ASP.NET 1.* Workaround

In order to complete this kind of task (especially involved the retrieval and binding of data from data source), a couple of approaches that ASP.NET developers normally use nowadays:

1. Simple Looping:
   Retrieve data from a data source and loop through each object in this data source by using something like a foreach operator, while developer can write out the data on screen / assign to a Label.Text in each iteration.
   
   
2. Dynamic Control:
   Like approach 1, but create the HyperLink / Literal Control (with NavigateUrl) and inject into a PlaceHolder control, or build up a Table control dynamically.
   
   
3. Repeater Control:
   Since Repeater is a basic templated data-bound list without any layout or styles, so developers can put a pair of <ul> and </ul> as the HeaderTemplate and FooterTemplate respectively and put a pair of <li> and </li> surrounding the returned value.
   
   E.g. (Source: ScottW's .Text)
   

   <asp:repeater id="Bloggers" runat="server">

         <HeaderTemplate>

               <ul>

         </HeaderTemplate>

         <ItemTemplate>

               <li>

                     <b><%# Content Here %></b>

               </li>

         </ItemTemplate>

         <FooterTemplate>

               </ul>

         </FooterTemplate>

   </asp:repeater>
   
   
4. Custom Control (WebControl):
   Create a custom control and use a StringBuilder object with starting tag of <ul>, loop through the DataSource and append the data to that StringBuilder object, and finally append a closing tag of “</ul>”
   
   E.g. (Source: ASP.NET Developer's Cookbook)
   
   
         if (dataSource != null) {

               _html.Append("<ul>");

               foreach (object dataObject in dataSource) {

                     _html.Append("<li>");

                     _html.Append(dataObject.ToString());

                     _html.Append("</li>");

               }

               _html.Append("</ul>");

         }
   
   

5. Custom Control (Repeater Control):
   Create a custom control inherited from Repeater control rather than inherited from Control/WebControl class as approach 4, and then modify the retrieved data as surrounded by a pair of <li> and </li> in the ItemDataBound event.
   
   E.g. (Source: Juliet's blog)
   
   

   public void InstantiateIn(Control container) {

        LiteralControl l;

        switch(templateType) {

            case ListItemType.Header:

                l = new LiteralControl();

                l.Text = "<ul";

                if(CssClass != null && CssClass.Length > 0)

                    l.Text += " class=\"" + CssClass + "\"";

                l.Text += ">";

                container.Controls.Add(l);

                break;

            case ListItemType.Item:

            case ListItemType.AlternatingItem:

                l = new LiteralControl();

                l.DataBinding += new EventHandler(Item_DataBinding);

                container.Controls.Add(l);

                break;

            case ListItemType.Footer:

                l = new LiteralControl();

                l.Text = "</ul>";

                container.Controls.Add(l);

                break;

        }

   }

    

   public void Item_DataBinding(object sender, EventArgs e) {

       LiteralControl l = (LiteralControl) sender;

       RepeaterItem container = (RepeaterItem) l.NamingContainer;

       l.Text = "<li>" + (string)(container.DataItem) + "</li>";

   }