Product Description

ASP in a Nutshell provides the high-quality reference documentation that web application developers really need to create effective Active Server Pages. It focuses on how features are used in a real application and highlights little-known or undocumented features. This book also includes an overview of the interaction between the latest release of Internet Information Server (version 5) and ASP 3.0, with an introduction to the IIS object model and the objects it comprises. The examples shown in this section and throughout the book are illustrated in VBScript. The main components of this book are:

• Active Server Pages Introduction. Brief overview of the ASP application paradigm with examples in VBScript. Also included is an introduction to Microsoft's Internet Information Server 5.0, the IIS object model, and the objects that it comprises.
• Object Reference. Each object is discussed in the following manner: descriptions, properties, collections, methods, events, accessory files/required DLLs, and remarks, including real-world uses, tips and tricks, and author's experience (where applicable). The objects--Application, Response, Request, Server, Session, ObjectContext, and ASPError, as well as ASP Directives, Global.ASA, and Server-Side Includes--all follow this paradigm.
• Component Reference. This section follows the same paradigm found in Object Reference. The discussion covers all of the additional components included with IIS, such as ActiveX Data Objects, the Ad Rotator, the Browser capabilities component, the File System Object, and more.
• Appendixes. Gives examples in one or two objects and components using Perl, REXX, and Python in ASP.

Like other books in the "In a Nutshell" series this book offers the facts, including critical background information, in a no-nonsense manner that users will refer to again and again. It is a detailed reference that enables even experienced web developers to advance their ASP applications to new levels.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #205101 in Books
• Published on: 2000-07-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 492 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
ASP in a Nutshell gives Microsoft Active Server Pages' developers a quick reference guide for looking up object usage. This guide is geared towards working ASP programmers who need to get their answers quickly, without wading through long examples.

The book is organised in three parts: an introduction to ASP, a language reference, and appendices. This second edition has been updated for IIS 5.0 and ASP 3.0--the latest flavours of Microsoft's flagship Web server and scripting engines. The ASP introduction is very brief but adequately explains the basic concepts behind ASP and server-side scripting.

The heart of the title is the language reference that covers the intrinsic ASP objects plus ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) 2.6, Collaboration Data Objects, file access, and more. Each section is tagged with staggered page markers that usually make it unnecessary to resort to the book's index to find a topic.

While there are no full-blown code examples, the small code fragments that are included for most objects are valuable in illustrating usage. The information is accurate and to the point throughout, and that's exactly what busy programmers really need in a desktop reference. --Stephen W. Plain, Amazon.com

Topics covered:

• ASP overview
• Application of ASP objects
• ASPError
• ObjectContext
• Request
• Response
• Server
• Session
• Global.ASA
• Installable components (ActiveX Data Objects 2.6)
• Ad Rotator
• Browser Capabilities
• CDO for NT
• Content Linking
• Content Rotator
• Counters
• File Access
• Logging Utility
• MyInfo
• Page Counter
• Permission Checker
• Tools
• Converting CGI/WinCGI applications
• ASP on other platforms
• Configuring IIS

Amazon.co.uk Review
Continuing the enormous success of the O'Reilly "In a Nutshell" series of reference works, ASP in a Nutshell rolls up it's sleeves and delves deep into the inner workings of this handy technology.

Not intended as a catch-all guide, the book is nonetheless an invaluable work, taking time to spell out in succinct terms the various commands together with their associated switches and parameters.

Divided into five sections, covering subjects including a full breakdown of the object model and a list of all of the installable components (the ad rotator, content linker and more), there's something here for programmers of all abilities, including invaluable guidance on use of the global.asa, preprocessing directives and server-side includes. Topped off with a useful set of appendices which give help and advice on topics including how to CGI applications to ASP and where to get hold of cross-platform ASP-based tools this is a must have for anyone who's serious about getting the most from ASP and NT server.

Review
'Like other in the 'In a Nutshell' series this book offers the facts, critical background information, in a straight forward manner that users will find useful. It is a detaifled reference that enables even experienced web developers to advance their ASP skills. Alternatively any novice web developer should gain the necessary knowledge and understanding to produce a technically sound site and to move from client to server side development.' - Andrew Dytham, News@UK, March 2001

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Customer Reviews

Top class easy to read reference book
Yet another top book from the O'reilly gang. The beauty of the "nutshell" series is that there is plenty of code samples throughout.

Sure you'll never be able to write an entire app after reading this, but that's not the aim of these books.

As a reference book, it's superb.

this is a GREAT book
I have been programming in VB for the last 4 years and thought I would try ASP, cos after all it is VB script. when i got this book i just could not put it down. I still use it constantly when writing ASP code.
the book explains all the major commands that you may come across in any ASP page and also includes an example. what more do you need in a quick reference. It is split into logical sections making it easy to find the command you are looking for and is easy to follow.
I reconmend this to any one that is writing ASP pages. Also i would reconmend the "VBSCRIPT Pocket Reference" by O'Reilly as well, to accompany the "ASP in a nutshell"

One of the better ASP references
A very good reference for any reasonably competent ASP developer. The book does give some narrative introductions to each topic, but is primarily best used for reference purposes. Look elsewhere if you want to learn ASP from scratch. The only reason I consider it to be a 4 (maybe 4.5) star instead of 5 is the tough competition in this area - books like 'Professional Active Server Pages 2.0' are so good they have to take the top spot. However, this title is an ideal companion to 'Professional ASP 2.0' for keeping at hand when coding, and that's exactly what I use it for!