Summary

In this chapter, we have looked at the Scripting Objects and how they can be used inside of Active Server Pages. We have considerd a set of objects which are normally available in client-side VBScript as well as ASP, via two libraries, the Scripting Runtime library and the VBScript library itself. They are useful as a set of helper routines for developing web applications.

The Scripting Runtime objects we looked at were:

• The Dictionary object, which lets you store and retrieve information in a flexible data structure. In a Dictionary, each piece of information that you store is associated with a key. At a later time, that information can be retrieved simply by producing the key.
• The FileSystemObject object, which provides access to the physical file system of the web server. With this object, you can view and manipulate the directories and files that make up the server's file system.
• The TextStream object, which gives you access to the contents of text files stored on the web server. This object allows you to read text from the file as well as write information to the file.

The VBScript objects we looked at were:

• The RegExp object is used to search and manipulate text files using what are known as regular expressions
• The Match object stores details of any matches encountered during our searches

By using these objects, you can extend the reach of your web applications beyond what exists inside of the six built-in ASP objects. They allow you to categorize and store information more efficiently, as well as manipulate the physical file system of the server itself.

In the next chapter , we will look at how we can extend ASP's functionality further by using a set of built-in components provided with ASP, and also how we'd go about installing ones available from third party sources.