new to asp: should I use vbscript, javascript, or jscript?

php programmer forced to write asp

[benlieb]

I have to do some work in asp and I'm not sure what is more common/better to use.

The project isn't a huge application, that is, not a lot of a form/info processing. Just basic server-side processing is required.

THis is my first look into the asp world, and people seem to use .net, vbscript, jscript, javascript, c++, and all kinds of things. I'm confused. I don't know C++ and just want to learn the most versatile asp scripting language.

Thanks for the recommendations.

[Easy_Coder]

Just use vbscript then...

[txbakers]

have you ever used any client side javascript?

if so, you might be better off using Javascript. The syntax is virtually identical.

[benlieb]

I've used client-side javascript, which seems syntactically a lot like php.

I prefer that, but I guess part of the issue is accessingn good (free) reference material a la php.net

[txbakers]

plenty of free javascripts available. And if you can figure out the logic behind a VB script, then you can rewrite it in javascript.

[benlieb]

Thanks for the insights. I've been looking into this more today and I don't see how Javascript has access to server information like http request info, or how it can interact with the file system, read or write to files.

Am I wrong, or do I need VBscript for these things. It seems Jscript might have this capability through something called WSH, or is that out of date?

[txbakers]

the File Server object is an ASP object, not language specific. You can do all the IO tasks with javascript.

The HTTP_Request objects are also ASP objects, not language specific.

The only time I HAD to use a VB script in the middle of my javascript was to easily format a number into two decimal places, because at the time I needed it, I didn't want to write a separate JS function. VB had a built in fuction to do that.

today I know how to write my own, but the code is already there.....

[aspdaddy]

WSH is for scripting in Windows not IIS and JScript is rubbish - M$s attempt at ECMA Script.

Just use JavaScript or VBScript as suggested already. VBScript has much more example code and tutorials available but both work fine so just choose the one you are happiest with coding.

[benlieb]

Ok, I'm going to go with Javascript then, but can anyone (legally :) recommend a good reference/tutorial about these ASP objets, and the javascript to use them.

I've googled [javascript IIS tutorial] and was surprised at how little came up of any relevance.

[txbakers]

[w3schools.com...] is a great resource

[drshields]

I'm in a similiar boat, trying to move from lots of php experience to asp.net for my new employer.

So far I am exploring the major differences in VisualStudio.NET, such as vb.net, c#, j#, etc. Still not really sure which one I'll go with; luckily the syntax in C# and J# seem to be close enough to php that it shouldn't be a hard transisition.

What DOES seem to be a hard transition is moving from Dreamweaver for development - which I love - to VS.NET, which seems overly bloated and complex. I'm probaly just not used to it yet.

Are there any other good resources out there - besides w3schools - for transitioning from php -> microsoft/asp?