Active Server Pages

Active Server Pages (ASP) allow the web developer to write programs that will run on the server. 

With ASP the developer can respond to user input in a form, send customised pages to users based on preferences, and design web pages driven from a database.  

Although these tasks can be achieved (with difficulty) using PERL and other CGI scripts, the use of ASP makes the process much easier, and allows the developer to use the popular Visual Basic language (or JavaScript). ASP is generally only used on Windows servers, using Internet Information Server (IIS).

Delegates should have good HTML skills, and be familiar with using JavaScript or VB Script for client-side scripts in a web page. The use of Visual InterDev as a tool to help you write ASP code is optional, but recommended.

The course is of 2 to 3 days duration, providing the delegates meet the prerequisites above, and depending on client requirements.

ASP Architecture Overview

• Review of HTML Forms
• How Forms Work
• CGI and HTML
• CGI Issues
• CGI Environment Variables
• Situations in which Server Side scripting is more appropriate
• Situations in which Client Side scripting is more appropriate

Introduction to ASP

• Active Server Pages Overview
• ASP Scripting Languages, Objects and Components
• Using Server-side Includes

The Request Object

• Retrieving Information From The User
• The Form Collection
• The QueryString Collection
• The ServerVariables Collection

The Response Object

• Sending customised pages
• The Write Method
• The Redirect Method Controlling and Buffering Output

Cookies

• What are Cookies
• Using Cookies with ASP

Maintaining State with ASP

• The ASP Application Object
• The ASP Session Object
• Using Global.asa
• What if cookies are disabled?

ASP Components

• The Server Object
• The AdRotator Component
• The Browser Capabilities Component

Scripting Objects

• The FileSystemObject Object
• The TextStream Object
• ActiveX Data Objects

ASP, Databases and ADO

• ADO Objects
• Databases and the Web Server
• Connecting to the Database

Viewing Database Records

• Introduction to SQL
• Working with Recordsets
• Filtering Records
• Paging Through a Recordset
• Database Searches
• Creating Drill Down Data Searches

Adding, Updating and Deleting Records

• Adding Records to a Database
• Updating Records in a Database
• Deleting Records from a Database

Hands On

During the course delegates will create a typical data driven web site using HTML and ASP.

This course includes full course notes and course materials. This outline can be tailored to specific client requirements