Product Description

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. This text is tailor-made for these developers. This text is written for the intermediate to advanced user. Many other books on ASP focus 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. The book explains why using classes in VBScript is beneficial, and demonstrates the power of regular expression searching. It 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; and 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #705910 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 348 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Designing Active Server Pages provides an important tool for often-overworked ASP programmers: a set of techniques for making the wisest use of the technology in a production environment. Targeting an audience of readers who are already seasoned in ASP, author Scott Mitchell explores techniques for producing "reusable and robust ASP applications".

Presentation and example comprise the approach here, with concise tables of information and descriptions that make the book a fast read. Mitchell explores the benefits of the VBScript 5.0 scripting engine, illustrating how to fully exploit the new RegExp object and build object-oriented code using VBScript classes--another welcome addition to the coding platform. ASP programmers will find techniques they have been longing for, such as centralised error-handling pages and reusable database administration forms.

The creation and best practices for implementing COM components, useful standard components like the Content Linker and AdRotator, as well as third-party components such as ASPEncrypt and SA-FileUp are all discussed. Designing doesn't stop with mere descriptions of these components but also provides solutions for common needs such as uploading files to binary fields in Microsoft SQL Server and sending encrypted e-mail.

With its advanced techniques and practical perspective, this book is perfect for those looking to stay on the cutting edge of ASP programming. --Stephen W. Plain

DevASP website
"This book shows how to simplify the process by only requiring one ASP page to handle ALL of the Forms throughout a web site....Five stars."

Book Information
Topics covered:

• Choosing a server-side scripting language
• Exception handling
• Regular expressions
• Building reusable forms
• Reusable database administration pages
• COM overview
• Lesser-known Microsoft COM components
• Important third-party COM components

Customer Reviews

Good book for the intermediate ASP programmer.
This book isn't going to teach the ASP expert anything new, but if you've already had a little hands on experience of ASP and now want to get some real-world experience then I can recommend this book. If you're after an ASP reference book then look elsewhere.

There are some good examples and lots of tips that help you around the hidden pitfalls of designing ASP applications. Some of the tips are, however, quite generic.

A worthwhile addition to your ASP bookshelf.