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

Brian Francis (Author), Dino Esposito (Author), Andrea Chiarelli (Author), Chris Blexrud (Author), Mathew Gibbs (Author), Bill Kropog (Author), Craig McQueen (Author), Godfrey Nolan (Author), Simon Robinson (Author), John Schenken (Author), Kent Tegel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999 | Series: Programmer to Programmer

This book is about Active Server Pages 3.0, as included with Windows 2000. However, because ASP is now a core part of so many Web-oriented features within Windows, this book covers a far wider area than just how ASP works. ASP is maturing all the time to encompass more integration with other Windows services and software, and so there are many other areas that impinge directly on the use and performance of ASP.

In particular this involves the Windows operating system itself, including the new security features of Windows 2000, and the Internet server software that comes with Windows 2000 - Internet Information Server (IIS). On top of this are the other less obvious services, which also have a direct or indirect effect on the way that ASP works. These include COM+, the various Internet service administration tools, and (indirectly) the many other services and installed software packages that either provide additional functionality to ASP, or which have interfaces that are available for use in ASP.

So, as well as chapters all about the roots of ASP, the base object structure, and how it's used, you'll also see chapters that demonstrate the many different ways that ASP integrates seamlessly with other software and services in Windows. One of the most obvious of these is access to data in a relational database or other type of data store (such as Active Directory), and you'll see several chapters devoted to these topics.

We'll also explore the intimate relationship between Internet Information Server and COM and the new COM+, and see how ASP has changed the way that it hosts and executes external components to provide better performance and scalability. This also affects the way that components are designed and built, and we'll be exploring this topic in some depth as well.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The team behind Professional Active Server Pages 2.0 has written a definitive guide for the latest version of ASP included with Windows 2000. This lengthy text offers a comprehensive look at the technology and is geared toward seasoned professionals looking to truly master this important development platform. The team of authors touch on almost every topic a working ASP coder might be interested in, including what to do when "it all goes wrong."

This title is divided into six sections that focus on key aspects of ASP: the basics, ActiveX Data Objects (ADO), building components for ASP, integration with BackOffice, security/performance/scalability, and reference material. This organization makes the book useful for both lengthy reads and quick daily reference. The index and set of appendices are also quite comprehensive.

Code snippets of judicious size and summary boxes with key information such as errors and function calls make the reading productive without being distracting. Most of the material is presented in a structured topical tutorial; however, an excellent XML newspaper case study provides a real-world perspective on XML and ASP.

While a number of working programmers authored this guide, the group's expertise has been well-integrated to read consistently. The team provides some error-preventing programming procedures such as formatting and indenting code, being "Explicit" about declarations, converting variables to the appropriate data types, using good variable naming conventions, encapsulating script, and more. Whether you're looking for information on utilizing components, implementing certificates, or working with Active Directory, you'll find answers in this fine work. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered: ASP basics and versions, Active Server Components, ADO, XML data, components, COM/COM+, ASP Script Components, C++ component issues, ADSI and Active Directory, Message Queue Server, Collaboration Data Objects, Exchange Server integration, certificates, performance optimization, site load balancing, and ASP Object Model.

From the Publisher

This book has been selected by the editors of Wrox Press to be part of the Wroxbase website.

Professional Active Server Pages 3.0 is the next edition of the number one selling ASP book in the world; Professional Active Server Pages 2.0. This is a next edition covering all the new features that appear as part of Win2000 but it is also a completely new book in terms of content, recycling essentially nothing from the previous edition. Instead all the concepts are taken a step further for a more mature audience and ASP is considered in terms of an N-tier enterprise environment including extensive coverage of components, Index Server, ADO 2.5, XML, CDO, ADSI, and much more.

Wrox provides community and email support for all its titles. Discuss your ASP 3 problems with other readers on p2p.wrox.com. Get direct email support from [e-mail] - support on this is provided by a Wrox editor and the book's authors.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 1277 pages
• Publisher: Peer Information; 1 edition (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861002610
• ISBN-13: 978-1861002617
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #556,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

152 of 154 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for enterprise web developers, December 25, 1999

By 

Dave Beauchemin (Montreal (Quebec), Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Professional Active Server Pages 3.0 (Programmer to Programmer) (Paperback)

Being an enterprise web developer, I found this book to be the absolute best in its field. It covers a very wide spectrum of fields any web developer working with Microsoft web technology should know, including ADO, ADSI, ASP, CDO, COM+, error handling, MSMQ, Windows DNA, XML, and a whole lot more (note that this book is primarily oriented at web developers who's target platform is Windows 2000 and IIS 5.0, but I also found it to be extremely useful for use on Windows NT 4.0 and IIS 4.0, since the authors clearly indicate features that are new to Windows 2000 and IIS 5.0). The writing style is absolutely excellent and gives clear tips on code optimization and performance. I have read literally dozens of different books on these subjects, and none has come close to this one. Although this book is not for beginners, it is, in my opinion, good for anyone who wants to advance their career on the web or become an web developer. This is definitely a book you will want to read from cover to cover, and use as a reference. At just about any price, it's a steal.

79 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive coverage of ASP 3.0 & other web technologies, December 20, 1999

By 

Jay - See all my reviews

This review is from: Professional Active Server Pages 3.0 (Programmer to Programmer) (Paperback)

It is a very comphensive book that covers the basic of ASP 3.0 and other web technologies like XML, COM+, and ADSI, etc. I did hestitate before buying this book from the web since I was only playing with the beta version of Win2000 server. However I need to work with ASP and IIS, therefore I bought this book.

This book does cover lots of new things compared to Professional ASP 2.0 The new features of ASP 3.0 are briefly introduced in the chapter 1. There is a good coverage of ADO 2.5 in chpater 8. If you are familar with ASP 2.0, you can finish the first 10 chapters and can grasp the differences quickly. XML, IIS 5, active server components, COM/COM+, ASP Script Components, C++ component issues, ADSI and Active Directory, Message Queue Server, Collaboration Data Objects, Exchange Server integration, certificates, site load balancing, and ASP Object Model are introduced from chapter 11 to 27. These are heavy readings with minor typos. However these chapters worth the money.

I have the Beginning and Professional ASP 2.0 Wrox books and the OReilly ASP book. I like Wrox better since they use lots of examples and their teaching style is very practical. This is a must have ASP book for many web developers.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have for ASP Developers!, January 22, 2000

By 

Peter (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Professional Active Server Pages 3.0 (Programmer to Programmer) (Paperback)

This book is a must have for all levels of ASP developers. The book is very clearly written and contains tons of ASP code examples. The book covers all aspect of ASP including the changes from ASP 2.0, data access using ADO, OLE DB, developing ASP components using VB, VC++, adding messaging to your asp pages, adding email support through CDO and more... I wasted no time in adding this book to my list of favorite VB internet programming books on my "Visual Basic Book Review " web site.