How often do ASP.NET developers NOT use Visual Studio design mode?

Question

We are developing an ASP.NET application. We retained an outside UI design firm, and for the most part have been very pleased with their work. Their "deliverable" to us was clickable screens -- Visual Studio solutions with ASPX files, images, master pages, etc. The screens were not connected to any data source. They had dummy data so that we could see how the UI worked.

One problem we've run into is that our developers are used to using Visual Studio design mode. The pages we receive from the UI firm have problems sometimes when we pull them up into design mode. The consultant's developers coded these screens without using design mode.

We assumed they'd be using design mode, but this wasn't specified in the contract. Was this too much to assume? Is there a lot of ASP.NET development work that never goes through VS design mode?

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Third party edit:

Suggestion: people responding to this question should specify which version of Visual Studio they're using, as Microsoft trashed the code base that was in the VS2005 and earlier designers, and replaced it with the one they purchased when they purchased the Expression products. The two are totally unrelated, and the new one is far better. - John Saunders

Answer 1

The more and more you work with Visual Studio, the less and less you rely on Design Mode. Complicated UIs tend to make the design view look atrocious.