ASP programming for the absolute beginner

337 Pages·2002·2.35 MB·English

by  John W. Gosney

Y

L
F

M

A

E

T

Team-Fly®
ASP
Programming
®
JOHN GOSNEY
Untitled-10 1 2/25/03, 10:32 AM
© 2002 by Premier Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Publisher:
No part of this book may be reproduced or trans- Stacy L. Hiquet
mitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
Marketing Manager:
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or
Heather Buzzingham
by any information storage or retrieval system with-
out written permission from Premier Press, except Managing Editor:
for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. Sandy Doell
Acquisitions Editor:
Melody Layne
Premier Press and For the Absolute Begin-
ner are registered trademarks of Premier Project Editor:
Press, Inc. Heather Talbot
Technical Reviewer:
Chad Beckner
Microsoft, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows
2000, Windows NT, Internet Explorer, FrontPage, Copy Editor:
and VBScript are trademarks or registered trade- Kate Talbot
marks of Microsoft Corporation.
Interior Layout:
Important: Premier Press cannot provide software Danielle Foster
support. Please contact the appropriate software
Cover Design:
manufacturer’s technical support line or Web site
Mike Tanamachi
for assistance.
Indexer:
Premier Press and the author have attempted
Katherine Stimson
throughout this book to distinguish proprietary
trademarks from descriptive terms by following the Proofreader:
capitalization style used by the manufacturer. Jenny Davidson
Information contained in this book has been ob-
tained by Premier Press from sources believed to
be reliable. However, because of the possibility of
human or mechanical error by our sources, Premier
Press, or others, the Publisher does not guarantee
the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of any in-
formation and is not responsible for any errors or
omissions or the results obtained from use of such
information. Readers should be particularly aware
of the fact that the Internet is an ever-changing
entity. Some facts may have changed since this book
went to press.
ISBN: 1-931841-01-2
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number:
2001091383
Printed in the United States of America
01 02 03 04 05 RI 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Untitled-10 2 2/25/03, 10:32 AM
To my father, Richard Gosney, for inspiring my dreams.
To my mother, Marilyn Gosney, for helping me so much
in achieving them. I love you both very much.
Untitled-10 3 2/25/03, 10:32 AM
This page intentionally left blank
A k o e g e s
c n wl d m nt
I
have written several books, and I am always struck by the same thought as
the writing process for each one comes to an end: that is, over the course of
a few short months, life can take a fantastic array of twists and turns. Working
on a project like this one provides neat bookends to a beginning and an end,
and always—without fail—forces me to pause and review the previous months of my life.
Sometimes, these periods are filled with joy, as occurred with my last project and my son
being born as the book neared completion. Yet other times, life takes unexpected and
traumatic turns. As I write this, my mind continues to dwell on the tragedy of September
11, 2001, and the thousands of people who have lost their lives. It has been difficult to
accept the events of that day. Moreover, it has marked the ending of this particular project
as indeed one of the darker bookends in my, and the world’s, lifetime.
But as with all things, healing does begin, and the pain (if not the memory) of such a
tragedy is gradually lessened. As befits a computer book, the real promise of technol-
ogy (that is, of making the world a better place) reminds me, as I write this, that there
is still great promise in the world, and that human ingenuity, creativity, perseverance,
and kindness can (and will) prevail. Technology and all the benefits it brings can help
deliver this promise, and it is this thought (among many) that has gotten me through
these sad and mournful days.
That said, there are many people who have worked on this book who, through their
efforts, have kept this promise of technology alive and well, and have in turn helped to
make this book far better than it ever could have possibly been. Once again, Emi Smith
has come through with her fantastic organizational details, always willing to lend a
sympathetic and understanding ear to the trials and tribulations of her authors. Thanks
as well to Heather Talbot who picked up this book after many internal changes, keep-
ing it on track and thus guiding it to the light of day. Also, thanks to Chad Beckner for
ensuring the technical accuracy of the book, and for continuing to answer—always
with good humor—my silly technology questions. And to all the other folks at Premier
Press who, while perhaps going specifically unmentioned, have my enduring grati-
tude for making sure a project is done right, and done well.
Finally, and as always, all my love and thanks to Melissa, Genna, Jackson, and George
who make everything possible and inspire me to always do my best.
Untitled-10 5 2/25/03, 10:32 AM
This page intentionally left blank
A o t t A t o
b u he u h r
J
ohn W. Gosney is currently Director of Technology Services for the Indiana
University School of Dentistry, Indianapolis. He has also served as a technical
writer and Web development consultant for a major pharmaceutical corporation.
John has worked extensively with Microsoft applications and Web develop-
ment tools for several years, and has experience with ColdFusion and other Web devel-
opment technologies. He is the author of several books, ranging from test preparation
guides to e-business titles. John is also an adjunct instructor for the Community Col-
lege of Indiana.
John received his B.A. in Technical Writing and Psychobiology in 1992 from Purdue
University. In 1996, he was awarded an M.A. in English from Butler University. When
not working (which is rare these days!), John enjoys spending as much time as he can
with his family, cheering for his favorite teams (Pacers, Colts, and Boilermakers) and
furthering his reputation as an expert in all things popular culture.
Untitled-10 7 2/25/03, 10:32 AM
This page intentionally left blank
UUnnttiittlleedd--1100 84 22//2255//0033,, 1100::3322 AAMM
C t n s a a
on e t t
G n e
la c
Introduction xix
CHAPTER 1 Preparing to Work with ASP 1
CHAPTER 2 Programming ASP Web Pages with VBScript 23
CHAPTER 3 Working with ASPObjects 43
CHAPTER 4 Working with ASP Components 71
CHAPTER 5 Database Access with ADO 83
CHAPTER 6 Using Forms 109
CHAPTER 7 Essential Programming Logic, Part I 143
CHAPTER 8 Essential Programming Logic, Part II 161
CHAPTER 9 Formatting Processed Output 189
CHAPTER 10 ASP and HTML Scripting with FrontPage 2000 215
CHAPTER 11 Looking Back and Looking Forward 261
APPENDIXA VBScript Variable Reference 267
APPENDIXB SQL Reference 277
APPENDIXC Access Essentials 285
Index 301
Untitled-10 9 2/25/03, 10:32 AM