2-tier ASP application

riclage · #1 (**permalink**) Jan 28th, 2004, 18:34

Hello everyone!

I'm working at a company that is creating a web module of its desktop application. Basically, the module will provide some basic reports and tasks of the application that the user can use over the Internet.

We are now wondering about the best approach to create a 2-tier ASP (not ASP.NET) application: 1 for the layout (visual elements, common to all pages) and 1 for the asp pages that deal with the interaction with the user (reports, forms, data selection and so on...). We have to use ASP because 30% of it is already done using ASP.

What we plan to do is to have only 1 ASP page with the layout and working as a task manager. Which means that this page will receive all the links from the application and will show the right content, using the right Server Side Include (SSI).

So, basically this one main asp file will have several SSI on it that will work based on the content of the variable of the asp file that I want to show. Something like this:
<html>
...
<body>
...
<% select case sPageToShow
Case "page1.asp"
%>

<% Case "page2.asp"
%>

... and so on
<% end select %>
</body></html>

Is that a good approach? I think this is good because I will have only one definition of the main layout of the application and the other files will only contain the code of what they are really supposed to do.

Are there better solutions? or a different approach that I could use and analyse here? As my application is only 30% done, should I consider migrate it to ASP.NET?

Thanks a lot in advance,
Ricardo

D3mon · #2 (**permalink**) Jan 28th, 2004, 19:19

I'm not sure I understand exactly, but conditional includes are *very* inefficient in ASP. I don't advise this method.

riclage · #3 (**permalink**) Jan 28th, 2004, 19:31

Do u have any suggestions for that, then?
What exactly didn't u understand? I can explain more.

Thanks again

Webforumz Staff · #4 (**permalink**) Jan 28th, 2004, 19:42

The problem with the conditional SSI approach is that before the page is parsed by the ASP engine, all of the included scripts are built into the one page to be parsed - so you've got one BIG file being parsed just for some if then statements.

One other solution is to use the server.execute method. Which will include the results of just the file you need. Simple and better preformance. For example:

Code: Select all

<html>
...
<body>
...
<% server.execute("page" & n & ".asp") %>
</body></html>

Another option is to create a "template" with placeholders, which you then replace with the content code. For example:

Code: Select all

one file contains:

<html>
...
<body>
...
##Content##
</body></html>

Then your script reads in that file, and does a string replace of ##Content## with the contents of Page1.asp for example - and then it writes the results of the replacement out to the browser. This method allows you to build the template without having any ASP code in it, so it's easily manipulated by WYSIWYG editors and easy to preview what your end page will look like.

D3mon · #5 (**permalink**) Jan 28th, 2004, 19:52

I thought it was a more complex question than it actually was.

I'd go with the server.execute method suggested by Catalyst, (so long as your version of IIS supports it - I think its version 4 and above), as ASP is not particularly efficient working with strings and parsing text.

Smokie · #6 (**permalink**) Jan 29th, 2004, 08:59

if you have the option of migrating to .NET, then do it. If not, listen to catalyst

Rob · #7 (**permalink**) Jan 29th, 2004, 09:43

Hi....

I have an extremely efficient way for you to be able to do this. What you are after is a way to skin a site
using a templating system which runs of a single file.... no problem.

I have a system that is skinnable, has the ability to plug-in ASP modules and will drive any website.

Please contact me via msn aspwiz@hotmail.com as it is not something I wish to divuldge to all and sundry.

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2-tier ASP application