Function Reference

[jpadie]

Hello

I'm searching for a complete online reference to all functions that are offered by ASP. Hopefully of similar quality to the php version (if readers are aware of it).

I have found the reference at w3schools but I can't believe that this is complete (or that ASP offers such a small list of functions). For example: where are the filesystem functions? and what about remote retrieval of web data etc?

Does such an information resource exist and if so, could some kind soul post back a link?

thanks
Justin

 

[johnwm]

ASP is just the server technology that supports server-side scripting. It can run several different script languages, so the detailed stuff will be found in tutorials on your chosen script language. For VBscript for instance try

http://www.w3schools.com/vbscript/vbscript_ref_functions.asp

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[xwb]

Try

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...48-207D-4BE1-8A76-1C4099D7BBB9&displaylang=en

It will give you some of the things that vbscript and javascript are capable of doing.

If you have Frontpage or any of the office tools, click on Tools/Macros/Microsoft Script Editor. It may already be installed or it will automatically install. It is called either MSE.exe or MSE7.exe. You'll have to look for it to create the shortcut. The help gives quite a bit of info and it has intellisense built in so it can give the possible functions if you get the object name right. It isn't perfect as it doesn't always know what the object is but it works sometimes.

 

[Tarwn]

And yes, VBScript really can be that limited if you compare it to PHP. Very little is actually built into the language, for a lot of things you have to reference COM objects.

If you look at the main page for ASP on the left side there are a short list of object references as well:

http://www.w3schools.com/asp/default.asp

For file type stuff you would look at the FileSystemObject, Folder, File, and TextStream. Dictionary objects are about as close to a Hashtable or associative array as you will get (built-in at least - someone where no the forums is an associative link-list that I wrote and rewrote several times).

Basically anything that is a COM object is accessible from ASP and can extend the capabilities of it.

One of the reasons I like VBScript is that it does have such a limited set of functions and objects. On the one hand, once you have a handle on what's available you don't have the constant feeling that the language might have 5 more functions to do what you want better, on the other it's fun to see what you can do with a limited function set or to see how tight you can get performance. Granted, PHP definitely has more capabilities (and I use that too), but VBScript is somewhat relaxing to me due to it's simplicity. And while I may have had less distance to go, I can honestly call myself an expert at ASP, where I don't think I could ever master PHP to the same level. Maybe I have a little small pond/big fish thing going on, you never know

 

[jpadie]

ASP is just the server technology that supports server-side scripting. It can run several different script languages

that certainly clarifies some issues (scales falling from eyes). I guess you can use js as the scripting language too (from web references) although obviously the client side DOM manipulation abilities will not be available!

I had noticed the similarities to VBScript but had not perceived that it actually *was* VBScript i was looking at. I should have realised this from the w3schools link that i had previously found and the johnwm pointed me towards. The reason why I transferred to php and web programming was that i had found VBScript intrinsically limited in its abilities.

xwb: thanks for the tips. I use mac at the moment so MS executables are off limits for me. I do have a bootcamp vista installation too but I don't like switching too much as I'm still going through Windows Cold Turkey.

tarwn: thanks for the insights. I am reminded of a comment by an MS representative saying that "ASP can do pretty much the same as php". Knowing more I now regard this as fairly disingenuous. It can do pretty much the same but only by using helpers. No disrespect to the structure of ASP.

I've followed the links and can't find anything obvious on what i am actually trying to do (query a remote server maintaining a black list of IP addresses). but from what i gather from the above, i could just use server side javascript to create an xmlhttp object. perhaps there is an equivalent in VBScript!

thanks all
Justin

 

[Tarwn]

I thought I had an extensive XMLHTTP post in my archive, but apparently I was misremembering. There are tons of posts in the forum about it (if search is working when you get this message).

XMLHTTP is indeed available in VBScript using:
Server.CreateObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP")
or one of the version specific names (I prefer to use the Microsoft.* names because if the target server is windows it's going to have some version).

 

[jpadie]

thanks Tarwn, i spent some time looking at the functional references that were posted and derived that an xmlhttp object could be created in vbscript.

i now have an offsite stats server collecting data nicely through this mechanism. The data tells me (politely) that I am getting thousands of spambot hits per day from various chinese provinces. on reflection, i'm not sure I really wanted to know!