Visual Basic Developer's Guide to ASP and IIS: Build Powerful Server-Side Web Applications with Visual Basic. (Visual Basic Developer's Guides) [Paperback]

A. Russell Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1999 | Series: Visual Basic Developer's Guides

The core components of Web application development for programmers using Microsoft technologies are ASP and IIS. With the new functionality in Visual Basic, developers can now write sophisticated server-side Web applications. Topics covered include: creating WebClasses; creating and using HTML templates; exploring WebClasses with the VB debugger; securing a Web site; handling errors; working with different browsers; caching data and caching objects; distributing applications over multiple servers; retrieving data from databases; maintaining state; using ADO; using ActiveX DLLs from WebClasses; writing Active Server Pages with VB; and using Microsoft Transaction Server with WebClasses.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Web is rapidly becoming the front end of choice for applications. Why create a custom front end that will run only on a single PC when you can deliver a Web-based interface to anywhere in the world? Microsoft's Internet Information Server (IIS) is part of the Windows NT operating system, and by using its Active Server Pages (ASP) technology you can create Web applications using server-side scripts and COM objects.

Visual Basic is an evolving development environment, and the Visual Basic Developer's Guide to ASP and IIS is designed for Visual Basic 6 developers who want to take advantage of its Web development features. You won't need to know HTML to use this book, since it contains a guide to ASP and HTML. The heart of the book is a look at VB 6's Web class features. Web classes are a way of building COM objects that are used to modify HTML templates. You'll learn how to use Web classes to query databases, handle security, and work with client-side scripts. If you're interested in using Microsoft Transaction Server to improve Web application reliability and link to external applications, there's plenty of information to get you started.

This is a book for both the beginner and the hardcore VB developer. It's a welcome guide to an often overlooked feature of Visual Basic, with plenty of source code and examples. There's enough information here to use the Visual Basic Developer's Guide to ASP and IIS as both a tutorial and a reference. --Simon Bisson, amazon.co.uk

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Sybex Inc; 1 edition (November 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0782125573
• ISBN-13: 978-0782125573
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,562,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars excellent book on iis applications, December 8, 1999

By 

San Diego Reviewer (san diego, ca) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Visual Basic Developer's Guide to ASP and IIS: Build Powerful Server-Side Web Applications with Visual Basic. (Visual Basic Developer's Guides) (Paperback)

An excellent book complete with real world examples and workarounds for some "features" of webclass applications. Great tips and concepts on creating scalable web sites. I'm a consultant and don't have time for beginner books or rehashes of manuals. This book is neither. Well worth the money.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book - well worth the price, January 20, 2000

By 

They Call Me Trinity (Des Moines, IA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Visual Basic Developer's Guide to ASP and IIS: Build Powerful Server-Side Web Applications with Visual Basic. (Visual Basic Developer's Guides) (Paperback)

I found the book to be full of real-world, useful examples. I enjoyed the author's writing style. Seemed to be VERY up to date, including work-arounds for several things I noticed in on-line newsgroups just recently. Helped me decide is was feasible to write many of my web-based apps using VB now. Could be a little bigger, but still a great buy. I would also recommend chapters 12-14 in book ISBN 1-861002-22-X - the only other book to cover webclasses well.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction to the web via VB WebClasses, March 24, 2000

By 

Mr. Ian W. Stirk (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Visual Basic Developer's Guide to ASP and IIS: Build Powerful Server-Side Web Applications with Visual Basic. (Visual Basic Developer's Guides) (Paperback)

This book introduces the Visual Basic developer to the world of the Web primarily via the use of WebClasses.

The book provides a concise introduction to WebClasses, IIS, MTS, ASP, ADO, Component-based development, state management, and browser independence. Plenty of relevant coding examples are provided.

The chapter of State Management is probably the best chapter, it discusses the various options available for the very real problems of scalability and maintaining state.

If you're a VB developer that has little knowledge of the web, then this book is a good introduction, it is aimed at the intermediate-level VB developer.

It might be questionable if there a need for a book on WebClasses. WebClasses are, in essence, complied ASP. A very good concept, but if job numbers are a reliable indicator then stick with ASP.

A easy, enjoyable read.