Classic ASP - Server-Side Scripting Reference

Note: This is a reference page with static code examples. Classic ASP requires Windows Server with IIS (Internet Information Services) to run, which is not available on this Linux/Apache server.

Overview

Released: 1996 by Microsoft

File Extension: .asp

Server Required: Windows Server with IIS

Default Language: VBScript (JScript also supported)

Classic ASP was Microsoft's answer to PHP and other server-side scripting technologies. It allowed developers to embed VBScript or JScript code directly in HTML pages, which IIS would process before sending to the client.

Classic ASP was widely used in enterprise environments during the late 1990s and early 2000s, but has been superseded by ASP.NET. However, many legacy applications still run on Classic ASP.

Hello World

The <% %> delimiters contain server-side code, similar to PHP's <?php ?>.

<%@ Language="VBScript" %>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Hello, ASP!</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Hello, ASP!</h1>
    <p>This page was generated with Classic ASP</p>
    <p>Current time: <%= Now() %></p>
    <p>Your IP: <%= Request.ServerVariables("REMOTE_ADDR") %></p>
</body>
</html>
      

Environment Variables

Classic ASP accesses server variables through the Request.ServerVariables collection:

<%
Dim key
For Each key In Request.ServerVariables
    Response.Write("<b>" & key & ":</b> ")
    Response.Write(Request.ServerVariables(key) & "<br>")
Next
%>
      

Form Handling (GET)

Query string parameters are accessed via Request.QueryString:

<%
Dim name, email
name = Request.QueryString("name")
email = Request.QueryString("email")

If name <> "" Then
    Response.Write("Hello, " & Server.HTMLEncode(name))
End If
%>
      

Form Handling (POST)

POST data is accessed via Request.Form:

<%
If Request.ServerVariables("REQUEST_METHOD") = "POST" Then
    Dim username
    username = Request.Form("username")
    Response.Write("Posted username: " & Server.HTMLEncode(username))
End If
%>
      

Sessions

Classic ASP has built-in session support:

<%
' Store in session
Session("username") = Request.Form("username")

' Retrieve from session
Dim savedName
savedName = Session("username")

' Destroy session
Session.Abandon
%>
      

Legacy Technology: Classic ASP is considered legacy. Microsoft recommends ASP.NET for new development. However, understanding Classic ASP is valuable for maintaining older systems.

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