Beginning Active Server Pages 3.0 (Programmer to Programmer) [Paperback]

David Buser (Author), John Kauffman (Author), Juan T. Llibre (Author), Brian Francis (Author), Dave Sussman (Author), Chris Ullman (Author), Jon Duckett (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764543636 | ISBN-13: 978-0764543630 | Publication Date: July 11, 2000 | Edition: 1

What is this book about?

ASP is the future of the web. If you're looking for a way to create attractive, intelligent web pages or, if you're just looking for a way to extend your HTML know-how, then ASP is an effective way to achieve your goals. With ASP, you can customize your web pages to be more dynamic, more efficient and more responsive to your users. It's not just a technology, though — to get the best out of ASP, you'll be using it in tandem with HTML, and with one or more of the web's simple scripting languages. The book will teach you everything you need to create useful real-world applications on the web.

What does this book cover?

• Teaches VBScript as an integral part of learning to use ASP
• Describes how to make your pages more dynamic with HTML and script code
• Covers writing and debugging script code
• Explains how to set up ASP, what software to use, and how to administer your pages
• Shows how you can access databases to give dynamically updated web pages
• Introduces object-based programming and shows you how to use ASP objects
• Provides the foundation for you to write useful, real-world dynamic web pages
• Includes a fully worked sample application to demonstrate the power of ASP
• Loaded with examples and useful tips
• Introduces XML, one of the latest web programming technologies, and explains its use in conjunction with ASP

Who is this book for?

This book is for anybody with a grasp of HTML who wants to add more to their web pages. It also covers VBScript — a simple Internet programming language. This makes it the ideal first step for the aspiring web professional. It's also useful for more experienced programmers looking for a practical, no-nonsense introduction to ASP and programming for the web.

What do you need to use this book?

To get the most out of this book you should be running Windows 2000, which includes ASP 3 — the latest version of this popular technology.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Filling an important spot in the Wrox Programmer to Programmer series, Beginning Active Server Pages 3.0 is an excellent introduction to the new version of ASP released for the Windows 2000 platform. This guide expects no previous ASP knowledge or even previous Web development experience.

Its friendly style makes this book welcome reading at all skill levels. The material is carefully presented to avoid losing readers who are totally new to ASP programming, yet it still provides impressive technical coverage, beginning with the very basic concepts behind ASP programming and moving forward to advanced coding techniques.

As each topic is presented, relevant screen shots and useful code snippets under the heading "How It Works" complement the text. The chapters also include step-by-step exercises to familiarize you with new techniques and tools. An extensive case study application takes you through the entire development process as well. If you're interested in Web coding Microsoft-style, this is the right place to start. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered: ASP language fundamentals, server- and client-side scripting, ASP object model, cookies, error handling, scripting objects, recordsets, transactions and COM+, XML introduction, ADO object model, and VBScript reference. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Beginning Active Server Pages 3.0 is aimed at two distinct groups of developers. Firstly it addresses the needs of the HTML programmer looking to progress to the next stage - to create dynamic web pages and understand how to structure a site for future growth. Secondly it is aimed at developers switching to Windows 2000, as it outlines all the changes and explains ASP from the standpoint of IIS5 and the new user interface. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 1248 pages
• Publisher: Wrox; 1 edition (July 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764543636
• ISBN-13: 978-0764543630
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (105 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #433,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

118 of 120 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book to learn ASP & VBScript, June 19, 2000

By 

Music Fan from St. Louis (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beginning Active Server Pages 3.0 (Paperback)

An excellent book for beginners, Beginning Active Server Pages 3.0 starts simply and builds on what you've learned until you code a fairly fully-featured application. By the time you've gone through the book, you'll be able to create web pages that can return and capture information stored in databases, tailor pages based on information captured from input by users -- in short, create web pages that are in fact active.

Although there are some grammatical errors in the text itself, I think another reviewer perhaps overstated their existence. More importantly though, the examples and exercises take you through using the materials covered in a clear, concise manner. Not a lot of fluff or worthless repetition.

Although geared towards Windows 2000, the book can be used if you have a Windows 95/98 platform, at least as far as learning ASP basic coding techniques. An appendix covers use of Personal Web Server (required to let your 95/98 based PC act as a server and thus run the ASP code).

Numerous other appendices provide worthwhile reference materials concerning errors, VBScript reference, runtime libraries. etc.

If you are looking to teach yourself ASP, this is an excellent book to use to achieve that end. Don't let its size (1100+ pages) turn you away.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must For ASP Beginners !, February 21, 2000

By 

Chris Trevino (Washington State) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beginning Active Server Pages 3.0 (Paperback)

In two days...in two days I was writing my own ASP pages ! This book covers the basics in a format that is comprehensive and easy to follow. You think you are just learning asp...but what you don't realize is you are aslo learning VBScript! The book is written in such a way that you are literally "forced" to remember what you just read. Packed with explanations and examples and explanations of those examples, this book takes you by the hand and builds on what you learn page by page. Forget the other guys...this book teaches you what you need to know. Definitely one of the best "investments" made into my future !

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but wordy, October 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Beginning Active Server Pages 3.0 (Paperback)

Like most Wrox books I've read, this book contains lots of easily understandable information, but it is not as concise as it could be. Still, I learned to use ASP from this book and I recommend it.

I have done a little Visual Basic and HTML coding, and to me this book seemed too basic in parts. The first part of the book is about how the server deals with HTML and about VBscript. The book doesn't really get into ASP until about page 170.

The examples are usually short, which is good. Too bad the examples are not more self-contained. The authors too often illustrate a new point by saying "use the code in the previous example, but with the following changes..." That's just lazy. A complete new code listing for each new topic would have been more helpful.

If you are a beginner and you don't mind wading through a lot of words (1000+ pages worth) and a somewhat boring book design, get this book. It will teach you a lot.

If you are a very experienced developer, this book will be too basic - look elsewhere (the Wrox book Professional Active Server Pages 3.0 seems popular with reviewers on Amazon).