Ever have to export data from a GridView to an Excel spreadsheet?

While the overall process is fairly straightforward, there are some caveats involved when paging and column sorting are enabled. A search on the Web will lead you to several results on how to proceed (some with good but unproven ideas, many with frustrating deadends) - the best discussion/example, in my opinion, can be found here.

Note that while this is a great implementation, it didn't exactly cover my specific assignment's needs (my details/solution will be discussed in a future article on my News page). Otherwise, enjoy till the next one!

So you figure out the client already has a "standard" look-and-feel to their existing sites. "Great! I should be able to easily make this ASP.NET app fit in with the rest of your sites..." is the oft-made comment before the other shoe drops. At this point, the in-house web kid says that he can forward you one of the "standard templates" to use in your app. While you mumble your best professional reply to this last bit, you realize that not only do you have zero experience with Dreamweaver templates, you now have to convert one (being provided by a non-.NET person) into a master page.

Don't fret: Go here to get an excellent article (and well worth the minimal charge) on how to go through this very process. Note that this will walk you through a pre-built example so you will need to tweak the process to your particular need. While you're at it, check out some of the other CommunityMX.com tutorials (many are free) and get a more-rounded perspective in web development.