Active Server Pages Advanced

Course Specifications

Course number: ASP00-201
Course length: 2 days

Course Description Overview:

Active Server Pages Advanced introduces advanced concepts and techniques of ASP programming while building basic ASP applications. It assumes a knowledge of the basics of the ASP, ADO, and Scripting Objects object models–all of which were covered in Active Server Pages Introduction. Learning to leverage that knowledge to build actual ASP applications is no easy task, but upon completing this course you should feel comfortable building interesting applications. While working on the various projects of the course you'll be introduced to new aspects of the object models, additional scripting techniques, and numerous performance issues.

Prerequisites:

Active Server Pages Introduction or have equivalent knowledge.

Delivery method:

Instructor-led, group-paced, classroom-delivery learning model with structured hands-on activities.

Benefits:

Students will learn how to create dynamic, database-driven Web sites. Hands-on tasks follow programming concepts, so that students can immediately implement what they learn. While learning new concepts of ASP and ADO scripting, students will build simple applications.

Target student:

Students should have some familiarity with the ASP, ADO, and Scripting Objects object models used in ASP programming. They should be comfortable with Web scripting in general, though VBScript being the primary language of this course and its syntax is easy to learn. A solid background in HTML and some knowledge of CSS and SQL are also required. The experienced Visual Basic programmer may find this course a little slow, though they will still benefit from it.

Performance-Based Objectives:

Lesson objectives help students become comfortable with the course, and also provide a means to evaluate learning. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Use the FileSystemObject and TextStream objects along with the Server.MapPath method to construct a guestbook and a simple chat application.
• Use CSS with ASP to offer visitors the ability to create dynamic stylesheets.
• Create a database-driven Web poll and learn how to test your ASP scripts for speed and performance.
• Use the ADO Shape command and hierarchical recordsets to create a simple Quiz, and use the Session object to grade the results.
• Use Sub procedures to build a discussion board application, and then add a recursive procedure to display message threading.
• Use VBScript date/time functions, custom Function procedures, and the Recordset object's Filter and Bookmark properties to create a database-driven event calendar.
• Decide amongst the many options for maintaining user state and how a database can be used in an ASP shopping cart application.
• Display products by category or keyword searches, using GetRows, GetString, Buffer, Flush, sClientConnected, and other techniques to improve lengthy results.
• Build a shopping cart display script, using a database to track the user's contents.
• Display the final order, create an order invoice for customers to print, and consider the many additional features you might want to add to this course's simple shopping cart.
• Create a database-driven advertisement rotation and tracking system and add an affiliate-program to your shopping cart.

Course Content

Lesson 1: An ASP Guestbook and Simple Chat Application

• The World of Active Server Pages and General Development Issues
• An ASP Guestbook
• An ASP Chatroom

Lesson 2: Site Personalization with CSS and ASP

• Multiple Style Sheets with ASP
• Dynamic Personalized CSS

Lesson 3: An ASP Web Poll

• Developing a Web Poll
• ASP Efficiency and Performance Issues

Lesson 4: An ASP Quiz Application

• Building a Quiz Application
• Grading the Quiz

Lesson 5: An ASP Discussion Board

• Designing a Discussion Board Application
• Creating the Basic Discussion Forum
• Displaying a Thread Structure in Outline Format

Lesson 6: An ASP Event Calendar

• Creating a Calendar
• Adding a Database of Events

Lesson 7: Shopping Cart Design and Database Considerations

• Planning a Shopping Cart
• Database Design Issues
• Considerations for the Unique CartID

Lesson 8: Product Display and Searching

• Working with Product Categories
• Product Display and Keyword Searching

Lesson 9: The Shopping Cart Script

• Building the Shopping Cart
• Updating Quantity and Deleting Items
• Customer Information, Shipping & Handling, and Taxes

Lesson 10: Taking Product Orders

• Finalizing an Order
• Customer Relations and Further Directions

Lesson 11: An Ad Rotation and Tracking System and a Simple Affiliates Program

• Creating a Database-Driven Ad Rotator System
• Creating Ad Reports
• Adding a Web Affiliate Program to your Shopping Cart