Chapter 4: Building a Sun Chili!Soft ASP Application

Active Server Pages (ASP) enables the Web author and developer to easily create dynamic Web applications by using scripts that run on the Web server. An ASP page can contain a combination of HTML text, server-side scripts, and client-side scripts, creating an engaging experience for the Web user.

Sun Chili!Soft ASP enables the scripting logic to interface with five built-in ASP objects, which automatically handle many menial tasks, making application development easier. In addition to using these basic elements, you can extend ASP by using the Component Object Model (COM). This enables you to add sophisticated functionality by using components written in programming languages such as Java. You can incorporate this functionality into your Web applications by using scripts as the "glue" to link the COM objects. For example, Sun Chili!Soft ASP includes an ActiveX Data Object (ADO) component that provides a high-performance interface between Web pages and databases that adhere to the Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) standard. In addition, Chili!Beans support included with Sun Chili!Soft ASP enables you to use Java objects with your ASP applications.

The first section in this chapter discusses the basics of building a Sun Chili!Soft ASP application: creating an ASP page, adding server-side scripts and server-side includes, and defining the application. Next, the chapter discusses extending applications by using objects and components, connecting to databases, and developing applications to publish in locales other than the United States. Finally, it gives instructions for publishing a Sun Chili!Soft ASP application.

Who should read this chapter: Web authors and developers who are new to ASP and system administrators who want a basic introduction to Sun Chili!Soft ASP technology should read the first section. Web authors and developers who have mastered the basics of building ASP applications might be interested in reading the more advanced topics covered in subsequent sections. Everyone should read the last section about publishing a Sun Chili!Soft ASP application.

In this chapter:

· Creating the Basic ASP Application

· Using Sun Chili!Soft ASP Built-in Objects

· Using Sun Chili!Soft ASP Installed Components

· Connecting to a Database

· Developing International Applications

· Publishing a Sun Chili!Soft ASP Application