ASP.NET 4.0 features

The focus of Microsoft’s latest ASP.NET 4has mainly been on improving the performance and Search-engine Optimization (SEO). In this article, I'll be taking a look at what I think are the most important new features in ASP.NET 4.

Output cache extensibility
Session state compression
View state mode for individual control
Page.MetaKeyword and Page.MetaDescription properties
Response.RedirectPermanent method
Routing in ASP.NET
Increase the URL character length
New syntax for Html Encode
Predictable Client IDs
Web.config file refactoring
Auto-Start ASP.NET applications
Improvements on Microsoft Ajax Library

Visual Web Developer Express
Describes features for Web development that are available in Visual Web Developer Express and how they compare to features in other versions of Visual Studio.

What's New in ASP.NET 4 and Visual Web Developer
Provides a summary of changes and new features in ASP.NET 4 and for Web development in Visual Studio.

Visual Web Developer Content Map
Provides a learning path that describes how to start working with Visual Web Developer and ASP.NET.

ASP.NET Web Pages
Provides information about how ASP.NET Web pages function and about how to create and program them.

ASP.NET Web Projects
Provides information about how to create ASP.NET Web applications.

ASP.NET MVC 2
Provides links to topics that describe how to use the model-view-controller (MVC) development pattern to create ASP.NET Web applications.

ASP.NET Infrastructure
Provides information about the infrastructure that underlies ASP.NET, which includes HTTP handlers and HTTP modules, and various forms of state management.

ASP.NET Controls
Provides information about how ASP.NET Web server and user controls work, how to add them to ASP.NET pages, and how to program them.

ASP.NET Custom Server Controls Content Map
Provides information about how to create custom ASP.NET controls.

ASP.NET Client Script
Provides information about how to use client script to enhance the performance and appearance of a Web site.

Microsoft Ajax
Provides information about creating Ajax-based Web applications using Microsoft technologies.

ASP.NET Data Access
Provides information about how to display and edit data in ASP.NET Web pages.

ASP.NET Web Services
Provides information about how to create and use Web services in ASP.NET.

ASP.NET Security
Provides information about security threats to an ASP.NET Web site, about ways to reduce threats, and about ways to authenticate and authorize users.

ASP.NET Web Site Administration
Provides information about how to configure an ASP.NET Web site and how to manage site performance.

ASP.NET Deployment Content Map
Provides information about how to build and deploy (publish) Web sites, and information about how to precompile a site.

ASP.NET Performance, Troubleshooting, and Debugging
Provides information about how to handle errors, debug ASP.NET pages, view trace information during page processing, and monitor the health of a Web site.

ASP.NET Conversion and Migration
Provides information about how to convert Web projects that were created in earlier versions of Visual Studio.

ASP.NET Web Sites for Mobile Devices
Provides information about features in ASP.NET that help you create applications that can run in browsers on mobile phones and other devices.

ASP.NET Command-Line Tools
Lists command-line tools that you can use to manage and administer ASP.NET Web sites and applications.