Beginning Components for ASP (Programmer to programmer) [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Beginning Components for ASP is an intermediate title in the Wroxline of Active Server Pages guides. This volume is intended for developers comfortable with ASP who are interested in leveraging the power of component-based applications. The two key development languages for components--Visual Basic and C++--are addressed in this work.

Visual Basic component development is handled first with an excellent introduction to components and class development in VB. The authors then explain the interconnection of ADO, UDA, and COM in a chapter that lays the foundation for a solid understanding of how components work. From there the authors discuss big picture application design issues such as n-tier architecture. The text utilises concise code examples and frequent headings that make the book very useful for quick reference as you hone your component skills.

Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS) and resource management are addressed and the authors show what you must do to make your components work with MTS. The first of two sophisticated case studies in the book--a document management system--illustrates how to work with XML with components. This example is lengthy but very informative since the authors take the time to explain each section. A second similar case study presents a fictitious movie theatre application. These real-world examples, coupled with the structured tutorial content, make this guide a perfect way to get on the component bandwagon. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered: Components and hosting environments, VB & C++ component development, UDA, ADO, COM, MTS, scalability, resource management, directory access with ADSI, C++ components with the Active Template Library, threading and OLE DB access with ATL.

ASP components are the next stage for the maturing ASP programmer. They reflect a need for bespoke and fine control over site activity. For example, when a basic ASP site wishes to have some sort of transactional ability, where a database will ultimately be referred to or some business rule checked against, then a custom component will do the job. This component could be written in VB,VC or Java and is hermetic and maintainable.

This book is about the broad flavors of common components, how they should fit an architecture and how to write them correctly.

This book is an example oriented practical guide teaching you the correct way to write components alongside design issues, architecture and data access. By teaching you how to write a component in VB, the book teaches you COM along the way.