CA 4-H Computer Corps Workshop: Server Side Scripting with ASP

Learn Interactive Webpage design using ASP, Microsoft's Server-Side Scripting language. Add flexibility and interactivity to your webpages! Interact with a database, displaying information from SQL queries, entering data, and making your website truly dynamic. ASP allows incredible control over webpages. This workshop will begin with a basic overview of Server-Side Scripting, following by more advanced control statements using VBScript, interacting with Access Database, and introducing other features of ASP.

Workshop prerequisites
- Knowledge of HTML
- Awareness of Access
- Awareness of FrontPage
Agenda
- Introductions
- Example of dynamic web system
- What is Server-Side Scripting?
- What languages are available?
- ASP
  - Text, math, If, Loops, Forms, QueryString, DB
- Practice Time!
Introductions
- Name
- State
- Experience with Webpages
- Favorite cracker
Server-Side vs. Client Side
- Executed by the server and a HTML page is sent to the server.
- Downloaded and executed by the browser
Examples of Server-Side Scripting
Server-Side Scripting
- Advantages
  - Allows creation of dynamic web pages
  - Modifies HTML code on the server before sent to client
  - Uses databases such as Access and Oracle
  - Responds to user input
- Disadvantages
  - More complicated then HTML (with debugging)
  - Slower to load on the server
  - Harder to learn
  - Web server must be enabled
Server-Side Scripting Process
Types of Languages
- ASP and ASP.NET (Microsoft)
- JSP (Sun Microsystems)
- ColdFusion (Macromedia)
- Perl (open-source)
- PHP (open-source)
Criteria Affecting Decisions
- Web server availability
- Knowledge of language
- Scalability and efficiency
- Personal preference
ASP - Active Server Pages
- Use Visual Basic to program
- Use of COM objects (I.e. libraries)
- Integrated with Windows and IIS
JSP - Java Server Pages
- Uses java
ColdFusion
- Uses HTML tag-like code
- Simple and easy
- Has proprietary editor
- Uses own web server software
Perl
- Used often for web programming
  - Especially with Apache web server
- Open-source
PHP - Personal Home Page
- Open source and free!
- Easy to learn
- Used by www.4-h.org
Open Practice Web
1. Open Microsoft FrontPage
2. "Open Web"
3. Create a folder for yourself
4. Create a file
Now for ASP!
- Can change the content of pages dynamically!
- Uses Visual Basic (or JavaScript)
- ASP code is placed within blocks on pages
- Comments are preceded by ' in code
- Files have a .asp extension
- Note: Using ASP, not ASP.NET
Example HTML Page
Adding Text to Pages
Advanced Text
PRACTICE
- Output text/dates on your test page
Math!
PRACTICE
- Output math calculations
If Statements
Loops
PRACTICE
- Add an if statement to your webpage
- Add a loop to your webpage
Forms!
- HTML Forms are used to gather data
Use the data!
- <%=Request.Form("steven")%>
- Put data into variables
- Use in loops or if statements
- Respond to user
PRACTICE
- Make a page with a form
- Make a page to output the form data onto the screen
Query String
- http://ca4h.org/worker/index.asp?ID=4
- Use items included in the query string
- <%=Request.QueryString("ID")%>
Session Variables
- Keep information for the entire "session" a user is in a series of pages
- <%Session("var") = xxxxx%>
Other Packages
- Ad Rotator
- Contact Rotator
- Send Email
- Application variables
PRACTICE
- How could you "authenticate" (validate) a user before they can view a webpage on your site?
Databases
- ADO provides easy connection with databases
- Step 1: Setup database connection
- Step 2: Create SQL query
- Step 3: Open database
- Step 4: Use the data!
SQL - Structured Query Language
- Method for querying databases
- Uses specific keywords
- Easiest to design in Access and cut & paste SQL code
- SELECT * FROM table WHERE ID=3;
ASP code for databases
Using ASP databases
Wrap up/ Question and Answer

Server Side Scripting with ASP

a part of the CA 4-H Computer Corps Workshop Series

Goals

Description

Lesson Plan

Materials

Requirements

Resources on the Web




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