The FieldTemplate is a central element of ASP.NET Dynamic Data. It supplies the user interface for a single data type and mode (readonly, edit, or insert). DES Dynamic Data starts its enhancements by providing a richer base class for FieldTemplates (DESFieldTemplateUserControl) that lightens the load on the code needed in the actual FieldTemplates. Here are other enhancements:

• Replacements for all existing FieldTemplates, to support the DES Validation Framework, utilize DES's extended FieldTemplate base classes, and to introduce new properties that make the FieldTemplates more flexible.
• FieldTemplates for each of its datatype oriented textboxes: Integer, Decimal, Currency, Percent, Date, Time, Duration, MonthYear, and Anniversary. There are specialized FieldTemplates too: Calendar_Edit.ascx uses the DES Calendar control for Dates; Measurement for integers and decimals that reflect a measurement; and for Telerik RadControls users, templates built upon many of their data entry controls. See below.
• FieldTemplates can be customized without modification through the Customizer control, which you add to your web form. The Customizer control establishes page-level rules for various types of fields, such as showing the currency symbol on all currency fields.
  The Customizer control is also where you define the error messages for validators, to override the ValidationAttributes, which define error messages globallly.
• You will not need to add any Validators to your FieldTemplates. Instead, you add the ColumnValidatorManager control which uses your business logic to create your validators. As a result, you are assured that your FieldTemplates always have the correct validation, even if the business logic later changes.
• Use the ICustomizeFieldTemplate interface to change the controls generated by the FieldTemplate at runtime. For example, to make modifications that vary based on the current data.
• Uses a new FieldTemplateFactory class (DESFieldTemplateFactory) to lookup FieldTemplates according to rules you define. It provides aliases to map the requested template name to a new name and the ability to look for FieldTemplates in several folders. The rules are defined in an xml file.
• When creating your own FieldTemplates, start with rich base classes where you only need to supply the actual web controls. All of the logic for data binding is handled. So is applying settings from the Customizer control. This greatly simplifies creating new FieldTemplates and eliminates bugs.
• The code behind files are eliminated. While code behind has a purpose, when you need to duplicate web forms, they can cause problems, especially with regard to namespaces. Many times you end up with two web forms that have the same class and namespace, causing compilation errors. Since DES moves most of the code into its base classes, the remaining code on a FieldTemplate is so small, that the benefits of single file outweigh the benefits of code behind.
  You can still use code behind files in FieldTemplates that you create.

DES Dynamic Data has replacements for every FieldTemplate supplied with ASP.NET Dynamic Data. It does this because it works from an enhanced version of the FieldTemplateUserControl class. Don't worry, installation will copy your existing templates to a subfolder of the FieldTemplates folder.

DES Dynamic Data has increased the available data types too. So there are many new FieldTemplates offered.

If you use Telerik RadControls for ASP.NET AJAX, it also provides FieldTemplates that merge the RadControls data entry controls with the DES Validation Framework as shown here: