What is ASP?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. ASP stands for Active Server Pages 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
9. 10. 11. 12. 13. ASP is a Microsoft Technology 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?

14. 15. 16. 17. 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?

18. When a browser requests an HTML file, the server returns the file 19. 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 25. Provides security since your ASP code can not be viewed from the browser 26. Since ASP files are returned as plain HTML, they can be viewed in any browser 27. Clever ASP programming can minimize the network traffic 20. 21. 22. 23. 24.

How to Run ASP on your own PC

You can run ASP on your own PC without an external server. To do that, you must install Microsoft's Personal Web Server (PWS) or Internet Information Server (IIS) on your PC. If you are serious about using ASP, you should have at least Windows 98, Second Edition. If you are really serious about using ASP, you should go for Windows 2000. 1

How to install PWS and run ASP on Windows 95

Personal Web Server (PWS) is not shipped with Windows 95 !! To run ASP on Windows 95, you will have to download "Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack" from Microsoft. Download the "Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack"

How to install PWS and run ASP on Windows NT

Personal Web Server (PWS) is not shipped with Windows NT !! To run ASP on Windows NT, you will have to download "Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack" from Microsoft. Download the "Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack"

How to install PWS and run ASP on Windows 98

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Open the Add-ons folder on your Windows98 CD, find the PWS folder and run the setup.exe file. An Inetpub folder will be created on your harddrive. Open it and find the wwwroot folder. Create a new folder, like "MyWeb", under wwwroot. Use a text editor to write some ASP code, save the file as "test1.asp" in the "MyWeb" folder. Make sure your Web server is running - The installation program has added a new icon on your task bar (this is the PWS symbol). Click on the icon and press the Start button in the window that appears. Open your browser and type in "http://localhost/MyWeb/test1.asp", to view your first ASP page.

6.

How to install PWS and run ASP on Windows ME

Personal Web Server (PWS) is not included with Windows Me!! Read article from Microsoft A workaround!

How to install IIS and run ASP on Windows 2000

1. 2. 3. 1 From your Start Button, go to Settings, and Control Panel In the Control Panel window select Add/Remove Programs In the Add/Remove window select Add/Remove Windows Components

In the Wizard window check Internet Information Services, click OK An Inetpub folder will be created on your harddrive Open the Inetpub folder, and find a folder named wwwroot Create a new folder, like "MyWeb", under wwwroot. Use a text editor to write some ASP code, save the file as "test1.asp" in the "MyWeb" folder 9. Make sure your Web server is running - The installation program has added a new icon on your task bar (this is the IIS symbol). Click on the icon and press the Start button in the window that appears. 10. Open your browser and type in "http://localhost/MyWeb/test1.asp", to view your first ASP page 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

How to install IIS and run ASP on Windows XP Professional

Note: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. You cannot run ASP on Windows XP Home Edition. Insert the Windows XP Professional CD-Rom into your CD-Rom Drive From your Start Button, go to Settings, and Control Panel In the Control Panel window select Add/Remove Programs In the Add/Remove window select Add/Remove Windows Components In the Wizard window check Internet Information Services, click OK An Inetpub folder will be created on your harddrive Open the Inetpub folder, and find a folder named wwwroot Create a new folder, like "MyWeb", under wwwroot. Use a text editor to write some ASP code, save the file as "test1.asp" in the "MyWeb" folder 10. Make sure your Web server is running - The installation program has added a new icon on your task bar (this is the IIS symbol). Click on the icon and press the Start button in the window that appears. 11. Open your browser and type in "http://localhost/MyWeb/test1.asp", to view your first ASP page

The Basic Syntax Rule

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 Object

The Write method of the ASP Response Object is used to send content to the browser. For example, the following statement sends the text "Hello World" to the browser: <% response.write("Hello World!") %>

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

JavaScript
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"%> <html> <body> <% Response.Write("Hello World!") %> </body> </html> Note: Unlike VBScript - 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. Important: Because the scripts are executed on the server, the browser that displays the ASP file does not need to support scripting at all!

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
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Application variables are also available to all pages in one application. Application variables are used to store information about ALL users in a specific application.

Procedures
The ASP source code can contain procedures and functions: <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 procedures or functions in another scripting language than default: <%@ language="javascript" %> <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.

User Input
The Request object may be used to retrieve user information from forms: <form method="get" action="simpleform.asp"> First Name: <input type="text" name="fname"> 1

<br /> Last Name: <input type="text" name="lname"> <br /><br /> <input type="submit" value="Submit"> </form> User input can be retrieved in two ways: With Request.QueryString or Request.Form.

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 form example above, the URL sent to the server would look like this: http://www.w3schools.com/simpleform.asp?fname=Bill&lname=Gates Assume that the ASP file "simpleform.asp" contains the following 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 form example above, the URL sent to the server would look like this: http://www.w3schools.com/simpleform.asp Assume that the ASP file "simpleform.asp" contains the following 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 you reduce the server load. 1

You should consider using 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.

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 for 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 10,2002# %>

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" 1

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): <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

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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>") %> The Session object is used to store information about, or change settings for a user session. Variables stored in the Session object hold information about one single user, and are available to all pages in one application.

The Session object

When you are working with an application, 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 start the application and when you end. But 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 client and it contains information that identifies the user. This interface is called the Session object. The Session object is used to store information about, or change settings for a user session. Variables stored in the 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:

28. A new user requests an ASP file, and the Global.asa file includes a Session_OnStart procedure 29. A value is stored in a Session variable 30. 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, you can set the Timeout property. The example below sets a timeout interval of 5 minutes: <% Session.Timeout=5 %> To end a session immediately, you may use the Abandon method: <% 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 uses up resources on the server. But if the session is deleted too fast you risk that the user is coming back and the server has deleted all the information, so the user has to start all over again. Finding the right timeout interval can be difficult. Tip: If you are using session variables, store SMALL amounts of data in them.

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

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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. The Application object in ASP is used to tie these files together.

Application Object
An application on the Web may be a group of ASP files. The ASP files work together to perform some purpose. The Application object in ASP 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, while with Sessions there is one Session object for EACH user. The Application object should hold information that will be used by many pages in the application (like database connection information). This means that you can access the information from any page. It also means that you can change the information 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 the 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 %> The #include directive is used to create functions, headers, footers, or elements that will be reused on multiple pages.

The #include Directive

You can insert the content of one ASP file into another ASP file before the server executes it, with the #include directive. The #include directive is used to create functions, headers, footers, or elements that will be reused on multiple pages.

How to Use the #include Directive

Here is a file called "mypage.asp": 1

<html> <body> <h3>Words of Wisdom:</h3> <p><!--#include file="wisdom.inc"--></p> <h3>The time is:</h3> <p><!--#include file="time.inc"--></p> </body> </html> Here is the "wisdom.inc" file: "One should never increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything." Here is the "time.inc" file: <% Response.Write(Time) %> If you look at the source code in a browser, it will look something like this: <html> <body> <h3>Words of Wisdom:</h3> <p>"One should never increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything."</p> <h3>The time is:</h3> <p>11:33:42 AM</p> </body> </html>

Syntax for Including Files

To include a file in an ASP page, place the #include directive inside comment tags: <!--#include virtual="somefilename"--> or <!--#include file ="somefilename"-->

The Virtual Keyword

Use the virtual keyword to indicate a path beginning with a virtual directory. If a file named "header.inc" resides in a virtual directory named /html, the following line would insert the contents of "header.inc": <!-- #include virtual ="/html/header.inc" -->

The File Keyword

Use the file keyword to indicate a relative path. A relative path begins with the directory that contains the including file. If you have a file in the html directory, and the file "header.inc" resides in html\headers, the following line would insert "header.inc" in your file: <!-- #include file ="headers\header.inc" --> Note that the path to the included file (headers\header.inc) is relative to the including file. If the file containing this #include statement is not in the html directory, the statement will not work. You can also use the file keyword with the syntax (..\) to include a file from a higher-level directory.

Tips and Notes

In the sections above we have used the file extension ".inc" for included files. Notice that if a user tries to browse an INC file directly, its content will be displayed. If your included file contains confidential information or information you do not want any users to see, it is better to use an ASP extension. The source code in an ASP file will not be visible after the interpretation. An included file can also include other files, and one ASP file can include the same file more than once. Important: Included files are processed and inserted before the scripts are executed. The following script will not work because ASP executes the #include directive before it assigns a value to the variable: <% fname="header.inc" %> <!--#include file="<%=fname%>"--> You cannot open or close a script delimiter in an INC file. This script will not work: <% For i = 1 To n <!--#include file="count.inc"--> Next %> But this script will work: <% For i = 1 to n %> <!--#include file="count.inc" --> <% Next %> The Global.asa file is an optional file that can contain declarations of objects, variables, and methods that can be accessed by every page in an ASP application.

The Global.asa file

The Global.asa file is an optional file that can contain declarations of objects, variables, and methods that can be accessed by every page in an ASP application. All valid browser scripts (JavaScript, VBScript, JScript, PerlScript, etc.) can be used within Global.asa. The Global.asa file can contain only the following: 1. Application events 2. Session events 3. <object> declarations 4. TypeLibrary declarations Note: The Global.asa file must be stored in the root directory of the ASP application, and each application can only have one Global.asa file.

Events in Global.asa
In Global.asa you can tell the application and session objects what to do when the application/session starts and what to do when the application/session ends. The code for this is placed in event handlers. The Global.asa file can contain four types of events: Application_OnStart - This event occurs when the FIRST user calls the first page from an ASP application. This event occurs after the Web server is restarted or after the Global.asa file is edited. The "Session_OnStart" event occurs immediately after this event.

Session_OnStart - This event occurs EVERY time a NEW user requests his or hers first page in the ASP application. Session_OnEnd - This event occurs EVERY time a user ends a session. A user ends a session after a page has not been requested by the user for a specified time (by default this is 20 minutes). Application_OnEnd - This event occurs after the LAST user has ended the session. Typically, this event occurs when a Web server stops. This procedure is used to clean up settings after the Application stops, like delete records or write information to text files. A Global.asa file could look something like this: <script language="vbscript" runat="server"> sub Application_OnStart ''''some code end sub sub Application_OnEnd ''''some code end sub sub Session_OnStart ''''some code end sub sub Session_OnEnd ''''some code end sub </script> Note: We cannot use the ASP script delimiters (<% and %>) to insert scripts in the Global.asa file, we will have to put the subroutines inside the HTML <script> tag.

<object> Declarations
It is possible to create objects with session or application scope in Global.asa by using the <object> tag. Note: The <object> tag should be outside the <script> tag!

Syntax
<object runat="server" scope="scope" id="id" {progid="progID"|classid="classID"}> .... </object> Parameter scope id ProgID Description Sets the scope of the object (either Session or Application) Specifies a unique id for the object An id associated with a class id. The format for ProgID is [Vendor.]Component[.Version] Either ProgID or ClassID must be specified. Specifies a unique id for a COM class object. Either ProgID or ClassID must be specified.

ClassID

Examples
The first example creates an object of session scope named "MyAd" by using the ProgID parameter: <object runat="server" scope="session" id="MyAd" 1

progid="MSWC.AdRotator"> </object> The second example creates an object of application scope named "MyConnection" by using the ClassID parameter: <object runat="server" scope="application" id="MyConnection" classid="Clsid:8AD3067A-B3FC-11CF-A560-00A0C9081C21"> </object> The objects declared in the Global.asa file can be used by any script in the application: GLOBAL.ASA: <object runat="server" scope="session" id="MyAd" progid="MSWC.AdRotator"> </object> You could reference the object "MyAd" from any page in the ASP application: SOME .ASP FILE: <%=MyAd.GetAdvertisement("/banners/adrot.txt")%>

TypeLibrary Declarations
A TypeLibrary is a container for the contents of a DLL file corresponding to a COM object. By including a call to the TypeLibrary in the Global.asa file, the constants of the COM object can be accessed, and errors can be better reported by the ASP code. If your Web application relies on COM objects that have declared data types in type libraries, you can declare the type libraries in Global.asa.

Syntax
<!--METADATA TYPE="TypeLib" file="filename" uuid="typelibraryuuid" version="versionnumber" lcid="localeid" --> Parameter file uuid version localeid Description Specifies an absolute path to a type library. Either the file parameter or the uuid parameter is required Specifies a unique identifier for the type library. Either the file parameter or the uuid parameter is required Optional. Used for selecting version. If the requested version is not found, then the most recent version is used Optional. The locale identifier to be used for the type library

Error Values
The server can return one of the following error messages: Error Code Description ASP 0222 Invalid type library specification ASP 0223 Type library not found ASP 0224 Type library cannot be loaded ASP 0225 Type library cannot be wrapped

Note: METADATA tags can appear anywhere in the Global.asa file (both inside and outside <script> tags). However, it is recommended that METADATA tags appear near the top of the Global.asa file.

Restrictions
Restrictions on what you can include in the Global.asa file: 5. You can not display text that is written in the Global.asa file. This file can't display information 6. You can not use the #include directive in Global.asa 7. You can only use Server and Application objects in the Application_OnStart and Application_OnEnd subroutines. In the Session_OnEnd subroutine, you can use Server, Application, and Session objects. In the Session_OnStart subroutine you can use any built-in object

How to use the Subroutines

Global.asa is often used to initialize variables. The example below shows how to detect the exact time a visitor first arrives on a Web site. The time is stored in a Session variable named "started", and the value of the "start" variable can be accessed from any ASP page in the application: <script language="vbscript" run at="server"> sub Session_OnStart Session("started")=now() end sub </script> Global.asa can also be used to control page access. The example below shows how to redirect every new visitor to another page, in this case to a page called "newpage.asp": <script language="vbscript" runat="server"> sub Session_OnStart Response.Redirect("newpage.asp") end sub </script> And you can include functions in the Global.asa file. In the example below the Application_OnStart subroutine occurs when the Web server starts. Then the Application_OnStart subroutine calls another subroutine named "getcustomers". The "getcustomers" subroutine opens a database and retrieves a record set from the "customers" table. The record set is assigned to an array, where it can be accessed from any ASP page without querying the database: <script language="vbscript" runat="server"> sub Application_OnStart getcustomers end sub sub getcustomers set conn=Server.CreateObject("ADODB.Connection") conn.Provider="Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0" conn.Open "c:/webdata/northwind.mdb" set rs=conn.execute("select name from customers") Application("customers")=rs.GetRows rs.Close 1

conn.Close end sub </script>

Global.asa Example
In this example we will create a Global.asa file that counts the number of current visitors. 8. The Application_OnStart sets the Application variable "visitors" to 0 when the server starts 9. The Session_OnStart subroutine adds one to the variable "visitors" every time a new visitor arrives 10. The Session_OnEnd subroutine subtracts one from "visitors" each time this subroutine is triggered The Global.asa file: <script language="vbscript" runat="server"> Sub Application_OnStart Application("visitors")=0 End Sub Sub Session_OnStart Application.Lock Application("visitors")=Application("visitors")+1 Application.UnLock End Sub Sub Session_OnEnd Application.Lock Application("visitors")=Application("visitors")-1 Application.UnLock End Sub </script> To display the number of current visitors in an ASP file: <html> <head> </head> <body> <p> There are <%response.write(Application("visitors"))%> online now! </p> </body> </html> The ASP Response object is used to send output to the user from the server.

Examples
Write text with ASP This example demonstrates how to write text with ASP. Format text with HTML tags in ASP This example demonstrates how to combine text and HTML tags with ASP. Redirect the user to a different URL This example demonstrates how to redirect the user to a different URL. 1

Show a random link This example demonstrates a link, each time you load the page, it will display one of two links: W3Schools.com! OR Refsnesdata.no! There is a 50% chance for each of them. Controlling the buffer This example demonstrates how you can control the buffer. Clear the buffer This example demonstrates how you can clear the buffer. End a script in the middle of processing and return the result This example demonstrates how to end a script in the middle of processing. Set how many minutes a page will be cached in a browser before it expires This example demonstrates how to specify how many minutes a page will be cached in a browser before it expires. Set a date/time when a page cached in a browser will expire This example demonstrates how to specify a date/time a page cached in a browser will expire. Check if the user is still connected to the server This example demonstrates how to check if a user is disconnected from the server. Set the type of content This example demonstrates how to specify the type of content. Set the name of the character set This example demonstrates how to specify the name of the character set.

Response Object
The ASP Response object is used to send output to the user from the server. Its collections, properties, and methods are described below:

Collections
Collection Cookies Description Sets a cookie value. If the cookie does not exist, it will be created, and take the value that is specified

Properties
Property Buffer CacheControl Charset ContentType Expires ExpiresAbsolute IsClientConnected Pics Status Description Specifies whether to buffer the page output or not Sets whether a proxy server can cache the output generated by ASP or not Appends the name of a character-set to the content-type header in the Response object Sets the HTTP content type for the Response object Sets how long (in minutes) a page will be cached on a browser before it expires Sets a date and time when a page cached on a browser will expire Indicates if the client has disconnected from the server Appends a value to the PICS label response header Specifies the value of the status line returned by the server

Methods
Method AddHeader 1 Description Adds a new HTTP header and a value to the HTTP response

AppendToLog BinaryWrite Clear End Flush Redirect Write

Adds a string to the end of the server log entry Writes data directly to the output without any character conversion Clears any buffered HTML output Stops processing a script, and returns the current result Sends buffered HTML output immediately Redirects the user to a different URL Writes a specified string to the output

The ASP Request object is used to get information from the user.

QueryString Collection Examples

Send query information when a user clicks on a link This example demonstrates how to send some extra query information to a page within a link, and retrieve that information on the destination page (which is, in this example, the same page). A QueryString collection in its simplest use This example demonstrates how the QueryString collection retrieves the values from a form. The form uses the GET method, which means that the information sent is visible to everybody (in the address field). The GET method also limits the amount of information that can be sent. How to use information from forms This example demonstrates how to use the values retrieved from a form. We use the QueryString collection. The form uses the get method. More information from a form This example demonstrates what the QueryString contains if several input fields have the same name. It shows how to separate input fields with equal names from each other. It also shows how to use the Count keyword to count the "name" property. The form uses the get method.

Form Collection Examples

A form collection in its simplest use This example demonstrates how the Form collection retrieves the values from a form. The form uses the POST method, which means that the information sent is invisible to others, and it has no limits (you can send a large amount of information). How to use information from forms This example demonstrates how to use the values retrieved from a form. We use the Form collection. The form uses the post method. More information from a form This example demonstrates what the Form collection contains if several input fields have the same name. It shows how to separate input fields with equal names from each other. It also shows how to use the Count keyword to count the "name" property. The form uses the post method. A form with radio buttons This example demonstrates how to interact with the user through radio buttons, with the Form collection. The form uses the post method. A form with checkboxes This example demonstrates how to interact with the user through checkboxes, with the Form collection. The form uses the post method.

Other Examples
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Get the server variables This example demonstrates how to find out the visitors (yours) browser type, IP address, and more with the ServerVariables collection. Create a welcome cookie This example demonstrates how to create a Welcome Cookie with the Cookies Collection. Find the total number of bytes the user sent This example demonstrates how to use the TotalBytes property to find out the total number of bytes the user sent in the Request object.

Request Object
When a browser asks for a page from a server, it is called a request. The ASP Request object is used to get information from the user. Its collections, properties, and methods are described below:

Collections
Collection ClientCertificate Cookies Form QueryString ServerVariables Description Contains all the field values stored in the client certificate Contains all the cookie values sent in a HTTP request Contains all the form (input) values from a form that uses the post method Contains all the variable values in a HTTP query string Contains all the server variable values

Properties
Property TotalBytes Description Returns the total number of bytes the client sent in the body of the request

Methods
Method BinaryRead Description Retrieves the data sent to the server from the client as part of a post request and stores it in a safe array