Active Server Pages for Dummies [Paperback]

Bill Hatfield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 1999 | ISBN-10: 076450603X | ISBN-13: 978-0764506031 | Edition: 2

Ready to create interactive Web pages? Then welcome to Active Server Pages For Dummies, 2nd Edition. In this guide, you'll see exactly what ASP is all about and how it works.

You may be a Web site or intranet developer for a company, or the owner of a personal or small business Web site, or a programmer who wants to get in on all the hot new technologies. In any case, you're always looking for ways to make your job easier and your Web site cooler. You probably

• Know how to use Windows NT or Windows 95/98 and your web server software, at least well enough to get around.
• Are familiar with HTML and have played around with some advanced tags.
• Have had at least a little exposure to a scripting language like VBScript, JavaScript, Perl, or REXX.
• Have worked with a macro language such as you'd find in a spreadsheet or other application.
• Have actually done some programming in Java, Visual Basic, C, or COBOL.

But don't worry. To get the most out of this book, you don't have to be a programmer or an HTML guru. Active Server Pages makes activating your Web site easy.

In Active Server Pages For Dummies, you'll discover

• What Active Server Pages is and how it fits into the world of CGI, ISAPI, ActiveX controls, and all the other Internet stuff that promises to make your Web site more exciting.
• What you need to know about the programming languages.
• How to use objects that are a part of your web server to get all sorts of information and to change the way things work.
• How to access database information from a Web page.
• What happens after you start to pull together the capabilities to create real Web applications.

Active Server Pages is easy. You've heard that said before, only to be overwhelmed with enough confusing gibberish to choke a camel. But with this guide, you can believe it.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Active Server Pages (ASP) is the best way to create dynamic Web sites--that is, Web sites based on the contents of a database--under Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) and other Microsoft Web platforms. Active Server Pages for Dummies proves that despite the initially intimidating appearance of some ASP code, the system isn't hard to learn and can be a lot of fun.

The book delivers a carefully structured introduction to ASP technology. The examples aren't all academic either--you'll find code (printed and on the companion CD-ROM) for a date-stamper, a banner-ad rotator, a guestbook, and even a near-real-time chat room and a system for managing classified ads.

Though this book includes sections on VBScript and JScript, you'll probably want to combine it with a language text if you lack familiarity with at least one of those languages. Still, the language material that's here serves as a good introduction to the basics and enables you to make sense of the scriptable ASP objects that make the technology so powerful.

Though this isn't an object reference, the author explains the capabilities of each major server component and provides example code that uses many of them. That's the strongest aspect of this book, in fact--the excellent example code you can learn from and adapt to your purposes. --David Wall

Topics covered: Basics of ASP, VBScript, JScript, the ASP object model, server components, database connectivity, Visual InterDev, and popular ASP applications.

Review

Read the entire review of this book.

The first few chapters of Active Server Pages for Dummies are a fairly generic introduction to VBScript for non-programmers, with a dash of Javascript thrown in for variety. The middle portion of the book introduces the reader to components, objects, the structure of an Active Server Page (ASP) application, and database access. The useful tips scattered through the book are convincing evidence that the author actually has some practical experience with ASP in a non-toy environment. The last section of the book and the CD-ROM contain the source code for two example ASP applications: a chat room and a classified ads server.

Aside from the obnoxious and sophomoric attempts at humor, this book is basically sound and delivers the most value among the entry-level books on ASP that I have encountered thus far. Programmers should bypass this book and go directly to Wrox Press's Professional Active Server Pages 2.0. -- Ray Duncan, Dr. Dobb's Journal -- Dr. Dobb's Journal --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 378 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 2 edition (September 8, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076450603X
• ISBN-13: 978-0764506031
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,175,608 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book, even for professional dummies, March 26, 2000

By 

Dr. Robert C.A. Goff, MCSD, MCSE, MCDBA "Coun... (Blacksburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Active Server Pages for Dummies (Paperback)

As a professional VB developer, I needed to learn the basics of ASP--the built in objects and the syntax of VBScript. Hatfield provides the coverage. Even though I need a more comprehensive VBScript reference at hand while I'm programming, it is the foundation acquired from the Dummies book that allows me to find what I need. The text is readable and well focused.

Weaknesses: Although there are some examples in JavaScript, the preponderance of the code is in VBScript. Another shortcoming is the use of clever chapter titles, rather than descriptive titles. If you're reading from cover to cover--easy to do with Hatfield--then the titles don't really matter.

Honestly, my major problem with the book is being seen with it. But then, how much of a dummy can you be if you're learning ASP.

Conclusion: An excellent choice for your first book on ASP, even for stuffy "professionals."

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To VB or Not To VB... That is the question?, December 23, 1999

By 

J. Esteban (Lakewood, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Active Server Pages for Dummies (Paperback)

If you want to learn server side scripting in VBScript you can go pretty much anywhere. If you want to learn server side scripting in JScript then this one of the few places to go. The JScript examples aren't much but they're better than nothing and the examples all work. I knew C/C++, SQL and some client side Javascript so it seemed like a natural way to go but there is simply not much written about server side scripting in JScript.

Even though most of the examples are written in VBScript, they are clear and challenging enough to get you going. One the hardest hurdles is loading the Personal Web Server. If you don't already have a favorite HTML or ASP editor try UltraEdit32 and do yourself a favor from the beginning download the Script Debugger if your using Internet Explorer. It's free and like so many other things that go into learning Active Server Pages "it's better than nothing".

Overall I like the book and the humor is tolerable. If he ever wants to write another I'd be happy to provide some additional JScript examples. I know enough to get buy for now and in the end that's what I wanted. I had a project that needed to get done by the end of the year and it looks like I'll make it.

Thanks to all of you who have written these reviews in the past. For the most part they have faithfully guided me to the most useful and most useable sources of information available.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for Beginners, February 1, 2000

By 

kerim ozbakirci - See all my reviews

This review is from: Active Server Pages for Dummies (Paperback)

I was wondering when will an author come out and write an ASP book that everyone can easily understand. Fortunately Dummy Series came out with this nice book. This book is a really good resource for a starter ASP programmers. The layout will prevent you to get bored of the book. The real world examples will keep your head in the book and you will enjoy while you are learning. The book covers more VbScript examples rather than JScript.The only disadvantage is, it doesnt cover very advanced subjects; but since its a dummy book it hit the target. I would get this book if I would be someone that is thinking to start ASP...