What is ASP?
Server-side scripting is a web server technology in which a user's request is fulfilled by running a script directly on the web server to generate dynamic HTML pages. It is usually used to provide interactive web sites that interface to databases or other data stores. This is different from client-side scripting where scripts are run by the viewing web browser, usually in JavaScript. The primary advantage to server-side scripting is the ability to highly customize the response based on the user's requirements, access rights, or queries into data stores. (source: wikipedia) Server-side scripting is a great way to integrate interactivity between the the user and the server. Some common uses of a server side scripting language could be shopping cart integration, a dynamic color chooser application, grabbing information from form elements and so on and so forth. Server-side scripting like ASP, has an infinite amount of information one can handle.
What can I do with ASP?
ASP is constantly evolving and is showing more light at the end of the tunnel for developers, since the recent jump in eCommerce websites, ASP has shown a large presence. Being a web designer or programmer, there are many things that would make our life's easier. Some examples could include:
- Ad Management
- Content Management Systems (CMS)
- File Management
- Voting and Poll Utilities
- Error Management
- Database Tools
And the list goes on. ASP is a great way to make a fully dynamic site even better.
Tip: A good coder has a "library" of commonly used scripts, all that is, is a file with script after script and you just pull it out when needed.
There are many resources to begin understanding ASP and what you can do with it. They can be found here:
I would like to point out that Hot Scripts is a great resource for downloading snippets and getting good information.
Hopefully this article on ASP will give you an idea of what can be done with it. ASP is a great way to give your website a new look and feel with interactivity and appeal. ASP might be a tool for the back end of the website and the public might never even see it, what ever it may be, its a very powerful tool.
