A Preview of Active Server Pages

Active Server Pages technology is still a relatively new way to create dynamic web sites and applications. It has, however, evolved quickly to become the foremost tool in the Windows-oriented Web programmer's toolbox. Microsoft is currently working on the next generation of ASP, provisionally called ASP+ Next Generation Web Services. This is not just an update to ASP as we know it, but instead an evolutionary leap in the whole concept of how ASP can provide a dynamic Web development environment. Who is this book for? This book covers a product that is still under development, and as such it is aimed at experienced ASP developers who are working at the leading edge, rather than the casual ASP developer or beginner. To make the most of this book, you should be experienced with ASP. You should also understand the general principles of using components, and have knowledge of Visual Basic (or VBScript). What does the Book Cover? This book was written as Microsoft was about to release the first preview version of his release is almost feature complete, and stable enough for developers to begin learning about and using. While we can't guarantee that the final release version will be identical, you can be sure that almost all of the concepts, examples and explanations we provide are accurate within the timeframe of the first full version of ASP+. In this book we will: Explain what ASP+ is, and how it makes building applications even easier. Show how easy it is to work with ASP+ pages and server-side controls s data of all kinds in our ASP+ pages, and introduce ADO+. Use Web Services to provide asynchronous background services to applications. Introduce and demonstrate the ASP+ application framework. Show how easy it is to build and deploy custom ASP+ controls. Combine the concepts discussed in the book into an ASP+ application. Discuss how it is possible to migrate from ASP to ASP+