Getting Rid Of Inline Code in Global.asax (ASP.NET 2.0)

Wednesday, July 5, 2006

Q: I’m using the default web site project model in Visual Studio 2005. When I add a global.asax file to my web site, it wants me to use inline code. What do I do to get a code-behind file?

A: First, create a class that derives from HttpApplication. You'll want to override the Init event in this class. This class can live in a separate class library project, or in the App_Code directory. The class might look something like this:

using System;
using System.Web;

namespace OTC
{
    public class Global : HttpApplication
    {
        public override void Init()
        {
            BeginRequest += new EventHandler(Global_BeginRequest);
            base.Init();
        }

        void Global_BeginRequest(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            throw new Exception("The method or operation is not implemented (yet).");
        }
    }
} 

Next, add an Inherits attribute to global.asax, and point the attribute to the class we’ve just created.

<%@ Application Inherits="OTC.Global" Language="C#" %> 

You now have code in a real code file.

Before we close the post out, let me offer a word of advice:

Don’t let your HttpApplication derived class become cluttered up with a huge mess of unrelated code. Be a minimalist with global.asax code. Also, read Karl Seguin’s article “Global.asax? Use HttpModules Instead!”. HttpModules are reusable and configurable, and should be the preferred mechanism for processing most application events.

All My Pluralsight Courses

OdeToCode by K. Scott Allen