers ....................................................................................................................4
Creating User Services ..................................................................................................................4
Creating and Managing Components and .NET Assemblies ....................................5
Consuming and Manipulating Data ....................................................................................5
Testing and Debugging ..............................................................................................................5
Deploying a Web Application ................................................................................................5
Maintaining and Supporting a Web Application ..............................................................6
Configuring and Securing a Web Application ................................................................6
What You Should Know Before Reading This Book ..............................................................6
Hardware and Software You’ll Need ..............................................................................................7
Advice on Taking the Exam ..............................................................................................................8

Study and Exam Prep Tips 9

Study Strategies ......................................................................................................................................9
Macro and Micro Study Strategies ..........................................................................................9
Active Study Strategies ................................................................................................................10
Common-Sense Strategies ........................................................................................................10
Pre-Testing Yourself ......................................................................................................................10
Exam Prep Tips ....................................................................................................................................11
The MCP Exam ............................................................................................................................11
Exam Format ..................................................................................................................................11
New Question Types ..................................................................................................................13
Putting It All Together ................................................................................................................14
Final Considerations ..........................................................................................................................16
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page ix

PART I: Developing Web Applications

1 Introducing Web Forms 19

Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................22
Key Concepts ........................................................................................................................................22
An Overview of the .NET Framework ................................................................................23
An Overview of the Development Tools ............................................................................25
Understanding Classes, Inheritance, and Namespaces ..................................................27
Introduction to ASP.NET ................................................................................................................31
Advantages of ASP.NET ............................................................................................................33
Creating an ASP.NET Page ......................................................................................................35
Understanding ASP.NET Page Execution ..........................................................................38
The Page Class ..............................................................................................................................42
Stages in Page Processing ..........................................................................................................45
ASP.NET Directives ..........................................................................................................................46
The Page Directive ......................................................................................................................47
Event Handling ....................................................................................................................................50
Elements of Event Handling ....................................................................................................51
Publishing and Subscribing to an Event ............................................................................54
Event Handling in ASP.NET ..................................................................................................54
Handling Events by Overriding the Virtual, Protected Method of the
Base Class ......................................................................................................................................55
Handling Events by Attaching Delegates ..........................................................................57
Handling Events of Page Class Through AutoEventWireup ........................................60
Separating User Interface from Business Logic ......................................................................64
Using Code-behind Without Precompilation ..................................................................65
Using Code-behind With Precompilation ........................................................................67
Creating a Web Form Using Visual Studio .NET ..........................................................69
Exercises ............................................................................................................................................77
Review Questions ........................................................................................................................80
Exam Questions ............................................................................................................................81
Answers to Review Questions ..................................................................................................84
Answers to Exam Questions ....................................................................................................85

2 Controls 89
Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................92
HTML Controls ..................................................................................................................................93
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page x

X MCAD/MCSD TRAINING GUIDE EXAM (70-306)

HTML Server Controls ....................................................................................................................97

The Classes in System.Web.UI.HtmlControls Namespace ......................................100
Event Handling for HTML Server Controls ..................................................................103
Web Server Controls ......................................................................................................................110
Common Web Server Controls ............................................................................................113
Event Handling with Web Server Controls ....................................................................122
The List Controls ......................................................................................................................129
The PlaceHolder and Panel Controls ................................................................................134
The Table, TableRow, and TableCell Controls ..............................................................137
The AdRotator Control ..........................................................................................................141
The Calendar Control ..............................................................................................................146
User Input Validation ....................................................................................................................152
The RequiredFieldValidator Control ................................................................................155
The RegularExpressionValidator Control ........................................................................156
The RangeValidator Control ................................................................................................159
The CompareValidator Control ..........................................................................................159
The CustomValidator Control ............................................................................................161
The ValidationSummary Control ........................................................................................164
Cascading Style Sheets ....................................................................................................................168
Using Style Sheets With Web Forms ................................................................................169
Creating Styles to Format Web Controls ........................................................................172
Exercises ........................................................................................................................................176
Review Questions ......................................................................................................................181
Exam Questions ..........................................................................................................................181
Answers to Review Questions ..............................................................................................186
Answers to Exam Questions ..................................................................................................187

3 Implementing Navigation for the User Interface 191

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................194
Round Trip and Postback ..............................................................................................................194
The IsPostBack Property ........................................................................................................196
The SmartNavigation Property ............................................................................................199
ASP.NET Intrinsic Objects ........................................................................................................201
The HttpRequest Object ........................................................................................................202
The HttpResponse Object ....................................................................................................206
The HttpServerUtility Object ..............................................................................................209
ASP.NET Application ....................................................................................................................214
The global.asax File ..................................................................................................................215
Global Event Handlers ............................................................................................................215
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page xi

CONTENTS XI

State Management ............................................................................................................................219

Client-side Techniques for State Management ..............................................................220
Server-side Techniques for State Management ..............................................................235
Navigation Between Pages ............................................................................................................244
The Response.Redirect() Method ........................................................................................244
The Server.Transfer() Method ..............................................................................................245
The Server.Execute() Method ..............................................................................................246
Exercises ........................................................................................................................................253
Review Questions ......................................................................................................................256
Exam Questions ..........................................................................................................................256
Answers to Review Questions ..............................................................................................260
Answers to Exam Questions ..................................................................................................261

4 Error Handling for the User Interface 263

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................265
Understanding Exceptions ............................................................................................................265
Handling Exceptions ......................................................................................................................269
The Try Block ..............................................................................................................................269
The Catch Block ........................................................................................................................270
The Throw Statement ..............................................................................................................273
The Finally Block ......................................................................................................................275
Custom Exceptions ..........................................................................................................................279
Managing Unhandled Exceptions ..............................................................................................285
Using Custom Error Pages ....................................................................................................286
Using Error Events ....................................................................................................................292
Exercises ........................................................................................................................................301
Review Questions ......................................................................................................................301
Exam Questions ..........................................................................................................................302
Answers to Review Questions ..............................................................................................306
Answers to Exam Questions ..................................................................................................307

5 Data Binding 311

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................313
Bind Data to the UI ........................................................................................................................314
Simple Data Binding ................................................................................................................314
Complex Data Binding ............................................................................................................319
The DataBind Method ............................................................................................................333
Using the Data Form Wizard ................................................................................................334
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page xii

XII MCAD/MCSD TRAINING GUIDE EXAM (70-306)

Transform and Filter Data ............................................................................................................341

Using Server Explorer ..............................................................................................................342
Filtering Data ..............................................................................................................................349
Transforming Data ....................................................................................................................354
Using Controls to Display Data ................................................................................................360
The Repeater Control ..............................................................................................................360
The DataList Control ..............................................................................................................363
Editing Data With a DataList Control ............................................................................367
Exercises ........................................................................................................................................373
Review Questions ......................................................................................................................381
Exam Questions ..........................................................................................................................381
Answers to Review Questions ..............................................................................................387
Answers to Exam Questions ..................................................................................................388

6 Consuming and Manipulating Data 391

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................394
Access and Manipulate SQL Server Data ..............................................................................395
Using Ad Hoc Queries ............................................................................................................396
Using Stored Procedures ..........................................................................................................415
Access and Manipulate Data ........................................................................................................430
Working with Disk Files ........................................................................................................431
The ADO.NET Object Model ............................................................................................443
Using DataSets ............................................................................................................................458
Editing Data with ADO.NET ............................................................................................477
Using XML Data ........................................................................................................................490
Handle Data Errors ........................................................................................................................507
Handling Database Errors ......................................................................................................507
Handling Multi-User Errors ..................................................................................................509
Exercises ........................................................................................................................................514
Review Questions ......................................................................................................................517
Exam Questions ..........................................................................................................................517
Answers to Review Questions ..............................................................................................522
Answers to Exam Questions ..................................................................................................523

7 Creating and Managing Components and .NET Assemblies 525

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................528
Creating and Using .NET Components ................................................................................528
Creating a Component ............................................................................................................529
Implementing Properties in Components ......................................................................535
Implementing Methods in Components ..........................................................................537
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page xiii

CONTENTS XIII

Creating and Using Web User Controls ................................................................................538

Creating a Web User Control ..............................................................................................539
Implementing Properties in a Web User Control ........................................................540
Implementing Events in a Web User Control ................................................................542
Creating Web Custom Controls ................................................................................................543
Creating a Composite Control ............................................................................................543
Creating a Derived Control ..................................................................................................547
Creating a Control From Scratch ........................................................................................549
Custom Control Choices ........................................................................................................553
Creating and Managing .NET Assemblies ............................................................................555
Single-file and Multifile Assemblies ....................................................................................556
Static and Dynamic Assemblies ............................................................................................558
Private and Shared Assemblies ..............................................................................................559
Satellite and Resource-Only Assemblies ..........................................................................561
Exercises ........................................................................................................................................570
Review Questions ......................................................................................................................573
Exam Questions ..........................................................................................................................573
Answers to Review Questions ..............................................................................................577
Answers to Exam Questions ..................................................................................................577

8 Web Services 581

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................583
Understanding Web Services ......................................................................................................583
SOAP ..............................................................................................................................................584
Disco and UDDI ......................................................................................................................585
WSDL ............................................................................................................................................586
Invoking Your First Web Service ........................................................................................587
Creating Web Services ....................................................................................................................590
Creating a Web Service Project ............................................................................................590
Testing the Web Service Project ..........................................................................................592
Discovering Web Services ..............................................................................................................597
Disco and UDDI ......................................................................................................................598
Using the Web Services Discovery Tool (disco.exe) ..................................................598
Instantiating and Invoking Web Services ..............................................................................600
Creating Proxy Classes With the Web Services Description
Language Tool (wsdl.exe) ....................................................................................................600
Using Web References ..............................................................................................................603
Testing a Web Service ..............................................................................................................603
Exercises ........................................................................................................................................607
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page xiv

XIV MCAD/MCSD TRAINING GUIDE EXAM (70-306)

Review Questions ......................................................................................................................608

Exam Questions ..........................................................................................................................608
Answers to Review Questions ..............................................................................................612
Answers to Exam Questions ..................................................................................................612

9 Globalization 615
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................618
Understanding Localization and Globalization ..................................................................619
The Localization Process ........................................................................................................619
What Should be Localized? ....................................................................................................620
Implementing Localization for the User Interface ..............................................................621
Understanding Cultures ..........................................................................................................621
Displaying Localized Information ......................................................................................625
Setting Culture Properties ......................................................................................................627
Working with Resource Files ................................................................................................628
Converting Existing Encodings ..................................................................................................633
Understanding Unicode and Encodings ..........................................................................634
Converting Encodings ..............................................................................................................634
Implementing Mirroring ..............................................................................................................636
Understanding Mirroring ......................................................................................................636
Mirroring in .NET ....................................................................................................................637
Validating Non-Latin User Input ..............................................................................................638
String Indexing ............................................................................................................................638
Comparing and Sorting Data ..............................................................................................640
Exercises ........................................................................................................................................642
Review Questions ......................................................................................................................645
Exam Questions ..........................................................................................................................645
Answers to Review Questions ..............................................................................................648
Answers to Exam Questions ..................................................................................................649

10 Working with Legacy Code 651

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................653
Incorporating Existing Code ......................................................................................................653
Running ASP and ASP.NET Together ..............................................................................654
Converting ASP Pages to ASP.NET ..................................................................................656
Using Late-Bound COM Components ............................................................................657
Using ActiveX Controls ................................................................................................................659
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page xv

CONTENTS XV

Using COM Components ............................................................................................................663

Understanding Runtime Callable Wrappers ..................................................................664
Using TLBIMP ..........................................................................................................................666
Using COM Components Directly ....................................................................................669
Using COM+ Components ........................................................................................................671
Using Platform Invoke ..................................................................................................................675
Exercises ........................................................................................................................................680
Review Questions ......................................................................................................................682
Exam Questions ..........................................................................................................................682
Answers to Review Questions ..............................................................................................686
Answers to Exam Questions ..................................................................................................687

11 User Assistance and Accessibility 689

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................691
Implementing User Assistance ....................................................................................................691
Using a Second Browser Window ......................................................................................695
Using the Search Pane ..............................................................................................................697
Embedding Help ........................................................................................................................698
Other User Assistance Alternatives ....................................................................................700
Implementing Accessibility Features ........................................................................................701
Understanding Accessible Design Guidelines ................................................................703
The W3C Guidelines ..............................................................................................................704
The Section 508 Guidelines ..................................................................................................705
Making a Web Application Accessible ..............................................................................707
Testing Application Accessibility ........................................................................................708
Exercises ........................................................................................................................................709
Review Questions ......................................................................................................................710
Exam Questions ..........................................................................................................................710
Answers to Review Questions ..............................................................................................714
Answers to Exam Questions ..................................................................................................714

PART II: Testing, Debugging, and Deploying a Web Application

12 Testing and Debugging a Web Application 719

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................722
Testing ..................................................................................................................................................722
Creating a Test Plan ..................................................................................................................723
Executing Tests ............................................................................................................................723
Testing International Applications ......................................................................................726
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page xvi

XVI MCAD/MCSD TRAINING GUIDE EXAM (70-306)

Tracing ..................................................................................................................................................727
Using the TraceContext Class ..............................................................................................728
Using the Trace and Debug Classes ....................................................................................735
Trace Listeners ............................................................................................................................740
Trace Switches ..............................................................................................................................743
Conditional Compilation ......................................................................................................748
Debugging ..........................................................................................................................................753
Setting Breakpoints and Stepping Through Program Execution ..........................753
Analyzing Program State to Resolve Errors ....................................................................758
Debugging on Exceptions ......................................................................................................762
Debugging a Running Process ..............................................................................................765
Debugging a Remote Process ................................................................................................767
Debugging Code in DLL Files ............................................................................................768
Debugging Client-side scripts ..............................................................................................768
Exercises ........................................................................................................................................771
Review Questions ......................................................................................................................775
Exam Questions ..........................................................................................................................776
Answers to Review Questions ..............................................................................................780
Answers to Exam Questions ..................................................................................................781

13 Deploying a Web Application 785

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................788
Deployment Tools ............................................................................................................................789
XCOPY Deployment ................................................................................................................789
FTP Deployment ......................................................................................................................790
Microsoft Windows Installer ................................................................................................791
CAB Files ......................................................................................................................................792
Deploying a Web Application ....................................................................................................792
Creating a Setup Project ..........................................................................................................796
Customizing Setup Projects ..................................................................................................803
Using the File System Editor ................................................................................................804
Using the Registry Editor ......................................................................................................806
Using the File Types Editor ....................................................................................................808
Using the User Interface Editor ..........................................................................................808
Using the Custom Actions Editor ......................................................................................810
Using the Launch Conditions Editor ................................................................................812
Shared Assemblies ............................................................................................................................816
Assigning a Strong Name to an Assembly ......................................................................817
Adding an Assembly to the Global Assembly Cache ..................................................821
Referencing an Assembly from the GAC ........................................................................826
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page xvii

CONTENTS XVII

How the Runtime Locates Assemblies ..............................................................................829

Delay Signing an Assembly ....................................................................................................831
Creating a Setup Project for Distributing Components ............................................833
Creating Installation Components ............................................................................................839
Understanding the Installer Class ........................................................................................839
Working with Predefined Installation Components ....................................................841
Deploying an Assembly Containing the Installation Components ......................843
Working With Installer Classes ............................................................................................845
Scalable and Reliable Deployment ............................................................................................851
Web Gardens ................................................................................................................................851
Web Farms ....................................................................................................................................852
Clusters ..........................................................................................................................................853
Methods of Deployment ..............................................................................................................854
Deployment via Removable Media ....................................................................................854
Web-based Deployment ..........................................................................................................855
Exercises ........................................................................................................................................858
Review Questions ......................................................................................................................860
Exam Questions ..........................................................................................................................860
Answers to Review Questions ..............................................................................................864
Answers to Exam Questions ..................................................................................................865

PART III: Maintaining and Configuring a Web Application

14 Maintaining and Supporting a Web Application 871

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................873
Managing a Windows Process ....................................................................................................873
Starting and Stopping Processes ..........................................................................................874
Getting Process Information ..................................................................................................876
Working with Event Logs ............................................................................................................877
Writing to Event Logs ..............................................................................................................879
Reading and Monitoring Event Logs ................................................................................884
Working with Performance Counters ......................................................................................887
Reading Performance Data of Running Processes ........................................................889
Publishing Performance Data ................................................................................................891
Designing a Web Application for Performance ..................................................................894
Exercises ........................................................................................................................................900
Review Questions ......................................................................................................................905
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page xviii

XVIII MCAD/MCSD TRAINING GUIDE EXAM (70-306)

Exam Questions ..........................................................................................................................905

Answers to Review Questions ..............................................................................................909
Answers to Exam Questions ..................................................................................................909

15 Configuring a Web Application 911

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................915
Configuring a Web Application ................................................................................................915
Anatomy of a Configuration File ........................................................................................916
The Configuration File Hierarchy ......................................................................................920
Reading Configuration Settings from Code ..................................................................923
Configuring Security ......................................................................................................................925
Configuring Authentication ..................................................................................................926
Configuring Authorization ....................................................................................................934
Using Caching ..................................................................................................................................941
Types of Caching ........................................................................................................................942
Using the Cache Object ............................................................................................................942
Using a Cache Directive ..........................................................................................................944
Handling Session State ..................................................................................................................946
Using Session State Within a Process ................................................................................947
Using Session State Service ....................................................................................................948
Using Microsoft SQL Server to Store Session State ....................................................950
Installing and Configuring Server Services ............................................................................951
Installing and Configuring IIS ............................................................................................951
Installing and Configuring FrontPage Server Extensions ..........................................952
Exercises ........................................................................................................................................954
Review Questions ......................................................................................................................955
Exam Questions ..........................................................................................................................956
Answers to Review Questions ..............................................................................................958
Answers to Exam Questions ..................................................................................................959

PART IV: Final Review

Fast Facts 963

Creating User Services ....................................................................................................................963
Create ASP.NET pages. ..........................................................................................................963
Add Web server controls, HTML server controls, user controls, and
HTML code to ASP.NET pages. ......................................................................................964
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page xix

CONTENTS XIX

Implement navigation for the user interface (UI). ......................................................966

Manage data during postback events. ................................................................................967
Validate user input. ....................................................................................................................967
Implement error handling in the user interface. ..........................................................968
Implement online user assistance. ......................................................................................968
Incorporate existing code into ASP.NET pages. ............................................................969
Display and update data. ........................................................................................................969
Instantiate and invoke Web Service or components. ..................................................970
Implement globalization. ........................................................................................................971
Handle events. ............................................................................................................................972
Implement accessibility features. ..........................................................................................972
Use and edit intrinsic objects. Intrinsic objects include response, request,
session, server, and application. ........................................................................................972
Creating and Managing Components and .NET Assemblies ........................................973
Create and modify a .NET assembly. ................................................................................973
Create Web custom controls and Web user controls. ................................................974
Consuming and Manipulating Data ........................................................................................974
Access and manipulate data from a Microsoft SQL Server™ database
by creating and using ad hoc queries and stored procedures. ..............................974
Access and manipulate data from a data store. Data stores include
relational databases, XML documents, and flat files. Methods include
XML techniques and ADO .NET. ..................................................................................975
Handle data errors. ....................................................................................................................976
Testing and Debugging ..................................................................................................................976
Create a unit test plan. ............................................................................................................976
Implement tracing. ....................................................................................................................976
Debug, rework, and resolve defects in code. ..................................................................977
Deploying a Web Application ....................................................................................................978
Plan the deployment of a Web application. ....................................................................978
Create a setup program that installs a Web application and allows for
the application to be uninstalled. ....................................................................................979
Deploy a Web application. ....................................................................................................980
Add assemblies to the Global Assembly Cache. ............................................................980
Maintaining and Supporting a Web Application ................................................................981
Optimize the performance of a Web application. ........................................................981
Diagnose and resolve errors and issues. ............................................................................982
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page xx

XX MCAD/MCSD TRAINING GUIDE EXAM (70-306)

Configuring and Securing a Web Application ....................................................................983

Configure a Web application. ..............................................................................................983
Configure security for a Web application. ......................................................................983
Configure authorization. ........................................................................................................984
Configure and implement caching. Caching types include output,
fragment, and data. ................................................................................................................984
Configure and implement session state in various topologies such as a
Web garden and a Web farm. ............................................................................................984
Install and configure server services. ..................................................................................985

Practice Exam 987

Exam Questions ................................................................................................................................988
Answers to Exam Questions ......................................................................................................1004

PART V: Appendixes

A Glossary 1011

B Overview of the Certification Process 1019

Types of Certification ..................................................................................................................1019
Certification Requirements ........................................................................................................1020
How to Become a Microsoft Certified Professional ..................................................1020
How to Become a Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator ............................1020
How to Become a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer ......................................1021
How to Become a Microsoft Certified Application Developer ............................1023
How to Become a Microsoft Certified Solution Developer ..................................1023
How to Become a Microsoft Certified Database Administrator ........................1025
Elective Exams ..........................................................................................................................1026
How to Become a Microsoft Certified Trainer ..........................................................1026

C What’s on the CD-ROM 1027

PrepLogic Practice Tests, Preview Edition .............................................................................. 1027

D Using the PrepLogic Practice Tests, Preview Edition Software 1029

Exam Simulation ............................................................................................................................1029
Question Quality ..........................................................................................................................1029
Interface Design ..............................................................................................................................1029
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page xxi

CONTENTS XXI

Effective Learning Environment ..............................................................................................1029

Software Requirements ................................................................................................................1030
Installing PrepLogic Practice Tests, Preview Edition ..........................................................1030
Removing PrepLogic Practice Tests, Preview Edition from
Your Computer ......................................................................................................................1030
Using PrepLogic Practice Tests, Preview Edition ..................................................................1030
Starting a Practice Test Mode Session ............................................................................1031
Starting a Flash Review Mode Session ............................................................................1031
Standard PrepLogic Practice Tests, Preview Edition Options ....................................1031
Time Remaining ......................................................................................................................1032
Your Examination Score Report ........................................................................................1032
Review Your Exam ..................................................................................................................1032
Get More Exams ............................................................................................................................1032
Contacting PrepLogic ............................................................................................................1033
Customer Service ..........................................................................................................................1033
Product Suggestions and Comments ..............................................................................1033
License Agreement ..................................................................................................................1033

E Suggested Reading and Resources 1035

.NET User Assistance ..................................................................................................................1035
Books ..................................................................................................................................................1035
Web Sites ..........................................................................................................................................1036

Index 1037
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page xxii
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page xxiii

About the Author

Mike Gunderloy pursued his first Microsoft certifica- Mike lives on a farm in eastern Washington state, along
tion the year that the program was introduced, and has with his wife and children and an ever-changing array
earned the MCP, MCT, MCSE, MCDBA, and MCSD of horses, sheep, llamas, geese, turkeys, chickens, ducks,
credentials in the decade since. As lead developer for peacocks, cats, dogs, and guinea fowl. When he’s not
Lark Group, Inc., Mike has worked with small busi- busy testing and writing about software, Mike can usu-
nesses and Fortune 500 corporations alike, as well as ally be found in his garden or greenhouse, trying to
trained many other developers in the use of Microsoft persuade recalcitrant vegetables to grow.
products. He got hooked on computers when you still
You can reach Mike at [email protected] or
had to build your own out of parts, and is still passion-
http://www.larkware.com/.
ately interested in cutting-edge software technology. As
a long-time member of the editorial staff of MCP
Magazine, Mike has remained in close touch with the
certification community.
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page xxiv

Dedication

For Mary Chipman, who knows what careers are made

from.

Acknowledgments

It’s never possible to thank everyone who contributed to Many people helped me develop some of my .NET skills;
a book in some way, but it’s always fun to try. I’d like to of these, Ken Getz, Mary Chipman, and Steve White
start with Robert Shimonski, who first put me in touch deserve special mention. Let’s tackle some development
with Que when this project was still being hatched. projects together again in the future, folks!
From there, it’s been a treat to work with the editorial
Although his name isn’t on the cover, in many ways
staff at Que, including Jeff Riley, Steve Rowe, and Sheila
Amit Kalani is a co-author of the book you’re holding
Schroeder, who helped turn a mass of manuscript into a
now. Amit wrote the C# version of this book, and gen-
book. Technical editors Emmett Dulaney and Ken Cox
erously shared chapter drafts with me as both projects
deserve special mention for wading through this entire
moved forward. This book benefited immensely from
book and pointing out the things that I missed.
his insights into .NET. An added bonus for me was the
Of course no book ever happens without a production chance to see step by step how C# handles some of the
staff. I’m happy that Michael Dietsch, Linda Seifert, same topics tackled in this book.
Cheryl Lynch, and John Sleeva were working behind
Finally, and as always, I’d like to thank my family for
the scenes to take the final manuscript and put it
supporting me through another book. My wonderful
between covers and on the shelf.
wife Dana always listened patiently when I ranted
I’ve benefited over the years from many people in the about stupid bugs, which of course were usually my
wider development community. The editorial staff at own fault. And her constant encouragement keeps me
MCP Magazine, including Dian Schaffhauser, Keith going, no matter what obstacles lie in the road. Adam
Ward, Michael Domingo, Becky Nagel, and Kris kept me entertained and challenged to be the best par-
McCarthy, have helped me stay in touch with certifica- ent I possibly can at all times. Kayla was on her way
tion issues, and were very understanding when I trimmed out just as this introduction is on its way in to the pub-
my magazine duties to be able to tackle this project. Steve lisher, but she’s already helped make life even more
Bogart provided essential HTML advice and pointers. exciting.
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page xxv

We Want to Hear
from You!

As the reader of this book, you are our most important When you write, please be sure to include this book’s
critic and commentator. We value your opinion and title and author as well as your name, email address,
want to know what we’re doing right, what we could and phone number. I will carefully review your com-
do better, what areas you’d like to see us publish in, ments and share them with the author and editors who
and any other words of wisdom you’re willing to pass worked on the book.
our way.
Email: [email protected]
As an executive editor for Que, I welcome your com-
Mail: Jeff Riley
ments. You can email or write me directly to let me
Executive Editor
know what you did or didn’t like about this book—as
Que Certification
well as what we can do to make our books better.
201 West 103rd Street
Please note that I cannot help you with technical prob- Indianapolis, IN 46290 USA
lems related to the topic of this book. We do have a
For more information about this book or another Que
User Services group, however, where I will forward spe-
title, visit our Web site at www.quepublishing.com. Type
cific technical questions related to the book.
the ISBN (excluding hyphens) or the title of a book in
the Search field to find the page you’re looking for.
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page xxvi
00 0789728184 FM 11/26/02 12:22 PM Page xxvii
00c 0789728184 walkthru 11/26/02 12:14 PM Page xxviii

How to Use This Book

Que Certification has made an effort in its Training Guide series to make the information as
accessible as possible for the purposes of learning the certification material. Here, you have
an opportunity to view the many instructional features that have been incorporated into the
books to achieve that goal.

CHAPTER OPENER
Each chapter begins with a set of features
designed to allow you to maximize study
time for that material.

List of Objectives: Each chapter begins with a list

of the objectives as stated by the exam’s vendor.

Objective Explanations: Immediately following

each objective is an explanation of it, providing
context that defines it more meaningfully in rela-
tion to the exam. Because vendors can some-
times be vague in their objectives list, the
objective explanations are designed to clarify any
vagueness by relying on the authors’ test-taking
experience.
00c 0789728184 walkthru 11/26/02 12:14 PM Page xxix

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK XXIX

Chapter Outline: Learning always gets a boost

when you can see both the forest and the trees.
To give you a visual image of how the topics in a
chapter fit together, you will find a chapter outline
at the beginning of each chapter. You will also be
able to use this for easy reference when looking
for a particular topic.

Study Strategies: Each topic presents its own

learning challenge. To support you through this,
Que Certification has included strategies for how
to best approach studying in order to retain the
material in the chapter, particularly as it is
addressed on the exam.
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XXX HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

INSTRUCTIONAL Exam Tip: Exam Tips appear in the

margins to provide specific exam-
related advice. Such tips may
FEATURES WITHIN address what material is covered (or
not covered) on the exam, how it is
THE CHAPTER covered, mnemonic devices, or par-
ticular quirks of that exam.
These books include a large amount and
different kinds of information. The many
different elements are designed to help you
identify information by its purpose and
importance to the exam and also to provide
you with varied ways to learn the material.
You will be able to determine how much
attention to devote to certain elements, Note: Notes appear in the margins and contain various kinds of useful infor-
depending on what your goals are. By mation, such as tips on the technology or administrative practices, historical
becoming familiar with the different pre- background on terms and technologies, or side commentary on industry issues.
sentations of information, you will know
what information will be important to you
as a test-taker and which information will
be important to you as a practitioner.

Objective Coverage Text: In the text before an

exam objective is specifically addressed, you will
notice the objective is listed to help call your
attention to that particular material.

Warning: In using sophisticated information tech-

nology, there is always potential for mistakes or
even catastrophes that can occur through improp-
er application of the technology. Warnings appear
in the margins to alert you to such potential prob-
lems.
00c 0789728184 walkthru 11/26/02 12:14 PM Page xxxi

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK XXXI

Figure: To improve readability, the figures have

been placed in the margins wherever possible so
they do not interrupt the main flow of text.

Step by Step: Step by Steps are hands-on tutori-

al instructions that walk you through a particular
task or function relevant to the exam objectives.
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XXXII HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

EXTENSIVE REVIEW AND

SELF-TEST OPTIONS
At the end of each chapter, along with
some summary elements, you will find a
section called “Apply Your Knowledge” that
gives you several different methods with
which to test your understanding of the
material and review what you have learned.
Key Terms: A list of key terms Chapter Summary: Before the Apply
appears at the end of each chapter. Your Knowledge section, you will find a
These are terms that you should be chapter summary that wraps up the
sure you know and are comfortable chapter and reviews what you should
defining and understanding when have learned.
you go in to take the exam.

Exercises: These activities provide an opportunity

for you to master specific hands-on tasks. Our
goal is to increase your proficiency with the prod-
uct or technology. You must be able to conduct
these tasks in order to pass the exam.

Review Questions: These open-ended, short-

answer questions allow you to quickly assess your
comprehension of what you just read in the chap-
ter. Instead of asking you to choose from a list of
options, these questions require you to state the
correct answers in your own words. Although you
will not experience these kinds of questions on
the exam, these questions will indeed test your
level of comprehension of key concepts.
00c 0789728184 walkthru 11/26/02 12:15 PM Page xxxiii

Exam Questions: These questions reflect the

kinds of questions that appear on the actual ven-
dor exam. Use them to become familiar with the
exam question formats and to help you determine
what you know and what you need to review or
study more.

Answers and Explanations: For each of the Review and Exam questions, you
will find thorough explanations located at the end of the section.

Suggested Readings and Resources: The very

last element in every chapter is a list of additional
resources you can use if you want to go above
and beyond certification-level material or if you
need to spend more time on a particular subject
that you are having trouble understanding.
00c 0789728184 walkthru 11/26/02 12:15 PM Page xxxiv
01 0789728184 Intro 11/26/02 12:23 PM Page 1

Introduction

MCSD Training Guide: Visual Basic .NET Web-Based

Applications is designed for developers who are pursuing
HOW THIS BOOK HELPS YOU
the Microsoft Certified Application Developer This book gives you a self-guided tour of all the areas
(MCAD) or Microsoft Certified Solution Developer of the product that are covered by the VB .NET Web
(MCSD) certifications from Microsoft. This book cov- Applications exam. The goal is to teach you the specific
ers the Developing and Implementing Windows-based skills that you need to achieve your MCAD or MCSD
Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and certification. You’ll also find helpful hints, tips, exam-
Microsoft Visual Studio .NET exam (70-306), which is ples, exercises, and references to additional study mate-
a core exam for both of those certifications. The exam is rials. Specifically, this book is set up to help you in the
designed to measure your skill in developing Windows- following ways:
based applications using Windows Forms and the other
tools in the Microsoft .NET Framework, with Visual
Basic .NET as your programming language.
Organization
This book is designed to cover all the objectives that
Microsoft created for this exam. It doesn’t offer end-to- This book is organized around the individual objectives
end coverage of the Visual Basic .NET language or the from Microsoft’s preparation guide for the VB .NET
.NET Framework; rather, it helps you develop the spe- Web-based Applications exam. Every objective is cov-
cific core competencies that Microsoft says VB .NET- ered in this book. They’re not covered in exactly the
based Web application developers need to master. You same order that you’ll find them on the official prepa-
can pass the exam by learning the material in this ration guide (which you can download from http://
www.microsoft.com/traincert/exams/70-305.asp), but
book, without taking a class. Of course, depending on
your own personal study habits and learning style, you reorganized for more logical teaching. I’ve also tried to
might benefit from studying this book and taking a make the information more accessible in several ways:
class. á This introduction includes the full list of exam
Even if you’re not planning to take the exam, you may topics and objectives.
find this book useful. Experienced Visual Basic and á Read the “Study and Exam Tips” section early on
ASP developers looking for a reference on the new fea- to help you develop study strategies while using
tures of VB .NET and ASP.NET in particular should this Training Guide. It also provides you with
appreciate the coverage of topics here. valuable exam-day tips and information.
á Each chapter starts with a list of objectives that
are covered in that chapter.
01 0789728184 Intro 11/26/02 12:23 PM Page 2

2 MCAD/MCSD TRAINING GUIDE EXAM (70-305)

á Each chapter also begins with an outline that á Guided Practice Exercises. These exercises offer you
provides an overview of the material for that additional opportunities to practice the material
chapter as well as the page numbers where specif- within a chapter and to learn additional facets of
ic topics can be found. the topic at hand.
á I’ve also repeated each objective in the text where á Key Terms. A list of key terms appears at the end
it is covered in detail. of each chapter.
á Notes. These appear in the margin and contain
various kinds of useful information such as tips
Instructional Features on technology, historical background, side com-
mentary, or notes on where to go for more
This book has been designed to provide you with mul- detailed coverage of a particular topic.
tiple ways to learn and reinforce the exam material.
Here are some of the instructional features you’ll find á Warnings. When using sophisticated computing
inside: technology, there is always the possibility of mis-
takes or even catastrophes. Warnings appear in
á Objective Explanations. As mentioned previously, the margin to alert you of such potential prob-
each chapter begins with a list of the objectives lems, whether they’re in following along with the
covered in the chapter. In addition, immediately text or in implementing VB .NET in a produc-
following each objective is a more detailed expla- tion environment.
nation that puts the objective in the context of
the product. á Step by Steps. These are hands-on, tutorial
instructions that lead you through a particular
á Study Strategies. Each chapter also offers a selected task or function relevant to the exam objectives.
list of study strategies—exercises to try or addi-
tional material to read that will help you in learn- á Exercises. Found at the end of each chapter in the
ing and retaining the material that you’ll find in “Apply Your Knowledge” section, the exercises
the chapter. may include additional tutorial material and
more chances to practice the skills that you
á Exam Tips. Exam tips appear in the margin to learned in the chapter.
provide specific exam-related advice. Such tips
might address what material is likely to be cov-
ered (or not covered) on the exam, how to
remember it, or particular exam quirks. Extensive Practice Test
á Review Breaks and Summaries. Crucial informa- Options
tion is summarized at various points in the book
The book provides numerous opportunities for you to
in lists of key points you need to remember. Each
assess your knowledge and practice for the exam. The
chapter ends with an overall summary of the
practice options include the following:
material covered in that chapter as well.
01 0789728184 Intro 11/26/02 12:23 PM Page 3

INTRODUCTION 3

á Review Questions. These open-ended questions á Practice Exam. A full practice test for the exam is
appear in the “Apply Your Knowledge” section at included, with questions written in the style and
the end of each chapter. They allow you to quick- format used on the actual exam. Use it to assess
ly assess your comprehension of what you just your readiness for the real thing.
read in the chapter. The answers are provided
later in the section. This book includes several valuable appendixes as well,
including a glossary (Appendix A), an overview of the
á Exam Questions. These questions also appear in
Microsoft certification program (Appendix B), and a
the “Apply Your Knowledge” section. They reflect
description of what is on the CD-ROM (Appendix C).
the kinds of multiple-choice questions that
Appendix D covers the use of the PrepLogic, Preview
appear on the Microsoft exams. Use them to
Edition software. Finally, Appendix E provides you with
practice for the exam and to help you determine
a list of suggested readings and resources that contain
what you know and what you may need to
useful information on Visual Basic .NET and the
review or study further. Answers and explanations
.NET Framework.
are provided later in the section.
These and all the other book features mentioned previ-
á Practice Exam. The “Final Review” section
ously will provide you with thorough preparation for
includes a complete practice exam. The Final
the exam.
Review section and the Practice Exam are dis-
cussed in more detail later in this chapter. For more information about the exam or the certifica-
tion process, you should contact Microsoft directly:
á PrepLogic. The PrepLogic, Preview Edition soft-
ware included on the CD-ROM provides further By email: mailto:[email protected]
practice questions. By regular mail, telephone, or fax, contact the
Microsoft Regional Education Service Center (RESC)
nearest you. You can find lists of Regional Education
NOTE

PrepLogic, Preview Edition Software

Service Centers at http://www.microsoft.com/
For a complete description of the
traincert/support/northamerica.asp (for North
PrepLogic test engine, please see
Appendix D, “Using the PrepLogic,
America) or http://www.microsoft.com/traincert/
Preview Edition Software.” support/worldsites.asp (worldwide).

On the Internet: http://www.microsoft.com/

traincert/
Final Review
This part of the book provides you with two valuable
tools for preparing for the exam:
á Fast Facts. This condensed version of the informa-
tion contained in the book will prove extremely
useful for last-minute review.
01 0789728184 Intro 11/26/02 12:23 PM Page 4

4 MCAD/MCSD TRAINING GUIDE EXAM (70-305)

WHAT THE DEVELOPING AND á Set styles on ASP.NET pages by using cascading
style sheets.
IMPLEMENTING WEB á Instantiate and invoke an ActiveX control.
APPLICATIONS WITH Implement navigation for the user interface (UI).
MICROSOFT VISUAL BASIC á Manage the view state.
.NET AND MICROSOFT á Manage data during postback events.
VISUAL STUDIO .NET EXAM á Use session state to manage data across pages.

(70-305) COVERS Validate user input.

The Developing and Implementing Web Applications á Validate non-Latin user input.
with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft
Visual Studio .NET exam covers seven major topic Implement error handling in the user interface.
areas: Creating User Services, Creating and Managing á Configure custom error pages.
Components and .NET Assemblies, Consuming and
á Implement Global.asax, application, page-level,
Manipulating Data, Testing and Debugging, Deploying
and page event error handling.
a Web Application, Maintaining and Supporting a Web
Application, and Configuring and Securing a Web
Implement online user assistance.
Application. The exam objectives are listed by topic
area in the following sections. Incorporate existing code into ASP.NET pages.
Display and update data.
á Transform and filter data.
Creating User Services
á Bind data to the user interface.
Create ASP.NET Pages.
á Use controls to display data.
á Add and set directives on ASP.NET pages.
á Separate user interface resources from business Instantiate and invoke Web service or components.
logic.
á Instantiate and invoke a Web service.
Add Web server controls, HTML server controls, user á Instantiate and invoke a COM or COM+ com-
controls, and HTML code to ASP.NET pages. ponent.
á Set properties on controls. á Instantiate and invoke a .NET component.
á Load controls dynamically. á Call native functions by using platform invoke.
á Apply templates.
01 0789728184 Intro 11/26/02 12:23 PM Page 5

INTRODUCTION 5

Implement globalization. Consuming and Manipulating

á Implement localizability for the UI. Data
á Convert existing encodings. Access and manipulate data from a Microsoft SQL
á Implement right-to-left and left-to-right mirror- Server database by creating and using ad hoc queries
ing. and stored procedures.

á Prepare culture-specific formatting. Access and manipulate data from a data store. Data
stores include relational databases, XML documents,
Handle events. and flat files. Methods include XML techniques and
ADO .NET.
á Create event handlers.
Handle data errors.
á Raise events.

Implement accessibility features.

Testing and Debugging
Use and edit intrinsic objects. Intrinsic objects include
response, request, session, server, and application. Create a unit test plan.

á Retrieve values from the properties of intrinsic Implement tracing.

objects. á Add trace listeners and trace switches to an appli-
á Set values on the properties of intrinsic objects. cation.

á Use intrinsic objects to perform operations. á Display trace output.

Debug, rework, and resolve defects in code.

á Configure the debugging environment.
Creating and Managing
á Create and apply debugging code to components,
Components and .NET pages, and applications.
Assemblies á Provide multicultural test data to components,
Create and modify a .NET assembly. pages, and applications.
á Create and implement satellite assemblies. á Execute tests.
á Create resource-only assemblies. á Resolve errors and rework code.

Create Web custom controls and Web user controls.

Deploying a Web Application

Plan the deployment of a Windows-based application.
á Plan a deployment that uses removable media.
á Plan a Web-based deployment.
01 0789728184 Intro 11/26/02 12:23 PM Page 6

6 MCAD/MCSD TRAINING GUIDE EXAM (70-305)

á Plan the deployment of an application to a Web Configure and implement caching. Caching types
garden, a Web farm, or a cluster. include output, fragment, and data.
á Use a cache object.
Create a setup program that installs a Web application
and allows for the application to be uninstalled. á Use cache directives.
Deploy a Web application. Configure and implement session state in various
Add assemblies to the Global Assembly Cache. topologies such as a Web garden and a Web farm.
á Use session state within a process.
á Use session state with session state service.
Maintaining and Supporting a
á Use session state with Microsoft SQL Server.
Web Application
Optimize the performance of a Web application. Install and configure server services.
Diagnose and resolve errors and issues. á Install and configure a Web server.
á Install and configure Microsoft FrontPage Server
Extensions.
Configuring and Securing a
Web Application
Configure a Web application. WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
á Modify the web.config file.
BEFORE READING THIS BOOK
á Modify the Machine.config file.
The Microsoft Visual Basic .NET exams assume that
á Add and modify application settings.
you’re familiar with the Visual Basic language and the
use of Visual Studio .NET to create applications, even
Configure security for a Web application.
though there are no objectives that pertain directly to
á Select and configure authentication type. this knowledge. I’ll show you tasks that are directly
Authentication types include Windows related to exam objectives, but this book does not
Authentication, None, forms-based, Microsoft include a tutorial in Visual Basic .NET itself. If you’re
Passport, and custom authentication. just getting started with the language, you should
check out some of the references in Appendix E for the
Configure authorization. information that you’ll need to get you started. For
á Configure role-based authorization. beginners, I particularly recommend these references:

á Implement impersonation. á The Samples and QuickStart Tutorials, which are

installed as part of the .NET Framework SDK (a
component of a full Visual Studio .NET installa-
tion) are an excellent starting point for informa-
tion on Windows Forms and common tasks.
01 0789728184 Intro 11/26/02 12:23 PM Page 7

INTRODUCTION 7

á Special Edition Using Microsoft Visual Basic .NET, á Enterprise Architect. The high-end Enterprise
by Brian Siler and Jeff Spotts (Que, 2002) Architect edition adds Visio Enterprise Architect,
a development license for SQL Server, and high-
á Visual Basic .NET: The Complete Reference, by
end enterprise templates.
Jeffrey R. Shapiro (McGraw-Hill/Osborne, 2002)
á Programming Visual Basic .NET, by Dave You should be able to complete all of the exercises in
Grundgeiger (O’Reilly, 2002) this book with any of the three editions of Visual Studio
.NET. Your computer should meet the minimum crite-
á Mastering ASP.NET with VB.NET, by A. Russell
ria required for a Visual Studio .NET installation:
Jones (Sybex, 2002)
á Pentium II or better CPU running at 450 MHz
á VB.NET Language in a Nutshell, by Steven
or faster.
Roman, Ron Petrusha and Paul Lomax (O’Reilly,
2002) á Windows NT 4.0 or later.
á Memory depending on the operating system you
have installed: 64MB for Windows NT 4.0
Workstation, 96MB for Windows 2000
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE Professional, 160MB for Windows NT 4.0 Server
YOU’LL NEED or Windows XP Professional, or 192MB for
Windows 2000 Server.
Although you can build Visual Basic ASP.NET applica- á 3.5GB of disk space for a full installation.
tions using nothing more than the tools provided in
the free .NET Framework SDK, to pass the exam you’ll á CD-ROM or DVD drive.
need to have access to a copy of Visual Studio .NET, á Video card running at 800×600 with at least 256
which includes many tools and features not found in colors.
the free command-line tools. There are three editions
of Visual Studio .NET: á Microsoft or compatible mouse.

á Professional. Visual Studio .NET Professional is Of course, those are minimum requirements. I recom-
the entry-level product in the product line. This mend the following more realistic requirements:
edition allows you to build Windows, ASP.NET,
and Web services applications. It includes visual á Pentium III or better CPU running at 800 MHz
design tools, Crystal Reports, and the MSDE ver- or faster.
sion of SQL Server 2000. á Windows 2000.
á Enterprise Developer. Building on the Professional á At least 256MB of RAM, and as much more as
edition, the Enterprise Developer edition adds you can afford.
the full version of SQL Server 2000, Visual
á 5GB of disk space for a full installation.
SourceSafe, Application Center Test, Visual
Studio Analyzer, and developer licenses for á CD-ROM or DVD drive.
Exchange Server, Host Integration Server, and
á Video card running at 1280×1024 or higher with
Commerce Server. It also contains additional
at least 65,000 colors.
samples and templates.
á Microsoft or compatible mouse.
01 0789728184 Intro 11/26/02 12:23 PM Page 8

8 MCAD/MCSD TRAINING GUIDE EXAM (70-305)

You may find it easier to obtain access to the necessary Remember, the primary objective is not to pass the
computer hardware and software in a corporate envi- exam—it is to understand the material. After you
ronment. It can be difficult, however, to allocate understand the material, passing the exam should be
enough time within a busy workday to complete a self- simple. To really work with Visual Basic .NET, you
study program. Most of your study time will probably need a solid foundation in practical skills. This book,
need to occur outside of normal working hours, away and the Microsoft Certified Professional program, are
from the everyday interruptions and pressures of designed to ensure that you have that solid foundation.
your job.
Good luck!

ADVICE ON TAKING THE EXAM No Substitute for Experience The

TIP
single best study tip that anyone
You’ll find more extensive tips in “Study and Exam can give you is to actually work with

EXAM
Prep Tips,” but keep this advice in mind as you study: the product that you’re learning!
Even if you could become a “paper
á Read all the material. Microsoft has been known MCAD” simply by reading books,
to include material not expressly specified in the you wouldn’t get the real-world
objectives for an exam. This book includes addi- skills that you need to be a Visual
tional information not reflected in the objectives Basic .NET success.
in an effort to give you the best possible prepara-
tion for the examination—and for the real-world
experiences to come.
á Do the Step by Steps and complete the Exercises
in each chapter. They will help you gain experi-
ence with Visual Basic .NET. All Microsoft
exams are task- and experience-based and require
you to have experience using the Microsoft prod-
ucts, not just reading about them.
á Use the questions to assess your knowledge.
Don’t just read the chapter content; use the ques-
tions to find out what you know and what you
don’t. Study some more, review, and then assess
your knowledge again.
á Review the exam objectives. Develop your own
questions and examples for each topic listed. If
you can develop and answer several questions for
each topic, you should not find it difficult to pass
the exam.
02 0789728184 Tips 11/26/02 12:24 PM Page 9

There are many ways to approach studying, just as

there are many different types of material to study.
However, the tips that follow should work well for the
type of material covered on the certification exams.

STUDY STRATEGIES
Although individuals vary in the ways they learn infor-
mation, some basic principles of learning apply to
everyone. You should adopt some study strategies that
take advantage of these principles. One of these princi-
ples is that learning can be broken into various depths.
Recognition (of terms, for example) exemplifies a more
surface level of learning in which you rely on a prompt
of some sort to elicit recall. Comprehension or under-
standing (of the concepts behind the terms, for exam-
ple) represents a deeper level of learning. The ability to
analyze a concept and apply your understanding of it
in a new way represents a further depth of learning.
Your learning strategy should enable you to know the
material at a level or two deeper than mere recognition.
This will help you do well on the exams. You will
know the material so thoroughly that you can easily
handle the recognition-level types of questions used in
multiple-choice testing. You will also be able to apply
your knowledge to solve new problems.

Macro and Micro Study

Strategies
One strategy that can lead to this deeper learning
includes preparing an outline that covers all the objec-
tives and subobjectives for the particular exam you are
Study and Exam
working on. You should delve a bit further into the
material and include a level or two of detail beyond the
stated objectives and subobjectives for the exam. Then
Prep Tips
expand the outline by coming up with a statement of
definition or a summary for each point in the outline.
02 0789728184 Tips 11/26/02 12:24 PM Page 10

10 STUDY AND EXAM PREP TIPS

An outline provides two approaches to studying. First, The hands-on nature of the Step by Step tutorials and
you can study the outline by focusing on the organiza- the Exercises at the ends of the chapters provide further
tion of the material. Work your way through the points active learning opportunities that will reinforce con-
and subpoints of your outline with the goal of learning cepts as well.
how they relate to one another. For example, be sure
you understand how each of the main objective areas is
similar to and different from another. Then do the Common-Sense Strategies
same thing with the subobjectives; be sure you know
which subobjectives pertain to each objective area and Finally, you should also follow common-sense practices
how they relate to one another. when studying. Study when you are alert, reduce or
eliminate distractions, take breaks when you become
Next, you can work through the outline, focusing on fatigued, and so on.
learning the details. Memorize and understand terms
and their definitions, facts, rules and strategies, advan-
tages and disadvantages, and so on. In this pass
through the outline, attempt to learn detail rather than Pre-Testing Yourself
the big picture (the organizational information that Pre-testing enables you to assess how well you are learn-
you worked on in the first pass through the outline). ing. One of the most important aspects of learning is
Research has shown that attempting to assimilate both what has been called meta-learning. Meta-learning has
types of information at the same time seems to inter- to do with realizing when you know something well or
fere with the overall learning process. Separate your when you need to study some more. In other words,
studying into these two approaches and you will per- you recognize how well or how poorly you have learned
form better on the exam. the material you are studying.
For most people, this can be difficult to assess objec-
tively on their own. Practice tests are useful in that they
Active Study Strategies reveal more objectively what you have learned and
what you have not learned. You should use this infor-
The process of writing down and defining objectives, mation to guide review and further studying.
subobjectives, terms, facts, and definitions promotes a Developmental learning takes place as you cycle
more active learning strategy than merely reading the through studying, assessing how well you have learned,
material. In human information-processing terms, writ- reviewing, and assessing again until you feel you are
ing forces you to engage in more active encoding of the ready to take the exam.
information. Simply reading over it exemplifies more
passive processing. You may have noticed the practice exam included in
this book, and the PrepLogic, Preview Edition software
Next, determine whether you can apply the informa- on the CD-ROM. These tools are excellent for provid-
tion you have learned by attempting to create examples ing extra exam preparation opportunities. Use these
and scenarios on your own. Think about how or where extensively as part of the learning process.
you could apply the concepts you are learning. Again,
write down this information to process the facts and You should set a goal for your pre-testing. A reasonable
concepts in a more active fashion. goal would be to score consistently in the 90-percent
range.
02 0789728184 Tips 11/26/02 12:24 PM Page 11

STUDY AND EXAM PREP TIPS 11

See Appendix D, “Using the PrepLogic, Preview Edition Exam Format

Software,” for a more detailed explanation of the test
engine. There are two basic formats for the MCP exams: the
traditional fixed-form exam and the adaptive form.
As its name implies, the fixed-form exam presents a
fixed set of questions during the exam session. The
EXAM PREP TIPS adaptive form, however, uses only a subset of questions
drawn from a larger pool during any given exam
Having mastered the subject matter, the final prepara- session.
tory step is to understand how the exam will be pre-
sented. Make no mistake, a Microsoft Certified
Professional (MCP) exam will challenge both your Fixed-Form
knowledge and test-taking skills. This section starts A fixed-form computerized exam is based on a fixed set
with the basics of exam design, reviews a new type of of exam questions. The individual questions are pre-
exam format, and concludes with hints targeted to each sented in random order during a test session. If you
of the exam formats. take the same exam more than once you won’t necessar-
ily see the exact same questions. This is because two or
three final forms are typically assembled for every fixed-
The MCP Exam form exam Microsoft releases. These are usually labeled
Forms A, B, and C.
Every MCP exam is released in one of two basic for-
mats. What’s being called exam format here is really lit- The final forms of a fixed-form exam are identical in
tle more than a combination of the overall exam struc- terms of content coverage, number of questions, and
ture and the presentation method for exam questions. allotted time, but the questions are different. You may
notice, however, that some of the same questions
Each exam format uses the same types of questions. appear on, or rather are shared among, different final
These types or styles of questions include multiple-rat- forms. When questions are shared among multiple final
ing (or scenario-based) questions, traditional multiple- forms of an exam, the percentage of sharing is generally
choice questions, and simulation-based questions. It’s small. Many final forms share no questions, but some
important to understand the types of questions you will older exams may have a 10 percent to 15 percent dupli-
be asked and the actions required to properly answer cation of exam questions on the final exam forms.
them.
Fixed-form exams also have a fixed time limit in which
Understanding the exam formats is key to good prepa- you must complete the exam. The PrepLogic, Preview
ration because the format determines the number of Edition software on the CD-ROM that accompanies
questions presented, the difficulty of those questions, this book carries fixed-form exams.
and the amount of time allowed to complete the exam.
Finally, the score you achieve on a fixed-form exam,
which is always reported for MCP exams on a scale of
0 to 1,000, is based on the number of questions you
answer correctly. The exam’s passing score is the same
for all final forms of a given fixed-form exam.
02 0789728184 Tips 11/26/02 12:24 PM Page 12

12 STUDY AND EXAM PREP TIPS

The typical format for the fixed-form exam is as follows: The Adaptive-Exam Process
Your first adaptive exam will be unlike any other testing
á 50–60 questions.
experience you have had. In fact, many examinees have
á 75–90 minute testing time. difficulty accepting the adaptive testing process because
á Question review is allowed, including the oppor- they feel that they were not provided the opportunity
tunity to change your answers. to adequately demonstrate their full expertise.
You can take consolation in the fact that adaptive
exams are painstakingly put together after months of
Adaptive Form data gathering and analysis and are just as valid as a
An adaptive-form exam has the same appearance as a fixed-form exam. The rigor introduced through the
fixed-form exam, but its questions differ in quantity adaptive testing methodology means that there is noth-
and process of selection. Although the statistics of ing arbitrary about what you’ll see. It is also a more effi-
adaptive testing are fairly complex, the process is con- cient means of testing, requiring less time to conduct
cerned with determining your level of skill or ability and complete.
with the exam subject matter. This ability assessment As you can see from Figure 1, a number of statistical
begins by presenting questions of varying levels of diffi- measures drive the adaptive examination process. The
culty and ascertaining at what difficulty level you can most immediately relevant to you is the ability esti-
reliably answer them. Finally, the ability assessment mate. Accompanying this test statistic are the standard
determines if that ability level is above or below the error of measurement, the item characteristic curve,
level required to pass that exam. and the test information curve.
Examinees at different levels of ability will see quite dif-
ferent sets of questions. Examinees who demonstrate
little expertise with the subject matter will continue to
be presented with relatively easy questions. Examinees
who demonstrate a high level of expertise will be pre-
sented progressively more difficult questions.
Individuals of both levels of expertise may answer the
same number of questions correctly, but because the FIGURE 1
Microsoft’s Adaptive Testing Demonstration Program.
higher-expertise examinee can correctly answer more
difficult questions, he or she will receive a higher score The standard error, which is the key factor in deter-
and is more likely to pass the exam. mining when an adaptive exam will terminate, reflects
the degree of error in the exam ability estimate. The
The typical design for the adaptive form exam is as item characteristic curve reflects the probability of a
follows: correct response relative to examinee ability. Finally, the
á 20–25 questions. test information statistic provides a measure of the
information contained in the set of questions the
á 90 minute testing time, although this is likely to examinee has answered, again relative to the ability
be reduced to 45–60 minutes in the near future.
level of the individual examinee.
á Question review is not allowed, providing no
opportunity to change your answers.
02 0789728184 Tips 11/26/02 12:24 PM Page 13

STUDY AND EXAM PREP TIPS 13

When you begin an adaptive exam, the standard error New Question Types
has already been assigned a target value it must drop
below for the exam to conclude. This target value A variety of question types can appear on MCP exams.
reflects a particular level of statistical confidence in the Examples of multiple-choice questions and scenario-
process. The examinee ability is initially set to the mean based questions appear throughout this book and the
possible exam score (500 for MCP exams). PrepLogic, Preview Edition software. Simulation-based
questions are new to the MCP exam series.
As the adaptive exam progresses, questions of varying
difficulty are presented. Based on your pattern of
responses to these questions, the ability estimate is Simulation Questions
recalculated. Simultaneously, the standard error esti- Simulation-based questions reproduce the look and feel
mate is refined from its first estimated value of one of key Microsoft product features for the purpose of test-
toward the target value. When the standard error reach- ing. The simulation software used in MCP exams has
es its target value, the exam terminates. Thus, the more been designed to look and act, as much as possible, just
consistently you answer questions of the same degree of like the actual product. Consequently, answering simula-
difficulty, the more quickly the standard error estimate tion questions in a MCP exam entails completing one or
drops, and the fewer questions you will end up seeing more tasks just as if you were using the product itself.
during the exam session. This situation is depicted in
Figure 2. The format of a typical Microsoft simulation question
consists of a brief scenario or problem statement along
with one or more tasks that must be completed to solve
the problem.

A Typical Simulation Question

It sounds obvious, but your first step when you
encounter a simulation is to carefully read the question.
FIGURE 2 Do not go straight to the simulation application! You
The changing statistics in an adaptive exam.
must assess the problem being presented and identify
As you might suspect, one good piece of advice for tak- the conditions that make up the problem scenario.
ing an adaptive exam is to treat every exam question as Note the tasks that must be performed or outcomes
if it is the most important. The adaptive scoring algo- that must be achieved to answer the question and
rithm attempts to discover a pattern of responses that review any instructions on how to proceed.
reflects some level of proficiency with the subject mat-
ter. Incorrect responses almost guarantee that additional The next step is to launch the simulator by using the
questions must be answered (unless, of course, you get button provided. After clicking the Show Simulation
every question wrong). This is because the scoring algo- button, you will see a feature of the product presented
rithm must adjust to information that is not consistent in a dialog box. The simulation application will partial-
with the emerging pattern. ly cover the question text on many test center
machines. Feel free to reposition the simulation or
move between the question text screen and the simula-
tion by using hotkeys, point-and-click navigation, or
even clicking the simulation launch button again.
02 0789728184 Tips 11/26/02 12:24 PM Page 14

14 STUDY AND EXAM PREP TIPS

It is important to understand that your answer to the á Become familiar with the product. Hands-on
simulation question will not be recorded until you experience is one of the keys to success on any
move on to the next exam question. This gives you the MCP exam. Review the exercises and the Step by
added capability to close and reopen the simulation Steps in the book.
application (using the launch button) on the same
á Review the current exam-preparation guide on
question without losing any partial answer you may
the Microsoft MCP Web site. The documenta-
have made.
tion Microsoft makes available over the Web
The third step is to use the simulator as you would the identifies the skills every exam is intended to test.
actual product to solve the problem or perform the
á Memorize foundational technical detail, but
defined tasks. Again, the simulation software is
remember that MCP exams are generally heavy
designed to function, within reason, just as the product
on problem solving and application of knowledge
does. But don’t expect the simulation to reproduce
rather than just questions that require only rote
product behavior perfectly. Most importantly, do not
memorization.
allow yourself to become flustered if the simulation
does not look or act exactly like the product. á Take any of the available practice tests. We rec-
ommend the one included in this book and the
There are two final points that will help you tackle sim-
ones you can complete using the PrepLogic,
ulation questions. First, respond only to what is being
Preview Edition software on the CD-ROM, and
asked in the question; do not solve problems that you
visiting the PrepLogic Web site for purchase of
are not asked to solve. Second, accept what is being
further practice exams if you feel the need for
asked of you. You may not entirely agree with condi-
more examination practice. Although these are
tions in the problem statement, the quality of the
fixed-form exams, they provide preparation that is
desired solution, or the sufficiency of defined tasks to
just as valuable for taking an adaptive exam.
adequately solve the problem. Always remember that
Because of the nature of adaptive testing, these
you are being tested on your ability to solve the prob-
practice exams cannot be done in the adaptive
lem as it is presented. If you make any changes beyond
form. However, fixed-form exams use the same
those required by the question, the item will be scored
types of questions as adaptive exams and are the
as wrong on an MCP exam.
most effective way to prepare for either type.
á Look on the Microsoft MCP Web site for sam-
ples and demonstration items. These tend to be
Putting It All Together particularly valuable for one significant reason:
Given all these different pieces of information, the task They help you become familiar with any new
now is to assemble a set of tips that will help you suc- testing technologies before you encounter them
cessfully tackle the different types of MCP exams. on a MCP exam.

More Pre-Exam Preparation Tips

During the Exam Session
Generic exam-preparation advice is always useful. Tips
The following generic exam-taking advice you’ve heard
include the following:
for years applies when taking a MCP exam:
02 0789728184 Tips 11/26/02 12:24 PM Page 15

STUDY AND EXAM PREP TIPS 15

á Take a deep breath and try to relax when you first Make a rough calculation of how many minutes
sit down for your exam session. It is very impor- you can spend on each question and use this to
tant to control the pressure you may (naturally) pace yourself through the exam.
feel when taking exams. á Take advantage of the fact that you can return to
á You will be provided scratch paper. Take a and review skipped or previously answered ques-
moment to write down any factual information tions. Record the questions you can’t answer con-
and technical detail that you committed to short- fidently, noting the relative difficulty of each
term memory. question, on the scratch paper provided. Once
you’ve made it to the end of the exam, return to
á Carefully read all information and instruction
the more difficult questions.
screens. These displays have been put together to
give you information relevant to the exam you are á If there is session time remaining once you have
taking. completed all questions (and if you aren’t too
fatigued!), review your answers. Pay particular
á Accept the Non-Disclosure Agreement and pre-
attention to questions that seem to have a lot of
liminary survey as part of the examination
detail or that require graphics.
process. Complete them accurately and quickly
move on. á As for changing your answers, the general rule of
thumb here is don’t ! If you read the question
á Read the exam questions carefully. Reread each
carefully and completely and you felt like you
question to identify all relevant detail.
knew the right answer, you probably did. Don’t
á Tackle the questions in the order they are pre- second-guess yourself. If, as you check your
sented. Skipping around won’t build your confi- answers, one clearly stands out as incorrectly
dence; the clock is always counting down. marked, however, of course you should change it
in that instance. If you are at all unsure, go with
á Don’t rush, but also don’t linger on difficult ques-
your first impression.
tions. The questions vary in degree of difficulty.
Don’t let yourself be flustered by a particularly
difficult or verbose question.
Adaptive Exams
If you are planning to take an adaptive exam, keep
Fixed-Form Exams these additional tips in mind:
Building from this basic preparation and test-taking á Read and answer every question with great care.
advice, you also need to consider the challenges pre- When reading a question, identify every relevant
sented by the different exam designs. Because a fixed- detail, requirement, or task that must be per-
form exam is composed of a fixed, finite set of ques- formed and double-check your answer to be sure
tions, add these tips to your strategy for taking a fixed- you have addressed every one of them.
form exam:
á If you cannot answer a question, use the process
á Note the time allotted and the number of ques- of elimination to reduce the set of potential
tions appearing on the exam you are taking. answers, and then take your best guess. Stupid
mistakes invariably mean additional questions
will be presented.
02 0789728184 Tips 11/26/02 12:24 PM Page 16

16 STUDY AND EXAM PREP TIPS

á Forget about reviewing questions and changing

your answers. Once you leave a question, whether
FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
you’ve answered it or not, you cannot return to it. Finally, there are a number of changes in the MCP pro-
Do not skip any questions either; once you do, gram that will impact how frequently you can repeat an
they are counted as incorrect. exam and what you will see when you do.
á Microsoft has instituted a new exam retake poli-
Simulation Questions cy. This new rule is “two and two, then one and
two.” That is, you can attempt any exam twice
You may encounter simulation questions on either the
with no restrictions on the time between
fixed-form or adaptive-form exam. If you do, keep
attempts. But after the second attempt, you must
these tips in mind:
wait two weeks before you can attempt that exam
á Avoid changing any simulation settings that don’t again. After that, you will be required to wait two
pertain directly to the problem solution. Solve weeks between subsequent attempts. Plan to pass
the problem you are being asked to solve and the exam in two attempts or plan to increase your
nothing more. time horizon for receiving a MCP credential.
á Assume default settings when related information á New questions are being seeded into the MCP
has not been provided. If something has not been exams. After performance data is gathered on new
mentioned or defined, it is a noncritical detail questions, the examiners will replace older questions
that does not factor into the correct solution. on all exam forms. This means that the questions
appearing on exams will be regularly changing.
á Be sure your entries are syntactically correct, pay-
ing particular attention to your spelling. Enter á Many of the current MCP exams will be repub-
relevant information just as the product would lished in adaptive form in the coming months.
require it. Prepare yourself for this significant change in test-
ing as it is entirely likely that this will become the
á Close all simulation application windows after
preferred MCP exam format.
completing the simulation tasks. The testing sys-
tem software is designed to trap errors that could
These changes mean that the brute-force strategies for
result when using the simulation application, but passing MCP exams are much less viable than they
trust yourself over the testing software. once were. So if you don’t pass an exam on the first or
á If simulations are part of a fixed-form exam, you second attempt, it is entirely possible that the exam’s
can return to skipped or previously answered form will change significantly the next time you take it.
questions and change your answer. However, if It could be updated to adaptive form from fixed form
you choose to change your answer to a simulation or have a different set of questions or question types.
question or even attempt to review the settings The intention of Microsoft is clearly not to make the
you’ve made in the simulation application, your exams more difficult by introducing unwanted change,
previous response to that simulation question will but to create and maintain valid measures of the tech-
be deleted. If simulations are part of an adaptive nical skills and knowledge associated with the different
exam, you cannot return to previous questions. MCP credentials. Preparing for a MCP exam has
always involved not only studying the subject matter,
but also planning for the testing experience itself. With
the recent changes, this is now truer than ever.
Exploring the Variety of Random
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passioni e alle debolezze del mondo, ella che avrebbe dovuto dar
l'esempio della forza e dell'equanimità a quel povero Frassini, ella
s'era tradita in presenza di lui, ell'aveva permesso che il suo
colloquio con la Marialì sviasse dai veri suoi fini, degenerasse in un
miserabile bisticcio fra due antiche rivali!
Ma mentr'ella, decisa di non raccoglier l'ultima impertinenza della
sorella, cercava le parole per tornar sull'argomento del matrimonio di
Tullio e dell'Antonietta, la Marialì che s'era levata in piedi ed era
passata dinanzi allo specchio le si riaccostò con volto ridente e
sereno. S'era vista ancora così bella, così fresca e desiderabile, così
lontana dal giorno della rinuncia agli omaggi e ai piaceri, nonostante
l'età poco delicatamente rinfacciatale dall'Angela; aveva pregustato
la gioja di tanti futuri trionfi, di tanti cupidi sguardi fissati ancora su
lei, di tante parole ardenti susurrate ancora al suo orecchio, che il
suo cuore s'era disposto alla clemenza e al perdono. E sopra tutto
ell'aveva sentito che le conveniva evitar quei contrasti i quali
turbando la calma dello spirito si portano dietro la cattiva digestione
e l'insonnia e nuocciono alla purezza dell'alito e alla lucentezza della
pelle.
— Via, via — ella disse. — Facciamo la pace... Io non sono una
cattiva diavola, e non mi oppongo alla felicità di chicchessia... Se
l'Antonietta vuol sposare il suo Tullio, e se Tullio vuol sposar lei, si
sposino pure, e che il cielo li benedica.. Cerca piuttosto di convertir
tuo cognato... Sarà un osso più duro.
Con un movimento rapidissimo dell'agile persona la Marialì si chinò
sulla sorella e le sfiorò la fronte con le labbra. Indi, senz'attendere
nè il ricambio del bacio, nè risposta alcuna, uscì dalla camera col suo
passo leggero.
— Chi le darebbe più di trent'anni? — sospirò Giulio Frassini,
scoprendo il viso ch'egli aveva tenuto fino allora nascosto fra le
palme.
— Oggi è più generosa di te — disse l'Angela senza curarsi
dell'osservazione.
— Perchè non le importa nè dell'Antonietta nè di nessuno — ribattè
Frassini protestando contro l'indiretto rimprovero. — A lei non
importa che di sè stessa, d'esser bella e di parer giovine... Che
bisogno ha di una casa, di una famiglia, se non si cura d'altro che
d'esser corteggiata, e se i corteggiatori non le mancano mai?... Ma
io, ma io...
— Tu non devi permettere che il tuo amore sia più fatale
all'Antonietta dell'indifferenza materna — replicò l'Angela.
Egli s'agitava sulla sedia.
— In nome del cielo, che cosa pretendi da me?... Che, come la
Marialì, io ti lasci libero il campo?
— Ah no! — proruppe la convalescente. — Da te pretendo molto di
più... Mia sorella, in fin dei conti, non era mai un ostacolo serio...
Anzi, se non ci fosse stata che lei, l'Antonietta avrebbe accolto con
entusiasmo il primo sposo che le si fosse offerto... L'ostacolo vero sei
tu che, atteggiandoti a vittima, hai fatto sorger nel cervellino della
tua figliuola l'idea d'esser la tua salvatrice...
— E non sono una vittima? — esclamò Giulio Frassini. — E da chi
dovrei aspettare conforti se non da mia figlia?
— Bada a me, Giulio — riprese l'Angela, e la sua voce era grave e
commossa. — Chi è o si crede vittima non ha diritto di far pesare
sugli altri la sua cattiva fortuna... No, no, lasciami parlare... Forse me
ne intendo... La condizione di vittima può avere le sue dolcezze e la
sua nobiltà quand'è sopportata con rassegnazione, con la coscienza
che se siamo stati sempre disgraziati, la colpa n'è in gran parte
nostra... Vuol dire che c'è mancato qualche cosa fin dalla nascita...
qualche dote fisica o morale ch'è necessaria al successo.
Frassini la guardava con un'ammirazione mista di sgomento.
Ell'avrebbe avuto ragione di odiarlo, e invece egli sentiva vibrar nella
voce di lei una nota dell'antico affetto... Se siamo stati sempre
disgraziati — ella diceva, associando le loro due sorti... Ma d'altro
lato, che stava ella per chiedergli?
L'Angela lo dispensò dal rinnovar la domanda.
Fissa nella sua idea, ella ripigliò: — No, non mi basta che tu sia
neutrale, che tu mi lasci libero il campo... Tu devi essere il mio
alleato... L'Antonietta deve persuadersi che non hai bisogno di lei,
che tu stesso desideri vederla seguir gl'impulsi del suo cuore, cercar
la felicità con l'uomo ch'ell'ama.
— Angela, Angela, è la mia condanna che tu decreti.
— È la tua redenzione che ti offro... Quest'atto di volontà e di
sacrifizio ti ridarà la stima di te medesimo... e la mia... Ci tieni alla
mia stima?
— Oh, Angela, e puoi dubitarne?
— Riconquistala dunque — ella disse. E soggiunse, abbassando la
voce: — Pensa come ti ho visto, Giulio... e non ero sola, e c'era tua
figlia!... Ti ho visto, la sera prima ch'io mi ammalassi, correr dietro a
una delle mie serve!.. E t'ho rivisto, prima e poi, dimentico della tua
dignità, querulo, lacrimoso come uno scolaretto di quindici anni,
attaccarti alle gonne della Marialì e subire le sue ripulse, i suoi
disprezzi, i suoi sarcasmi... Ho arrossito per te, Giulio!... Ma ora
sarebbe peggio se ti vedessi ostinato a immolar l'Antonietta al tuo
egoismo...
— E pure — rispose Giulio Frassini difendendo a palmo a palmo il
terreno — e pure quella mattina, in giardino, non eri così spietata...
Parevi convinta che lo staccarmi dall'Antonietta sarebbe stata la mia
estrema rovina.
— Può darsi ch'io fossi perplessa — ribattè l'Angela con la mal celata
impazienza di chi è colto in contraddizione. — Credevo che si
potesse guadagnar tempo... Ora non più... Ora gli avvenimenti
incalzano, e se questo matrimonio non si combina subito l'occasione
è perduta per sempre... Tullio se ne andrà in America con mio
fratello Cesare, voi ripiglierete le vostre peregrinazioni... e addio la
mia speranza di ripopolar Villarosa, di rinnovellarla con un soffio
d'amore e di giovinezza. Quand'anche un giorno i dispersi si
ritrovassero quì, io non ci sarei...
— Oh Angela!...

È
— È vano illudersi, Giulio... La mia malattia è stata un avvertimento,
il primo segnale di partenza del treno...
— Angela! Angela!
Più dell'esortazioni austere, più dei giusti rimproveri potè su Giulio
Frassini questa confessione di debolezza, questo grido d'un'anima
chiedente un'ultima, un'unica gioja alla vita che fugge. Egli la sentiva
più vicina a lui, ora ch'ell'era scesa dalle sue altezze inaccessibili, ora
ch'ella pregava non soltanto pegli altri ma anche per sè... Ed egli le
doveva pure una riparazione, egli che l'aveva abbandonata e
tradita... tradita per la Marialì!
Una mano dell'Angela pendeva dal bracciolo della poltrona. Frassini
la prese e se la portò al cuore.
— Angela — egli disse, — se facessi quello che tu desideri, mi
perdoneresti le mie colpe, le nuove e le antiche, mi perdoneresti di
aver rovinato la tua esistenza?
Il volto dell'Angela s'illuminò di contentezza.
— Tu accondiscendi?
— Perdonami, perdonami — egli implorava. — Ho espiato tanto.
— Lascia il passato in pace — ella interruppe con un sospiro. — Lo
sai che non ho rancori.
— Non mi basta. Perdonami — egli ripeteva con l'insistenza di un
bambino.
L'Angela sorrise.
— Perdono tutto... Ma non pensiamo a noi che siamo vecchi, che
abbiamo finito... Pensiamo a quelli che cominciano.
Giulio Frassini seguitava concitatamente: — Mi ajuterai a
risollevarmi? Vorrai essere la mia guida, la mia consigliera, la mia
confortatrice? Mi permetterai, nei momenti più tristi, di cercare un
rifugio a Villarosa?
— Villarosa t'è sempre stata aperta — disse l'Angela. — Eri tu che ci
venivi così poco.
— Non osavo — egli susurrò.
— Avevi torto.
Ritirando con dolcezza la mano ch'egli copriva di baci, ella lo pregò
di suonare il campanello ch'era accanto al letto.
— Vuoi qualche cosa? — chiese il cognato timidamente mentre si
accingeva a ubbidire.
Ell'aspettò ch'egli avesse suonato e poi soggiunse:
— Intanto volevo questo... Ora vorrò che tu non ti penta delle tue
buone disposizioni e che tu mostri d'esser in pieno accordo con me.
— Ma... — obbiettò Frassini che non capiva.
— Tss! — fece l'Angela portandosi il dito alla bocca. E rivoltasi alla
Maddalena che s'era affacciata all'uscio, le disse: — Dov'è la
signorina Antonietta?
— Credo sia giù in salotto, coi padroni.
— Ebbene, che faccia il piacere di salire un momento... subito.
Appena la Maddalena ebbe chiuso l'uscio, Giulio Frassini si alzò in
piedi inquieto, turbato.
— Che precipizio, Angela, che precipizio!
— A che servirebbero gl'indugi?
— Potevo parlarle io.
— No, io le parlerò in nome di tutti e due alla tua presenza.. Oh, tu
devi fidarti... Non aver paura ch'io le carpisca un sì contrario alle sue
inclinazioni... Se l'Antonietta persisterà nel suo rifiuto, se mi proverà
ch'io m'ero ingannata sui suoi sentimenti, io chinerò il capo... Ma io
son certa di non essermi ingannata... Quando non ti crederà più
ostile al suo amore, ella non avrà più ragione di fingere... Su, su,
Giulio, ricomponiti... Sii un uomo... Che tua figlia non ti veda così...
Eccola. Mi par di sentire il suo passo.
L'Antonietta entrò, rossa in viso dalla fretta con cui aveva fatto le
scale.
— Mi avete chiamata?
— Sì — disse l'Angela rizzandosi sui gomiti. — Il tuo babbo ed io
t'abbiamo chiamata per una cosa molto, molto importante... Siedi
quì, vicino a noi.
Benchè la solennità dell'esordio fosse temperata dall'accento
amorevole, una certa ansietà, quasi d'imputato davanti ai suoi
giudici, si dipinse sul volto della fanciulla.
L'Angela andò diritta allo scopo.
— Sii sincera, sii franca con noi, Antonietta... Aprici tutto il tuo cuore.
Non è vero che tu vuoi un po' di bene a tuo cugino Tullio?
Le guancie dell'Antonietta s'imporporarono ed ella protestò con
enfasi: — Non è vero, non è vero niente... Chi lo ha detto?... È stato
lo zio Cesare?... Non è vero.
— Calma, bimba mia — ripigliò l'Angela con un sorriso. — Tu neghi
con troppo calore, come una che tema d'aver commesso un delitto...
E sì che non ci sarebbe ragione di vergognarsi.
L'Antonietta aveva un nodo alla gola.
— Perchè mi tormentate? Perchè dovrei voler bene a mio cugino? —
ella diceva a scatti con un'irritazione che tradiva lo sforzo. — Per
quello che abbiamo da stare insieme!... Non è in procinto
d'imbarcarsi per l'America?... Buon viaggio, buona fortuna!
— Oh, il bastimento non è ancora pronto — ribattè l'Angela con una
scrollatina di spalle.
E smettendo la celia proseguì con l'eloquenza appassionata di chi
vuol trasfondere in altri la propria convinzione.
— Via, Antonietta, cessiamo di parlar per indovinelli. Tu non puoi
non aver capito che Tullio ha per te una simpatia... più che di
cugino, e ch'egli aveva creduto d'inspirarti una simpatia uguale... Ed
ecco che oggi lo respingi, lo sfuggi!... Per qual motivo?... Ah non è
certo per sua elezione ch'egli lascia l'Italia, l'Europa, i suoi studi
tranquilli, la speranza di una cattedra; è per stordirsi, se può, per
dimenticare un trattamento ingiusto... Vedi se t'ama! Non importa...
Amare non basta; bisogna essere amati. E se tu, leggendo meglio
dentro di te, hai scoperto che c'è fra voi due un'incompatibilità
profonda, se la tua passeggera inclinazione è svanita, pazienza!
Tullio non avrà da lagnarsi che della sorte... Ma se non siete divisi
che da un malinteso, da un puntiglio, spiegatevi per carità e non
giocate sopra una carta tutto il vostro avvenire... L'America? Ma
dipende da te che Tullio ci vada o rimanga in Italia.
Con occhi umidi e supplichevoli l'Antonietta si voltò verso suo padre.
— Babbo, babbo, perchè taci, perchè non mi difendi?... Hai scordato
i nostri progetti? Non dovevamo restar sempre insieme, noi due?
Non dovevamo principiare intanto col fare anche noi il nostro viaggio
o in Egitto, o in Sicilia, o al Nord dell'Europa?... Saremmo stati
assenti parecchi mesi con la sola compagnia dei tuoi pennelli e della
tua tavolozza;... tu avresti lavorato senza distrazioni, senza
preoccupazioni...
Era il sogno, era il bel sogno che Frassini aveva accarezzato, e a
sentirlo ora rievocare dall'Antonietta gli veniva una gran voglia di
piangere.
Pur riuscì a dominarsi, e tentennando la testa — No, figliuola mia —
egli disse — ci ho pensato su... I nostri progetti erano campati in
aria... Chi ha ragione è la zia Angela che ha sempre avuto più
giudizio di tutti noi... Segui il suo consiglio...
— No — interruppe la zia, — segui la voce del tuo cuore in cui forse
ho visto più chiaro degli altri, più chiaro di te stessa... Ma te lo ripeto
ancora una volta, se ho sbagliato, dimmelo schietto ed aperto, e io
cesserò di tormentarti, e Tullio ti si leverà dai piedi per sempre.
Invece di rispondere, la giovinetta si strinse al suo babbo, e gli
nascose la faccia nel petto.
— Ah papà mio — ella singhiozzava, — perchè la zia Angela è così
cattiva?
— La zia Angela è savia e buona — replicò Giulio Frassini
accarezzando i folti capelli dell'Antonietta — e dovremmo tutti
adorarla in ginocchio.
— Però ella non si è sposata — notò la ragazza; — ella ha preferito
vivere coi suoi genitori.
— Oh, — esclamò Frassini non avvertendo o non curando i segni che
gli faceva la cognata — non è ch'ella non volesse sposarsi... Sono
state le circostanze... è stato qualcheduno... Oh, il colpevole darebbe
quello che gli resta di vita per riparare ai suoi torti!
Adagio adagio l'Antonietta alzò il capo, e i suoi occhi si posarono
successivamente su suo padre e sull'Angela. Comprese ella la verità?
Fatto si è ch'ella si sciolse dalle braccia paterne, e si gettò piangendo
in quelle della zia.
— Tu credi proprio che Tullio rinunzierebbe a partire? — ella
mormorò in un soffio.
 XXXI.

— Sì — disse Vignoni — fin dove c'è il sole, fino al boschetto, non

più in là... E per 15 o 20 minuti.
Da un pajo di giorni l'Angela scendeva al pianterreno, ma quella era
la prima volta dopo la sua malattia ch'ella usciva in giardino.
E il dottore stesso, e Giulio Frassini, e Tullio e l'Antonietta si offersero
a gara per darle il braccio.
— Domando scusa — protestò Cesare Torralba — il braccio devo
darglielo io. C'è un impegno preventivo. Non è vero, Angela?
L'interrogata assentì.
— A ogni modo, noi saremo del seguito — dichiararono in coro gli
altri.
La Maddalena battè palma a palma dalla contentezza.
— Or ora vengo anch'io dietro la mia padroncina.
Dal fondo delle loro poltrone in un angolo del salotto il
commendatore Ercole e la signora Laura si lamentarono.
— Già, ci piantate soli. Lo sapete che noi non possiamo muoverci.
La Marialì ch'era seduta al tavolino e sfogliava la Mode illustrée,
disse: — Rimango io... Va pure, Maddalena.
— Grazie... Torno subito subito... Del resto, se i padroni volessero,
potrebbero far benissimo due passi al sole... È un'aria così tepida.
Ma il commendatore diede sulla voce alla petulante cameriera.
— Non abbiamo bisogno del vostro permesso, e se teneste la lingua
a casa sarebbe meglio.
Dal canto suo, la signora Laura brontolava: — Son proprio in vena di
far quattro passi... Non ho un punto del corpo che non mi dolga...
Anzi, Marialì, se tu chiudessi quella finestra. Il marito si oppose
recisamente.
— Fin che c'è il sole una finestra aperta non dà disturbo.
La signora Laura non osò replicare e sospirando si strinse lo scialle
sul petto.
— Viva la signorina Angela! Viva la nostra padroncina!
Così la servitù raccolta in giardino salutava l'apparire dell'Angela sul
ripiano della scalinata.
E oltre all'Angela s'acclamavano l'Antonietta e Tullio. Anzi s'udì un
grido, coronato da unanimi applausi: — Viva gli sposi!
Veramente la promessa dei due cugini non era ufficiale e s'era
convenuto di non darne la partecipazione ai conoscenti e agli amici
che di lì a qualche mese, ma la voce se n'era sparsa e le
congratulazioni per queste nozze future fioccavano a Villarosa
insieme con quelle per la ricuperata salute dell'Angela. Le si
accettava sì e no, dicendo ch'era una cosa immatura, che i due
giovani avevano tempo da aspettare, che potevano anche pentirsi,
eccetera, eccetera. In fondo, i nonni non vedevano quest'unione di
mal occhio, tanto più che il matrimonio non sarebbe successo subito
e che nell'intervallo i fidanzati si sarebbero trovati spesso a Villarosa
ove l'Antonietta rendeva già preziosi servigi, e ove il signor Ercole
sperava di utilizzare le cognizioni archivistiche del nipote Tullio per
l'esame di alcune antiche carte di famiglia.
Ciò non impediva però al commendatore di lagnarsi aspramente
della mancanza di riguardi che gli si era dimostrata combinando
l'affare senza consultarlo.
Se n'era lagnato anche con la Marialì la quale gli aveva risposto con
una scrollatina di spalle: — Caro mio, devi prendertela con l'Angela...
È
È lei che ha combinato tutto.
— L'Angela, l'Angela! — borbottava l'ex prefetto. — È una brava
ragazza, e dopo la sua malattia bisogna usarle speciali attenzioni, ma
quando sarà proprio ristabilita ce la intenderemo... Padrona assoluta,
no..... Il padrone di casa sono sempre io.
E anche ora il vecchio Torralba s'infastidiva del chiasso che facevano
quelli in giardino.
— Basta esser giovani per esser egoisti — egli sentenziava.
— Se chiudessimo la finestra — suggerì la signora Laura, incaponita
nella sua idea — si sentirebbe meno rumore, e facendo poi avvicinar
le poltrone si vedrebbe di dietro i vetri.
— Chiuder la finestra, no — protestò di nuovo il commendatore
Ercole, irritato dell'insistenza di sua moglie. — Io non voglio morire
asfissiato... E veder che cosa dietro i vetri?... Intanto io vedo appena
a due passi davanti a me... E a ogni modo, domando io, che cosa c'è
da vedere?... L'Angela, l'Antonietta, Tullio, non eran quì un momento
fa?... Non torneranno presto?... Se ci si teneva a goder lo spettacolo,
si poteva uscire anche noi...
— Oggi non sono in grado d'uscire nemmeno se mi portano di
peso.... Tu piuttosto.... con la Marialì.
— Son pronta — disse questa alzando gli occhi dal giornale di mode.
Il commendatore dichiarò seccamente che non usciva. E per mutar
discorso chiese a sua figlia: — Dunque tu parti domattina?
— Sì, con Cesare... Viaggeremo insieme sino a Pisa. Ho cambiato
itinerario. Vado a Firenze per assistere alle due recite della Duse. E
approfittando dell'occasione sentirò se Madama Lacroix
s'impegnerebbe a fornir il corredo per l'Antonietta.
— Che furia! — esclamò la signora Laura. — Non si sposano mica da
oggi a domani.
— Non importa — ribattè la Marialì. — È meglio non lasciarsi venir
l'acqua alla gola. Se non c'intenderemo con la Lacroix farò più tardi
una corsa a Parigi... verso Natale, quando il mio futuro genero andrà
a salutar suo padre.
— Bisogna convenire — notò ironicamente il commendatore Ercole
— che anche Luciano è stato trattato con una bella disinvoltura.
— Oh — rispose ridendo la Marialì — per lui è tutt'uno... pur che la
sua Banca dia buoni dividendi... Ha telegrafato il suo assenso in due
parole, tal quale come per un affare di Borsa... Del resto era un
assenso di semplice formalità... Tullio è maggiore, ha una sostanza
sua e può disporre di sè come gli piace.
— Naturale, naturale — disse il commendatore col tuono di prima. —
Ormai i vecchi non contano più.
In giardino Tullio e l'Antonietta erano presto riusciti ad appartarsi
dagli altri. Per un mutuo, tacito accordo rifacevano la passeggiata
che avevano fatto insieme il primo giorno in cui s'erano intesi.
— Rammenti?
— C'era più ombra quel giorno.
— Sì, oggi gli alberi sono spogliati. Allora cominciavano appena a
cadere le prime foglie... Rammenti? Rammenti?
L'Antonietta chinò gli occhi.
— Rammento la foglia di platano che s'era posata su' miei capelli e
che tu ne hai tolta.
Tullio ripetè la citazione petrarchesca.

«Da bei rami scendea.»

— Sì, rammento. Ma anche il sonetto che improvvisasti per me:

«Vorrei fossimo insieme in mezzo al mare.»

— Ah, il sonetto di cui mancano le due terzine. Avremo tempo da
finirlo.
Le passò un braccio intorno alla vita e la strinse a sè.
— Mi pare un sogno, Antonietta mia. Cattiva, perchè mi hai fatto
tanto soffrire?
— Oh Tullio! — ella disse. — Come non hai capito, come non capisci
con tutto il tuo ingegno? E credi ch'io sia senza rimorsi? Povero
babbo! Ero il suo unico conforto.
— Non ti ha mica perduta.
— Oh! — soggiunse l'Antonietta. — Non è più la stessa cosa... Non è
stata più la stessa cosa da quando t'ho incontrato quì... Ho sentito
subito che m'avevi preso il cuore...
— Cara! E io me n'ero accorto ed ero beato!... Ma di punto in bianco
ti sei mutata... Ricordi quel sabato sera, la vigilia delle nozze d'oro?
La ragazza si turbò.
— Non parlare di quel sabato sera.
— E la domenica quella tua dichiarazione che non volevi sposarti?...
Ah, non so come io non sia diventato pazzo!
Ella cercò la mano di lui e la premette nervosamente nella sua.
— Perdonami... Mi pareva di dover fare così a costo di morirne.
— Saremmo morti tutti e due.
— Oh — disse l'Antonietta — gli uomini si distraggono facilmente. Tu
andavi in America.
— Sì, per disperazione, e sarei morto laggiù. Pensi che avrei potuto
resistere lontano da te, dalla mia Italia, dai miei studi? La zia Angela
ci ha salvati.
— Come ha fatto? Com'è riuscita a chiarir tutti gli equivoci, a vincer
tutte le resistenze?... Se non c'era lei!
— Iddio ce la conservi per un pezzo... Noi verremo sovente a tenerle
compagnia.
— Oh sì, sì — esclamò l'Antonietta. — Anche il babbo verrà... È il suo
sogno... Dice che se stesse a Villarosa guarirebbe delle sue
malinconie, delle sue fissazioni... Povero, povero babbo!... Tu lo
compatirai, non è vero, Tullio?... Ha le sue debolezze, ma è buono,
ed è stato così disgraziato!... Non dovrei dirlo io, ma è stato
disgraziato anche nel suo matrimonio... Troppo bella è la mamma,
troppo avvezza a esser corteggiata, adulata... Col babbo non ha mai
avuto pazienza... E sì ch'egli l'ha amata tanto, che l'ama ancora!...
Ah, se avesse sposato un'altra donna non si sarebbe ridotto al punto
in cui è, nemmeno con la sua arte... Qualche cosa avrebbe concluso.
Tullio si lasciò sfuggire: — Se avesse sposato la zia Angela...
— È vero dunque che doveva sposarla? — chiese vivamente la
ragazza.
— Non so... È una mia idea — replicò il cugino, pentito della sua
indiscrezione.
L'Antonietta parve voler insistere; poi, come cacciando da sè una
curiosità vana e molesta, sospirò: — Ormai!...
E riprese dopo un breve silenzio: — L'arte fu la sua passione e il suo
cruccio. A sentirlo oggi, avrebbe deciso di buttar via i pennelli e i
colori... Ma non è possibile. Che farebbe della sua vita?.. E tu non lo
scoraggerai, Tullio? Non lo deriderai?
— Oh Antonietta! — protestò il giovine quasi offeso del dubbio. —
Me lo domandi?... Puoi supporre ch'io manchi di rispetto a tuo
padre?... Credi ch'io non intenda il sacrificio ch'egli ha fatto
consentendo a separarsi da te? Credi ch'io non gliene sia
riconoscente?
— Grazie — mormorò commossa, l'Antonietta. E i suoi belli occhi
umidi cercarono quelli di Tullio.
— Cara! — egli disse, sfiorandole con un bacio i capelli.
Elia s'imporporò in viso.
— Bisognerà tornare indietro.
— Perchè? Non completiamo il giro?
— No, è troppo lungo. Arriviamo fino al lago.
— Ci siamo già... Non vedi?
In fatti, di là da una macchia di conifere, si scorgeva il luccicchio
dell'acqua stagnante sotto il sole. Accanto agli alberi e tutto coperto
di foglie secche c'era il famoso canotto, tirato a riva dopo la
spedizione disastrosa degli Alvarez.
Il ricordo del naufragio destò l'ilarità dei due fidanzati.
— Ah, la faccia dei nostri cugini mentre si sommergevano a poco a
poco!
— E gli strilli della zia Letizia!
— Max e Fritz! Fritz e Max!... Sembrano due nomi da operetta.
L'Antonietta sorrise.
— E pure ne sei stato geloso!
— Quella domenica sera, sfido! Saper ch'eri stata con loro, sentir le
loro lodi dalla tua bocca dopo il discorso che m'avevi tenuto nella
giornata...
— Hai ragione... È naturale esser gelosi quando si vuol bene...
Anch'io...
Tullio finì la frase: — Anche tu avresti quel difetto?...
— Credo di sì.
— E io ne son certo... Ma non ti darò mai un pretesto...
— Mai? Mai? — fece ella in tuono interrogativo.
— Mai. Te lo giuro.
Ella susurrò come parlando fra sè: — Ci son tante civette!
— Per me non ci sarà che una donna sola — ribattè Tullio
calorosamente.
L'Antonietta sospirò: — Dio lo voglia!
Tullio cercò di convincerla con l'argomento persuasivo d'un bacio, ma
ella si schermì.
— No, basta ora.
E insistè per andare a raggiunger gli altri.
— Quì non si può nemmeno camminare... Si affonda nella melma...
Zitto!... Viene qualcuno... Oh guarda, guarda... Il babbo e il dottore.
L'Antonietta saltò al collo di suo padre; Vignoni prese a braccetto
Tullio.
— Andiamo a rifare un po' di corteo alla signorina Angela che rientra
in casa... È stata fuori quasi mezz'ora e non ha punto sofferto... Non
speravo proprio che si rimettesse così presto.
— Mi diceva il dottore — confidò Giulio Frassini alla figliuola — che
vicino alla sua abitazione c'è un punto assai pittoresco di dove un
artista potrebbe cavare un bell'effetto... Lo conosci?
— No
— Mi accompagnerai più tardi a vederlo... con Tullio?
— Sì, babbo.
— Oh, — seguitò Frassini con qualche esitazione — non è già ch'io
abbia mutato pensiero... L'arte mi ha dato troppi sopraccapi e vi
rinunzio... Non val la pena di occuparsene in quest'epoca di
bottegai... Ma due lavoretti vorrei ancora farli, uno per le tue nozze...
l'altro per tua zia Angela... Gli schizzi che avevo cominciati non
vanno... assolutamente non vanno... Fermar l'idea sulla tela, fermare
il simbolo, ecco quello che occorre...
— Babbo, babbo — interruppe l'Antonietta sgomentata di vederlo
ripreso dalle sue ubbie — non torturarti il cervello... Per me, per la
zia Angela, per Tullio qualunque cosa basta.
Frassini tentennò la testa. — Voi meritereste il capolavoro.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

— Eccoci — disse il dottore sboccando insieme con Tullio e con gli

altri sullo spiazzo davanti alla casa, ove l'Angela sedeva al sole su un
canapè rustico, e l'era accanto il fratello Cesare.
L'Angela si alzò e con le mani tese mosse incontro ai quattro arrivati.
— Bravi! Ora si rientra in compagnia. Il nonno ti domanda, Tullio, per
rispondere a certi biglietti... E la nonna vuol te, Antonietta, pel solito
massaggio... Abbi pazienza, finch'io ripiglio le forze.
— Pronti, pronti! — gridarono in coro i due giovani. E salirono di
corsa la scalinata.
Seguendoli con occhio amoroso, l'Angela veniva dietro a passi lenti,
appoggiata al fratello. Erano alla sua destra il dottore Vignoni e
Giulio Frassini.
— Sono raggianti — ella disse. E rivolgendosi a Cesare soggiunse: —
La felicità di questi nostri nipoti, ecco ciò che rimane di meglio dalla
cerimonia delle nozze d'oro.
Sul primo gradino si fermò, abbracciando con lo sguardo tutto quello
che si vedeva di Villarosa.
— A che pensi? — le chiese Cesare.
— Penso — ella rispose, e una lacrimetta le rigava la guancia — che
tu vai lontano lontano, che mai più l'intera famiglia si troverà riunita
a Villarosa.
— Eh via — saltò su il dottore — pensi anche a cose più allegre...
Pensi che il signor Cesare tornerà e che in ogni caso di quì a un pajo
d'anni... mettiamo pure a tre anni... qualcheduno che non c'è ancora
tenterà i primi passi fra queste ajuole.
Ella fece un gesto dubitativo.
— Ci sarò?
— Altro che esserci! Garantisco io.
L'Angela sorrise al cognato.
— Nonno!
Giulio Frassini si chinò ad afferrarle la mano e la portò avidamente
alle labbra.

Fine.
 Nota del Trascrittore
Ortografia e punteggiatura originali sono state
mantenute, così come le grafie alternative
(auguri/augurî, tintinnio/tintinnìo e simili), correggendo
senza annotazione minimi errori tipografici.
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