Customer Reviews

Active Server Pages for Dummies

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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."

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.

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...

Bill Hatfield makes tackling the ASP architecture less intimidating. The book gets you off on the right foot, and that's all a Dummies book should have to do. You'll need to get more advanced than this to do professional work, but this book answers the simple/stupid questions you might feel too foolish to ask otherwise. The code examples are good, and the book remains handy as a quick reference long after you've finished reading it straight through. Eventually, after you've moved on to more advanced ASP/web development books, coded some real-world apps and become an expert, you can snicker and look down your nose at the next ASP newbie.

Or you can hand them this book.

I have experience with PHP and Perl-based CGI programming. I needed to learn ASP in a hurry to get started on a new project. This book was suitable for my circumstance by providing an inexpensive, easy-to-read introduction to ASP.

If you are already familiar with some form of web-based programming (knowing Visual Basic also helps), this is a great way to get started quick with ASP. It provides a clear, concise explanation of the essential ASP classes (Session, Request, Response, redirecting, etc.)

If you are a beginner and know nearly nothing about creating dynamic web pages, there is a steep learning curve. I would also recommend getting Sam's Teach Yourself Visual Basic .NET if you are unfamiliar with Visual Basic programming, because there is a lot of VB in ASP.

"ASP for Dummies" does not cover .NET, but that is not really important, especially if you already have another reference book such as for Visual Basic .NET. ASP is well structured and I doubt there will ever be much urgency to change your code for .NET. For those of you unfamiliar with .NET, it is a series of classes and methodology that sometimes can make your programming easier.

The cheap shots at humor could make this book annoying at times, but it does put you at ease while you're learning. The style of this book may also be inadequate if you intend to use it for reference alone.

Active Server Pages technology rocks! This is the easiest way to harness web database power. Turn your clients' web sites into interactive WEB APPLICATIONS today. Learn how to easily use built-in web server objects to pass data between your web pages, and to and from your server using Request, Response, Application, and Session. Discover the global.asa file which maintains your application & session objects. Learn about the built-in server component for database support, ADO, and its Connection & RecordSet objects. Brush up on your SQL commands so that you can customize your database queries. I went from non-programmer to intermediate-level ASP developer in less than a month. Find an ISP that hosts the IIS or chiliSoft ASP web server, and read these great books to learn how to get your Web APPLICATION up & running this week: ASP for Dummies --> Beginning ASP 2.0 --> Professional ASP 2.0 and ADO 2.0.

ASP for Dummies was the first computer book I ever read cover to cover. I learned to do use ASP efectively with this book in less than a week!

The exapmple code in the book is well written and easily portable.

This book was so cool that it forced me to buy weebspace on a decent server so that I could share my ASP Pages with the world in less than a month.

Simply the best buy for your money! 378 pages of pure ASPtutorials, examples, and help. Not to mention a cd!

Hatfield offersboth ways of creating ASP pages (VBScript, JScript). This is PERFECT for the beginner. It even tells you how to create a MS Access database if you can't get that worked out! Great definitions, easy to understand terminology...this is a must have, I don't care who you are!

This book is excellent at helping ASP rookies understand the basic principals, concepts and VB script coding surrounding ASP development. The "try this" samples in the book are great hand holding tools and in the beginning the explanations are very clear. Unfortunately, the author really loses control toward the end of the book and it gets very complicated very fast. The most disturbing thing of all was the CD which accompanies the book and contains the really complex sample ASP applications- applications that one would hopefully like to adapt and use. The problem is the scripts on the CD do not work and the coding is very very sloppy and error ridden. Also there is a lot the user must do (on his own) to try and get the scripts to work. What infuriates me the most is the author leaves it up to his readers to find all the problems and then debug his code for him.(Authors Web Site) This is totally unacceptable for someone making money off a product and holding himself out as an expert in the field. And it drops my rating from what would probably be 4 stars to 2 stars. As an example I would give HTML: The Definitive Guide by Musciano and Kennedy a 5 star rating. There explanations and examples are bulletproof and they personally respond to emails.

I bought this book to so I could access a database from my web site, and I got that and so much more. Bill Hatfield does a fantastic job of explaining ASP and server components from beginning to end without complicating the subject or boring the reader. The humorous headings make the subject a little less intimidating. Almost every chapter is built around a sample application that you can easily add to your web site as you go (if only you can convince your boss that you actually need all of them). I had spent a year seeking advice from experienced web developers and reading articles that left me confused and discouraged. About two months after I started reading the book my web site was complete with multiple database search pages, a guest book, and a personalized greeting.