What is WAT?

WAT stand for Website Administration Tool which is provided by .net’s visual studio IDE.

What does WAT do?

WAT allows for a developer to easily setup roles, users, and access rules. There is a couple more features that allow you to choose where you want to store your administration data. WAT uses by default SQL Express which has a set of tables to create users, roles, profiles that is accessed through the System.Web.Security library. WAT makes changes in the tables it has and also the web.config to make your life easier.

If you do not want to use SQL Express to house your user data you can choose to use the aspnet_regsql.exe. Most websites are going to tell you how to achieve this through command line. But you open the executable up located here “{{drive}}:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v{{Your Framework Version}}\” it has a step through wizard to help you through the process.

How do you use WAT?

First realize that this is only useable in your development environment. Also, make sure you gave F5 (Run) a push first, or you will be clicking on that WAT icon all day wondering why it won’t work. Once you push the WAT icon it will popup a pretty crude looking web interface with very few options. Play around with it and look at the different things it creates in your web.config.

To WAT or not to WAT?

I use it to set up some basic roles and users to start off development of sites, but that’s about it. But “To user Membership or not” is a entirely different question.

Here are the two easiest ways to find the WAT tool.