VBScript Tutorials - Herong's Tutorial Examples - Version 5.20, by Dr. Herong Yang

Static, Client-Side and Server-Side Scripting Pages

This section describes differences of static content, client-side scripting code, and server-side scripting code.

If you are using IIS as the Web server and IE as the Web browser, you can 3 types of contents into a Web page:

  • Static Contents - Text and HTML tags provided directly for IE to construct the Web page.
  • Client-Side Scripting Contents - VBScript code for IE to execute. Client-side scripting code will add new contents or update existing contents of the Web page. Client-side scripting code can also handling user input on the client machine.
  • Server-Side Scripting Contents - VBScript code for IIS to execute. Server-side scripting code will add new contents or update existing contents of the Web page. Server-side scripting code can also interact with other applications on the server, like database servers.

Here, I have 3 Web pages to display a time in 3 different ways: static content, client-side scripting code, and server-side scripting.

1. time_static.html: A static page displaying a static time.

<html><body>The current static time is: 
11/26/1999 10:19:46 PM 
</body></html>

If you open this page with any Web browser, you should see the static time, which will not change when you open the page again some time later.

The current static time is: 11/26/1999 10:19:46 PM 

2. time_client.html: A client scripting page displaying the time dynamically out of the client system.

<html><body>The current client time is: 
<script language="vbscript">
document.write(Date & " " & Time)
</script>
</body></html>

If you open this page with any Web browser that can execute VBScript statements, like MS Internet Explorer (IE) 5, you will see the current time of the client system. The displayed time will change when you open the page again some time later.

The current client time is: 11/26/1999 10:26:08 PM 

3. time_server.asp: A server scripting (ASP) page displaying the time dynamically out of the server system. File name extension ".asp" is needed to inform Web server to be ready to execute the embedded script statements.

<%@ language="vbscript"%>
<html><body>The current server time is: 
<%
response.write(Date & " " & Time)
%>
</body></html>

Since an ASP page needs a Web server to execute the script statements, you need to copy this page to the document directory of the IIS server:

copy time_server.asp \inetpub\wwwroot

If you now open this page with IE 5 at http://localhost/time_server.asp, you will see the current of the server system. The displayed time will change when you open the page again some time later.

The current server time is: 11/26/1999 10:43:32 PM 

Notice that I am using the same scripting language, VBScript, for both time_clien.html and time_server.asp.

Table of Contents

 About This Book

 Introduction of VBScript - Visual Basic Scripting Edition

 Variant Data Type, Subtypes, and Literals

 Arithmetic Operations

 Numeric Comparison Operations and Logical Operations

 String Operations - Concatenation and Comparison

 Variable Declaration and Assignment Statement

 Expression and Order of Operation Precedence

 Statement Syntax and Statement Types

 Array Data Type and Related Statements

 Array References and Array Assignment Statements

 Conditional Statements - "If ... Then" and "Select Case"

 Loop Statements - "For", "While", and "Do"

 "Function" and "Sub" Procedures

 Built-in Functions

 Inspecting Variables Received in Procedures

 Error Handling Flag and the "Err" Object

 Regular Expression Pattern Match and Replacement

 scrrun.dll - Scripting Runtime DLL Library

 Creating Your Own Classes

 IE Web Browser Supporting VBScript

IIS ASP Server Supporting VBScript

 What is ASP (Active Server Pages)?

Static, Client-Side and Server-Side Scripting Pages

 Setting Up IIS to Run ASP Pages - asp.dll

 ASP Objects: Request, Response, Session and Application

 ASP Object Example - Passing Values between Pages

 Interacting with External Applications - ActiveX Data Object (ADO)

 WSH (Windows Script Host)

 References

 Printable Copy - PDF Version

Static, Client-Side and Server-Side Scripting Pages - Updated in 2015, by Dr. Herong Yang