Developers of Active Server Pages often reinvent the
wheel. Their background in web design, with its separate
HTML page for each viewable web page on a site, leads many
ASP developers to create a distinct ASP page each time they
think they need one. Often times, these pages are
functionally similar. With intelligent planning, an ASP
developer stands to save a great deal of time by creating
reusable ASP pages. Designing Active Server Pages is
tailor-made for these developers.
There is currently a plethora of Active Server Pages
books. However, the vast majority of these books are either
technical references or how-to books for beginners.
Designing Active Server Pages is written for the
intermediate to advanced user. Furthermore, nearly every
other book on ASP focuses on using VBScript, even though
ASP supports an array of scripting languages, including
JScript and PerlScript. Designing Active Server
Pages shows how to start using these other
languages.
The latest version of the scripting engines (Version 5.1
for VBScript) adds new features not available before the
5.0 release. These features include class support for
VBScript, and Regular Expression searching through the use
of a COM object. Designing Active Server Pages
explains why using classes in VBScript is beneficial, and
demonstrates the power of regular expression searching.
This book shows how to simplify the process by only
requiring one ASP page to handle ALL of the Forms
throughout a web site, thus reducing the amount of code one
has to write.
Topics include:
- Using various Microsoft and third-party components to
enhance ASP pages
- Creating components using VB and/or VC++
- Sample code for performing routine ASP tasks
- Techniques to allow for reusable database scripts on
the database system and on ASP pages
- How to obtain and register third-party components, thus
saving massive amounts of time by reusing someone else's
code
Designing Active Server Pages is for developers
who have already mastered the basics of ASP application
development and are ready to take the next logical step. It
is sure to become an indispensable part of every web
developer's library.
Preface
1. Introduction
What Is Application Design?
What's Wrong with ASP Design?
Why Hasn't ASP Design Advanced?
What Can Be Done to Improve ASP
Design?
Further Reading
2. Choosing a Server-Side Scripting
Language
The Popularity of VBScript
Specifying the Scripting
Language
Creating ASP Pages with JScript
Creating ASP Pages with
PerlScript
Creating ASP Pages with Python
Further Reading
3. Exception Handling
A Bit of Terminology
Detecting When Exceptions Occur
Responding to Exceptions
Creating Custom HTTP Error Pages
Further Reading
4. Regular Expressions, Classes, and Dynamic
Evaluation and Execution
Using the RegExp Object
Using Object-Oriented Programming with
VBScript
Using Dynamic Evaluation and
Execution
Further Reading
5. Form Reuse
The Importance of Code Reuse
A Primer on Form Use
Form Validation
Creating Reusable Server-Side Form
Validation Routines
Developing Reusable Form Creation
Routines
The Practicality of Reuse
Further Reading
6. Database Reuse
Examining Database Usage
The Building Blocks for Creating
Reusable Administration Pages
Creating Reusable Administration
Pages
Further Reading
7. Using Components
COM-A Quick Overview
Lesser-Known Microsoft COM
Components
Enhancing Microsoft's COM
Components
Building Components
Further Reading
8. Enhancing Your Web Site with Third-Party
Components
Executing DOS and Windows Applications
on the Web Server with ASPExec
Obtaining Detailed Information About
Your Users's Browsers
Grabbing Information from Other Web
Servers
Encrypting Information
Uploading Files from the Browser to
the Web Server
Why Reinvent the Wheel?
Further Reading
Index