NAME Win32::ASP::Extras - a extension to Win32::ASP that provides more methods SYNOPSIS use Win32::ASP::Extras; Win32::ASP::Set('my_hash', { fullname => 'Toby Everett', username => 'EverettT', role => 'Editor' } ); Win32::ASP::Redirect('userinfo.asp', reason => "I just feel like redirecting."); exit; use Win32::ASP::Extras; my $userinfo = Win32::ASP::Get('my_hash'); foreach my $i (sort keys %{$userinfo}) { $main::Response->Write("$i $userinfo->{$i}

\n"); } exit; DESCRIPTION Installation instructions This installs with MakeMaker. To install via MakeMaker, it's the usual procedure - download from CPAN, extract, type "perl Makefile.PL", "nmake" then "nmake install". Don't do an "nmake test" because the ASP objects won't be available and so won't work properly. Function Reference use Win32::ASP::Extras; This imports the following methods into the Win32::ASP namespace. There is no need to `use Win32::ASP;' in order to `use Win32::ASP::Extras;'. The modules are independent of each other and only share a namespace. To be more precise, `use Win32::ASP::Extras'' loads everything into `Win32::ASP::Extras' and then aliases the symbol table entries over into `Win32::ASP'. This is to avoid any weirdness with respect to AutoLoader. FormatURL Url [, HASH] This is designed to take a base URL and a hash of parameters and return the properly assembled URL. It does, however, have some weird behavior. If the first character of the URL is not a forward slash and `$main::WEBROOT' is defined, the function will automatically prepend `$main::WEBROOT/' to the URL. This has the side effect of making 95% of URLs absolute relative to `$main::WEBROOT', if it is defined. This makes it easier to move Webs around just by changing `$main::WEBROOT'. If the first character of the URL is a forward slash, the URL is left unchanged. If the first characters are "`./'", the "`./'" is stripped off and the URL left unchanged. This allows one to specify relative URLs - just put a "`./'" in front of it. The parameters are URLEncoded, but the keys for them are not. The resultant parameter list is HTML encoded so that `×tamp' doesn't become `xtamp' (`×' encodes a multiplication symbol). QueryStringList This returns a list of QueryString keys and values. It does not deal with multi-valued parameters. Redirect Url [, HASH] A safe redirect that redirects and then absolutely and positively terminates your program. If you thought `$Response- 'Redirect> behaved liked die and were disappointed to discover it didn't, mourn no longer. It takes a base URL and a hash of parameters. The URL will be built using `FormatURL'. MyURL This return the URL used to access the current page, including its QueryString. Because it uses QueryStringList, it doesn't properly deal with multi-valued parameters. CreatePassURLPair The function returns both `passurl' and the result from calling `MyURL'. The return values are suitable for inclusion in a hash for passing to `FormatURL'. The PassURL functions are generally used for dealing with expired sessions. If the session expires, the `Redirect' is passed `CreatePassURLPair' for the parameters. That page then explains to the user what is going on and has a link back to the login page along with `PassURLPair'. The login page can then use `GetPassURL' to extract the URL from the QueryString and redirect to that URL. GetPassURL This extracts the `passurl' value from the QueryString. PassURLPair This returns `passurl' along with the result from calling `GetPassURL'. The return values are suitable for inclusion in a hash for passing to `FormatURL'. StampPage This returns HTML that says: Refresh this page. The text `this page' is a link to the results of `MyURL'. Set `Set' and `Get' can be used to store arbitrary Perl objects in `$Session'. It uses `Data::Dumper' to store things and `eval' to retrieve them. Notice that this is safe only because we are the only ones who can store stuff in `$Session'. Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT use `Data::Dumper' to serialize a Perl object and then stuff it in a user's cookie, presuming that you can then use `eval' to extract it when they pass it back to you. If you do, you deserve to have someone stuff `system("del /s *.*")' or some such funny Perl code in that cookie and then visit your web site. Never, ever, ever use `eval' on code that comes from an untrusted source. If you need to do so for some strange reason, take a look at the Safe module, but be careful. Oh, the call takes two parameters, the name to store it under and the thing to store (can be a reference to a hash or some other neat goodie). Keep in mind that references to `CODE' objects (i.e. anonymous subroutines) or `Win32::OLE' objects or anything like that will not make it. Get Takes a parameter and returns the thing. Both `Set' and `Get' use the same memoization cache to improve performance. Take care if you modify the thing you get back from `Get' - future calls to `Get' will return the modified thing (even though it hasn't been changed in `$Session'). Calls to `Set' empty the memoization cache so that the next call to `Get' will reload it from `$Session' and add it to the cache.