Debugging ASP: Troubleshooting for Programmers [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by Derek Ferguson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Useful for anyone who builds Windows Web applications, Debugging ASP: Troubleshooting for Programmers offers invaluable advice on fixing (and avoiding) a handful of common problems with Active Server Pages (ASPs). Traditional debugging actually is only a small part of the package. This book is a solid guide to deploying ASP Web applications on both development and production servers.

"Experience is the best teacher," the old maxim goes, and the approach in Debugging ASP makes good use of real-world expertise. Author Derek Ferguson has compiled a list of bugs from his work at a regional ISP, a perfect laboratory for uncovering the most common problems that ASP developers face every day. First and foremost are his suggestions for configuring Internet Information Server (IIS) for development systems. A number of valuable tips help you improve the feedback that you get from Web server logs. You also learn about several options that will simplify debugging of new scripts and components over old ones. (In short, Debugging ASP will help you make sure, when you deploy a new script or component, that it gets displayed in your Web page, instead of the out-of-date version.) A really useful section points out common gotchas in ASP development, and there are tips on the right ways to include other files in ASPs and how to redirect HTTP requests correctly. The book also explains how to maintain state with Session objects, while balancing performance and security considerations.

The tutorial on the most effective ways to make use of COM objects on the middle tier is key to the book, and offers plenty of screen shots that show how to build, deploy, and configure components by using transactions and Microsoft Component Services. Several chapters look at problems and useful techniques for ADO database programming in your ASP-based Web applications, and there's even a step-by-step guide to setting up ODBC to connect to SQL Server databases. The text concludes with some tips for boosting performance in production systems, and a preview of the upcoming ASP+ standard from Microsoft.

In all, Debugging ASP provides a handy road map to successful ASP deployment, which can save you considerable time and effort as you put your Web applications online. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

General guide to debugging and troubleshooting ASPs on Internet Information Server (IIS) Configuring IIS for development Logging options The Microsoft Script Debugger Common mistakes with ASPs (problems with file permissions; tips for including files; using FileSystemObject successfully; maintaining state with Session objects; and using cookies, frames, and application-level data correctly) HTTP request headers and forms Tips for redirecting requests Using images with ASPs Fixing time-out errors Tutorial for COM objects (installing and configuring objects, security, component locking issues) COM object dependencies Transactions Microsoft Component Services and the ObjectContext class

Database rollbacks Configuring ODBC to connect to SQL Server Tips for disconnected recordsets and stored procedures Style guide for ASP programmers (including best practices for variable scope) Improving performance Buffering connections Using sessions effectively Performance Monitor Browser incompatibility issues Dealing with firewalls and proxies Using client-side scripting for data validation Reference appendix for HTTP status codes Introduction to ASP+ and the Microsoft .NET Framework

Product Description
Provides Web developers with solutions for troubleshooting errors and preventing potential bugs from occurring. Examines solutions for Visual InterDev 6.0--ASP's main programming tool that requires freqent debugging. Offers tips and techniques for avoiding pitfalls associated with the development of COM components. Discusses error-handling and debugging in SQL Server.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 459 pages
• Publisher: Osborne Publishing; 1st edition (August 24, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072125349
• ISBN-13: 978-0072125344
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,087,328 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars a big disappointment..., August 13, 2001

By	Joe "[e-mail]" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

If you just look through the topics this book covers, it might interest you--which is why I decide to buy the book, especially after seeing a 5 star review here. However, the more you read on, the more disappointing you will be. Yeah, it did cover quite some points, but most of them are very shallow, the explanation does not go deep. You will find it begins with problems you met, explains things you normally know already, and then stop right there, leaving you as puzzled as before.

Just contrary to some previous reviews, to me, the 2 COM chapters are almost totally useless. My suggestion is, read those 2 chapters in the book store first, if you think it's valuable, then it probably is a book for you. But even if you do think those 2 chapters are great, you probably still want to check the title: professional ASP 3.0 by Wrox. That title worths 10 times the time and money you will put in "debugging asp". I was not so appreciative about professional asp 3.0 before, but after I read "debuggin asp", that Wrox book looks like an ASP bible to me.

At last, to be fair, I have not read chapter 9~12, so the above comment only applies to the other chapters.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best I've Seen, September 17, 2000

By	Robert Egregian, PhD, MCSD (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

Of all the books I've read about ASP development, this has got to be the absolute best! The 3 chapters on COM alone would more than justify the price of the book.

Having developed with Active Server Pages for a little over 3 years now (ever since they first came out), I really thought I knew it all. This book proved me wrong!

5.0 out of 5 stars Solves the most common ASP problems, November 8, 2000

By	Claire Porter (Ireland) - See all my reviews

If you are debugging someone else's code, or writing your own, this has got to be the most helpful resource. Worth every penny, it is based on the premise that 80% of errors in ASP code arise from the same 10 or so problems: a huge time-saver.

Time and again it has proven a very handy desk reference. I have used ASP for 2 years now, but I wish I had read this book from day one. Deals with real-world programming problems - excellent info on COMs, connecting to SQL server.