Introduction to Active server pages
What is ASP ?
- ASP stands for Active Server Pages.
- It is an approach to scripting by Microsoft.
- An ASP file has the extension ".asp"
- An ASP file can conatin text,HTML,XML and scripts.
Why Server-Side Programming?
- Accessibility
- You can reach the Internet from any browser,any device,any time,anywhere.
- Manageability
- Does not require distribution of application code.
- Easy to change code.
- Security
- Source is not exposed.
- Once the user is authenticated,can only allow certain actions.
Running ASP on your PC
You can run ASP on your own PC without an external server.
- To do that,you must install Microsoft's Personal Web Server(PWS) or Internet Information Services(IIS)
- Open your browser and type in "http://localhost/name of yor folder/ex.asp", to view the ASP page.
Compatibility
- Since it is a Microsoft technology, it runs on Windows NT 4.0 or later.
- ChiliASP and InstantASP are technologies that runs ASP without Windows OS
ASP vs HTML
- HTML is Hyper Text Markup Language.When a browser requests an HTML file,the server returns the file.
- However, when an ASP file is requested by the browser,
- The IIS passes the request to the ASP engine
- The ASP engine reads the ASP file,line by line,and executes the scripts in the file.
- Finally, the ASP file is returned to the browser as plain HTML.
ASP.NET : a brief intro
The World Wide Web (WWW) on the Internet provides a wide expanse of connectivity. Virtually everyone that uses computers has access to the Net.This pervasive reach was achieved by establishing very minimal standards.
Information is transmitted in ASCII characters, without a built-in capability for machine-level code. The client requirements are very minimal—in fact the Internet itself does not have any standards for how a browser works, and thus multiple browsers for multiple operating systems (OS) and platforms exist.
It is easy for us, in 2008, to forget that the Internet was designed to send simple static pages of text with images and links.
The story of the past fifteen years of Internet programming is an effort to provide sophistication and complexity to the user experience while not violating the WWW rules that demand extreme simplicity in page design. Users expect an experience that comes close to desktop applications such as word processing and database access.
But such a level of complexity has not been easy to implement in the Web given its minimal configuration. ASP.NET fundamentally reduces the barriers for development of complex web sites.
Features of ASP
- Contents of a Web page can be dynamically editted or changed.
- They can be viewed in any browser since ASP files are returned as plain HTML,.
- Access any data or databases and return the results to a browser.
- A web page is customized to make it more useful.
- Provides security since the ASP code can not be viewed from the browser.
Respond to user queries or data submitted from HTML forms.
