An ASP file can contain text, HTML tags and scripts.

Scripts in an ASP file are executed on the server.

What you should already know

Before you continue you should have some basic understanding of the following:
 HTML / XHTML
 A scripting language like JavaScript or VBScript
If you want to study these subjects first, find the tutorials on our Home page.

What is ASP?
 ASP stands for Active Server Pages
 ASP is a Microsoft Technology
 ASP is a program that runs inside IIS
 IIS stands for Internet Information Services
 IIS comes as a free component with Windows 2000
 IIS is also a part of the Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack
 The Option Pack can be downloaded from Microsoft
 PWS is a smaller - but fully functional - version of IIS
 PWS can be found on your Windows 95/98 CD

ASP Compatibility
 To run IIS you must have Windows NT 4.0 or later
 To run PWS you must have Windows 95 or later
 ChiliASP is a technology that runs ASP without Windows OS
 InstantASP is another technology that runs ASP without Windows

What is an ASP File?

 An ASP file is just the same as an HTML file
 An ASP file can contain text, HTML, XML, and scripts
 Scripts in an ASP file are executed on the server
 An ASP file has the file extension ".asp"

How Does ASP Differ from HTML?

 When a browser requests an HTML file, the server returns the file
 When a browser requests an ASP file, IIS passes the request to the ASP engine. The ASP engine
reads the ASP file, line by line, and executes the scripts in the file. Finally, the ASP file is returned
to the browser as plain HTML

What can ASP do for you?

 Dynamically edit, change, or add any content of a Web page
  Respond to user queries or data submitted from HTML forms
 Access any data or databases and return the results to a browser
 Customize a Web page to make it more useful for individual users
 The advantages of using ASP instead of CGI and Perl, are those of simplicity and speed
 Provide security - since ASP code cannot be viewed from the browser
 Clever ASP programming can minimize the network traffic

Your Windows PC as a Web Server

 Your own PC can act as a web server if you install IIS or PWS
 IIS or PWS turns your computer into a web server
 Microsoft IIS and PWS are free web server components

IIS - Internet Information Server

IIS is a set of Internet-based services for servers created by Microsoft for use with Microsoft Windows.
IIS comes with Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and Windows 7. It is also available for Windows NT.
IIS is easy to install and ideal for developing and testing web applications.

PWS - Personal Web Server

PWS is for older Windows system like Windows 95, 98, and NT.
PWS is easy to install and can be used for developing and testing web applications including ASP.
We don't recommend running PWS for anything else than training. It is outdated and has security issues.

Windows Web Server Versions

 Windows 7 (all editions) come with IIS 7.5
 Windows Vista Business, Enterprise and Ultimate come with IIS 7
 Windows Vista Home Premium comes with IIS 7
 Windows Vista Home Edition does not support PWS or IIS
 Windows XP Professional comes with IIS 5.1
 Windows XP Home Edition does not support IIS or PWS
 Windows 2000 Professional comes with IIS 5.0
 Windows NT Professional comes with IIS 3 and also supports IIS 4
 Windows NT Workstation supports PWS and IIS 3
 Windows ME does not support PWS or IIS
 Windows 98 comes with PWS
 Windows 95 supports PWS

How to Install IIS on Windows 7 and Windows Vista

Follow these steps to install IIS:
 1. Open the Control Panel from the Start menu
2. Double-click Programs and Features
3. Click "Turn Windows features on or off" (a link to the left)
4. Select the check box for Internet Information Services (IIS), and click OK
After you have installed IIS, make sure you install all patches for bugs and security problems. (Run
Windows Update).

How to Install IIS on Windows XP and Windows 2000

Follow these steps to install IIS:
1. On the Start menu, click Settings and select Control Panel
2. Double-click Add or Remove Programs
3. Click Add/Remove Windows Components
4. Click Internet Information Services (IIS)
5. Click Details
6. Select the check box for World Wide Web Service, and click OK
7. In Windows Component selection, click Next to install IIS
After you have installed IIS, make sure you install all patches for bugs and security problems. (Run
Windows Update).

Test Your Web

1. After you have installed IIS or PWS follow these steps:
2. Look for a new folder called Inetpub on your hard drive
3. Open the Inetpub folder, and find a folder named wwwroot
4. Create a new folder, like "MyWeb", under wwwroot
5. Write some ASP code and save the file as "test1.asp" in the new folder
6. Make sure your Web server is running (see below)
7. Open your browser and type "http://localhost/MyWeb/test1.asp", to view your first web page

Note: Look for the IIS (or PWS) symbol in your start menu or task bar. The program has functions for
starting and stopping the web server, disable and enable ASP, and much more.

How to install PWS on Windows 95, 98, and Windows NT

For Windows 98: Open the Add-ons folder on your Windows CD, find the PWS folder and run setup.exe
to install PWS.
For Windows 95 or Windows NT: Download "Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack" from Microsoft, and install
PWS.
Test your web as described above.

How to install IIS on Windows Server 2003

1. When you start the Windows Server 2003, you should see the Manage Your Server wizard
2. If the wizard is not displayed, go to Administrative Tools, and select Manage Your Server
3. In the wizard, click Add or Remove a Role, click Next
 4. Select Custom Configuration, click Next
5. Select Application Server role, click Next
6. Select Enable ASP.NET, click Next
7. Now, the wizard may ask for the Server 2003 CD. Insert the CD and let it run until it is finished,
then click the Finish button
8. The wizard should now show the Application Server role installed
9. Click on Manage This Application Server to bring up the Application Server Management
Console (MMC)
10. Expand the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager, then expand your server, and then the
Web Sites folder
11. You should see the Default Web Site, and it should not say (Stopped)
12. IIS is running!
13. In the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager click on the Web Service Extensions folder
14. Here you will see that Active Server Pages are Prohibited (this is the default configuration of IIS
6)
15. Highlight Active Server Pages and click the Allow button
16. ASP is now active!

In our ASP tutorial, every example shows the hidden ASP source code. This will make it easier for you to
understand how it works.

Write Output to a Browser

An ASP file normally contains HTML tags, just like an HTML file. However, an ASP file can also contain
server scripts, surrounded by the delimiters <% and %>.
Server scripts are executed on the server, and can contain any expressions, statements, procedures, or
operators valid for the scripting language you prefer to use.
The response.write Command
The response.write command is used to write output to a browser. The following example sends the
text "Hello World" to the browser:
Example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<%
response.write("Hello World!")
%>
</body>
</html>
There is also a shorthand method for the response.write command. The following example also sends
the text "Hello World" to the browser:
Example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<%
="Hello World!"
%>
</body>
</html>

Using VBScript in ASP

You can use several scripting languages in ASP. However, the default scripting language is VBScript:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<%
response.write("Hello World!")
%>
</body>
</html>
The example above writes "Hello World!" into the body of the document.

Using JavaScript in ASP

To set JavaScript as the default scripting language for a particular page you must insert a language
specification at the top of the page:
<%@ language="javascript"%>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<%
Response.Write("Hello World!")
%>
</body>
</html>
Note: JavaScript is case sensitive! You will have to write your ASP code with uppercase letters and
lowercase letters when the language requires it.
Other Scripting Languages
ASP is shipped with VBScript and JScript (Microsoft's implementation of JavaScript). If you want to script
in another language, like PERL, REXX, or Python, you will have to install script engines for them.

A variable is used to store information.

Try it Yourself - Examples

Declare a variable
Variables are used to store information. This example demonstrates how to declare a variable, assign a
value to it, and use the value in a text.

Declare an array
Arrays are used to store a series of related data items. This example demonstrates how to declare an
array that stores names.

Loop through the HTML headings

How to loop through the six headings in HTML.

Time-based greeting using VBScript

This example will display a different message to the user depending on the time on the server.

Time-based greeting using JavaScript

This example is the same as the one above, but the syntax is different.

Lifetime of Variables
A variable declared outside a procedure can be accessed and changed by any script in the ASP file.
A variable declared inside a procedure is created and destroyed every time the procedure is executed.
No scripts outside the procedure can access or change the variable.
To declare variables accessible to more than one ASP file, declare them as session variables or
application variables.

Session Variables
Session variables are used to store information about ONE single user, and are available to all pages in
one application. Typically information stored in session variables are name, id, and preferences.

Application Variables
Application variables are also available to all pages in one application. Application variables are used to
store information about ALL users in one specific application.
In ASP you can call a JavaScript procedure from a VBScript and vice versa.
Procedures
The ASP source code can contain procedures and functions:
Example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<%
sub vbproc(num1,num2)
response.write(num1*num2)
end sub
%>
</head>
<body>

<p>Result: <%call vbproc(3,4)%></p>

</body>
</html>
Insert the <%@ language="language" %> line above the <html> tag to write the procedure/function in
another scripting language:

Example
<%@ language="javascript" %>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<%
function jsproc(num1,num2)
{
Response.Write(num1*num2)
}
%>
</head>
<body>

<p>Result: <%jsproc(3,4)%></p>

</body>
</html>
Differences Between VBScript and JavaScript
When calling a VBScript or a JavaScript procedure from an ASP file written in VBScript, you can use the
"call" keyword followed by the procedure name. If a procedure requires parameters, the parameter list
must be enclosed in parentheses when using the "call" keyword. If you omit the "call" keyword, the
parameter list must not be enclosed in parentheses. If the procedure has no parameters, the
parentheses are optional.
When calling a JavaScript or a VBScript procedure from an ASP file written in JavaScript, always use
parentheses after the procedure name.

More Examples
Call procedures using VBScript
How to call both a JavaScript procedure and a VBScript procedure in an ASP file.

ASP Source:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<%
sub vbproc(num1,num2)
Response.Write(num1*num2)
end sub
%>
<script language="javascript" runat="server">
function jsproc(num1,num2)
{
Response.Write(num1*num2)
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
<p>Result: <%call vbproc(3,4)%></p>
<p>Result: <%call jsproc(3,4)%></p>
</body>

</html>
Output Result:
Result: 12
Result: 12
The Request.QueryString and Request.Form commands are used to retrieve user input from forms.

Try it Yourself - Examples

A form with method="get"

How to interact with the user, with the Request.QueryString command.

ASP Source:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<form action="demo_reqquery.asp" method="get">
Your name: <input type="text" name="fname" size="20" />
<input type="submit" value="Submit" />
</form>
<%
dim fname
fname=Request.QueryString("fname")
If fname<>"" Then
Response.Write("Hello " & fname & "!<br>")
Response.Write("How are you today?")
End If
%>
</body>
</html>

Output Result:
Your name:

A form with method="post"

How to interact with the user, with the Request.Form command

ASP Source:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<form action="demo_simpleform.asp" method="post">
Your name: <input type="text" name="fname" size="20" />
<input type="submit" value="Submit" />
</form>
<%
dim fname
fname=Request.Form("fname")
If fname<>"" Then
Response.Write("Hello " & fname & "!<br>")
Response.Write("How are you today?")
End If
%>
</body>
</html>
Output Result:
Your name:

A form with radio buttons

How to interact with the user, through radio buttons, with the Request.Form command
ASP Source:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<%
dim cars
cars=Request.Form("cars")
%>
<body>
<form action="demo_radiob.asp" method="post">
<p>Please select your favorite car:</p>
<input type="radio" name="cars"
<%if cars="Volvo" then Response.Write("checked")%>
value="Volvo">Volvo</input>
<br>
<input type="radio" name="cars"
<%if cars="Saab" then Response.Write("checked")%>
value="Saab">Saab</input>
<br>
<input type="radio" name="cars"
<%if cars="BMW" then Response.Write("checked")%>
value="BMW">BMW</input>
<br><br>
<input type="submit" value="Submit" />
</form>
<%
if cars<>"" then
Response.Write("<p>Your favorite car is: " & cars & "</p>")
end if
%>
</body>
</html>
Output Result:
Please select your favorite car:
Volvo
Saab
BMW
Submit

User Input
The Request object can be used to retrieve user information from forms.
Example HTML form
<form method="get" action="simpleform.asp">
First Name: <input type="text" name="fname" /><br />
Last Name: <input type="text" name="lname" /><br /><br />
<input type="submit" value="Submit" />
</form>

User input can be retrieved with the Request.QueryString or Request.Form command.

Request.QueryString
The Request.QueryString command is used to collect values in a form with method="get".
Information sent from a form with the GET method is visible to everyone (it will be displayed in the
browser's address bar) and has limits on the amount of information to send.
If a user typed "Bill" and "Gates" in the HTML form above, the URL sent to the server would look like
this:
http://www.w3schools.com/simpleform.asp?fname=Bill&lname=Gates
Assume that "simpleform.asp" contains the following ASP script:
<body>
Welcome
<%
response.write(request.querystring("fname"))
response.write(" " & request.querystring("lname"))
%>
</body>
The browser will display the following in the body of the document:
Welcome Bill Gates

Request.Form
The Request.Form command is used to collect values in a form with method="post".
Information sent from a form with the POST method is invisible to others and has no limits on the
amount of information to send.
If a user typed "Bill" and "Gates" in the HTML form above, the URL sent to the server would look like
this:
http://www.w3schools.com/simpleform.asp
Assume that "simpleform.asp" contains the following ASP script:
<body>
Welcome
<%
response.write(request.form("fname"))
response.write(" " & request.form("lname"))
%>
</body>

The browser will display the following in the body of the document:
Welcome Bill Gates

Form Validation
User input should be validated on the browser whenever possible (by client scripts). Browser validation
is faster and reduces the server load.
You should consider server validation if the user input will be inserted into a database. A good way to
validate a form on the server is to post the form to itself, instead of jumping to a different page. The
user will then get the error messages on the same page as the form. This makes it easier to discover the
error.

A cookie is often used to identify a user.

Try it Yourself - Examples

Welcome cookie
How to create a Welcome cookie.

ASP Source:
<%
dim numvisits
response.cookies("NumVisits").Expires=date+365
numvisits=request.cookies("NumVisits")
if numvisits="" then
response.cookies("NumVisits")=1
response.write("Welcome! This is the first time you are visiting this Web page.")
else
response.cookies("NumVisits")=numvisits+1
response.write("You have visited this ")
response.write("Web page " & numvisits)
if numvisits=1 then
response.write " time before!"
else
response.write " times before!"
end if
end if
%>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
</body>
</html>
Output Result:
Welcome! This is the first time you are visiting this Web page.

What is a Cookie?
A cookie is often used to identify a user. A cookie is a small file that the server embeds on the user's
computer. Each time the same computer requests a page with a browser, it will send the cookie too.
With ASP, you can both create and retrieve cookie values.

How to Create a Cookie?

The "Response.Cookies" command is used to create cookies.
Note: The Response.Cookies command must appear BEFORE the <html> tag.
In the example below, we will create a cookie named "firstname" and assign the value "Alex" to it:
<%
Response.Cookies("firstname")="Alex"
%>

It is also possible to assign properties to a cookie, like setting a date when the cookie should expire:

<%
Response.Cookies("firstname")="Alex"
Response.Cookies("firstname").Expires=#May 10,2012#
%>
How to Retrieve a Cookie Value?
The "Request.Cookies" command is used to retrieve a cookie value.
In the example below, we retrieve the value of the cookie named "firstname" and display it on a page:

<%
fname=Request.Cookies("firstname")
response.write("Firstname=" & fname)
%>

Output: Firstname=Alex

A Cookie with Keys

If a cookie contains a collection of multiple values, we say that the cookie has Keys.
In the example below, we will create a cookie collection named "user". The "user" cookie has Keys that
contains information about a user:

<%
Response.Cookies("user")("firstname")="John"
Response.Cookies("user")("lastname")="Smith"
Response.Cookies("user")("country")="Norway"
Response.Cookies("user")("age")="25"
%>

Read all Cookies

Look at the following code:

<%
Response.Cookies("firstname")="Alex"
Response.Cookies("user")("firstname")="John"
Response.Cookies("user")("lastname")="Smith"
Response.Cookies("user")("country")="Norway"
Response.Cookies("user")("age")="25"
%>

Assume that your server has sent all the cookies above to a user.
Now we want to read all the cookies sent to a user. The example below shows how to do it (note that
the code below checks if a cookie has Keys with the HasKeys property):
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<%
dim x,y
for each x in Request.Cookies
response.write("<p>")
if Request.Cookies(x).HasKeys then
for each y in Request.Cookies(x)
response.write(x & ":" & y & "=" & Request.Cookies(x)(y))
response.write("<br />")
next
else
Response.Write(x & "=" & Request.Cookies(x) & "<br />")
end if
response.write "</p>"
next
%>
</body>
</html>

Output:
firstname=Alex
user:firstname=John
user:lastname=Smith
user:country=Norway
user:age=25

What if a Browser Does NOT Support Cookies?

If your application deals with browsers that do not support cookies, you will have to use other methods
to pass information from one page to another in your application. There are two ways of doing this:
1. Add parameters to a URL
You can add parameters to a URL:

<a href="welcome.asp?fname=John&lname=Smith">Go to Welcome Page</a>

And retrieve the values in the "welcome.asp" file like this:

<%
fname=Request.querystring("fname")
lname=Request.querystring("lname")
response.write("<p>Hello " & fname & " " & lname & "!</p>")
response.write("<p>Welcome to my Web site!</p>")
%>

2. Use a form
You can use a form. The form passes the user input to "welcome.asp" when the user clicks on the
Submit button:
<form method="post" action="welcome.asp">
First Name: <input type="text" name="fname" value="" />
Last Name: <input type="text" name="lname" value="" />
<input type="submit" value="Submit" />
</form>

Retrieve the values in the "welcome.asp" file like this:

<%
fname=Request.form("fname")
lname=Request.form("lname")
response.write("<p>Hello " & fname & " " & lname & "!</p>")
response.write("<p>Welcome to my Web site!</p>")
%>

A Session object stores information about, or change settings for a user session.

The Session object

When you are working with an application on your computer, you open it, do some changes and then
you close it. This is much like a Session. The computer knows who you are. It knows when you open the
application and when you close it. However, on the internet there is one problem: the web server does
not know who you are and what you do, because the HTTP address doesn't maintain state.
ASP solves this problem by creating a unique cookie for each user. The cookie is sent to the user's
computer and it contains information that identifies the user. This interface is called the Session object.
The Session object stores information about, or change settings for a user session.
Variables stored in a Session object hold information about one single user, and are available to all
pages in one application. Common information stored in session variables are name, id, and
preferences. The server creates a new Session object for each new user, and destroys the Session object
when the session expires.
When does a Session Start?
 A session starts when:
 A new user requests an ASP file, and the Global.asa file includes a Session_OnStart procedure
 A value is stored in a Session variable
 A user requests an ASP file, and the Global.asa file uses the <object> tag to instantiate an object
with session scope

When does a Session End?

A session ends if a user has not requested or refreshed a page in the application for a specified period.
By default, this is 20 minutes.
If you want to set a timeout interval that is shorter or longer than the default, use the Timeout property.
The example below sets a timeout interval of 5 minutes:

<%
Session.Timeout=5
%>

Use the Abandon method to end a session immediately:

<%
Session.Abandon
%>

Note: The main problem with sessions is WHEN they should end. We do not know if the user's last
request was the final one or not. So we do not know how long we should keep the session "alive".
Waiting too long for an idle session uses up resources on the server, but if the session is deleted too
soon the user has to start all over again because the server has deleted all the information. Finding the
right timeout interval can be difficult!
Tip: Only store SMALL amounts of data in session variables!

Store and Retrieve Session Variables

The most important thing about the Session object is that you can store variables in it.
The example below will set the Session variable username to "Donald Duck" and the Session variable
age to "50":

<%
Session("username")="Donald Duck"
Session("age")=50
%>
When the value is stored in a session variable it can be reached from ANY page in the ASP application:
Welcome <%Response.Write(Session("username"))%>
The line above returns: "Welcome Donald Duck".
You can also store user preferences in the Session object, and then access that preference to choose
what page to return to the user.
The example below specifies a text-only version of the page if the user has a low screen resolution:
<%If Session("screenres")="low" Then%>
This is the text version of the page
<%Else%>
This is the multimedia version of the page
<%End If%>

Remove Session Variables

The Contents collection contains all session variables.
It is possible to remove a session variable with the Remove method.
The example below removes the session variable "sale" if the value of the session variable "age" is lower
than 18:
<%
If Session.Contents("age")<18 then
Session.Contents.Remove("sale")
End If
%>

To remove all variables in a session, use the RemoveAll method:

<%
Session.Contents.RemoveAll()
%>

Loop Through the Contents Collection

The Contents collection contains all session variables. You can loop through the Contents collection, to
see what's stored in it:
<%
Session("username")="Donald Duck"
Session("age")=50
dim i
For Each i in Session.Contents
Response.Write(i & "<br />")
Next
%>
Result:

username
age
If you do not know the number of items in the Contents collection, you can use the Count property:

<%
dim i
dim j
j=Session.Contents.Count
Response.Write("Session variables: " & j)
For i=1 to j
Response.Write(Session.Contents(i) & "<br />")
Next
%>

Result:

Session variables: 2
Donald Duck
50

Loop Through the StaticObjects Collection

You can loop through the StaticObjects collection, to see the values of all objects stored in the Session
object:
<%
dim i
For Each i in Session.StaticObjects
Response.Write(i & "<br />")
Next
%>

A group of ASP files that work together to perform some purpose is called an application.

Application Object
An application on the Web may consist of several ASP files that work together to perform some purpose.
The Application object is used to tie these files together.
The Application object is used to store and access variables from any page, just like the Session object.
The difference is that ALL users share ONE Application object (with Sessions there is ONE Session object
for EACH user).
The Application object holds information that will be used by many pages in the application (like
database connection information). The information can be accessed from any page. The information can
also be changed in one place, and the changes will automatically be reflected on all pages.
Store and Retrieve Application Variables
Application variables can be accessed and changed by any page in an application.
You can create Application variables in "Global.asa" like this:

<script language="vbscript" runat="server">

Sub Application_OnStart
application("vartime")=""
application("users")=1
End Sub
</script>

In the example above we have created two Application variables: "vartime" and "users".
You can access the value of an Application variable like this:
There are

<%
Response.Write(Application("users"))
%>
active connections.

Loop Through the Contents Collection

The Contents collection contains all application variables. You can loop through the Contents collection,
to see what's stored in it:

<%
dim i
For Each i in Application.Contents
Response.Write(i & "<br />")
Next
%>

If you do not know the number of items in the Contents collection, you can use the Count property:

<%
dim i
dim j
j=Application.Contents.Count
For i=1 to j
Response.Write(Application.Contents(i) & "<br />")
Next
%>
Loop Through the StaticObjects Collection
You can loop through the StaticObjects collection, to see the values of all objects stored in the
Application object:

<%
dim i
For Each i in Application.StaticObjects
Response.Write(i & "<br />")
Next
%>

Lock and Unlock

You can lock an application with the "Lock" method. When an application is locked, the users cannot
change the Application variables (other than the one currently accessing it). You can unlock an
application with the "Unlock" method. This method removes the lock from the Application variable:

<%
Application.Lock
'do some application object operations
Application.Unlock
%>