<%Response.Buffer = true %>

The <%Response.Buffer = True %> line is the way to tell ASP to execute the entire page before sending anything back to the client. Otherwise it will just start streaming stuff as it executes. You'll find that you need this quite often when Redirecting clients to different pages.

The "adovbs.inc" file is a collection of VB constants that we can use for accessing a database via ADO. It's a header file that gives us tools to connect to a database, recordset, etc. and it also gives us little useful functions like RecordCount.

<% If Request.Cookies("Shaft").HasKeys Then

<%

If "BadMutha" = Request("ActionType") Then

TheContactName=Request("ContactName")

TheComany=Request("Company")

ThePassword=Request("Password")

TheEmail=Request("Email")

TheStatus=Request("Status")

TheDomain=".www.aspalliance.com"

ThePath="/glenncook/aspjobs"

Response.Cookies("Shaft")("ContactName") = TheContactName

Response.Cookies("Shaft")("Company") = TheCompany

Response.Cookies("Shaft")("Password") = ThePassword

Response.Cookies("Shaft")("Email") = TheEmail

Response.Cookies("Shaft")("Status") = TheStatus

Response.Cookies("Shaft").Expires = #September 3, 1999#

Response.Cookies("Shaft").Domain = TheDomain

Response.Cookies("Shaft").Path = ThePath

This is where this page gets cool!
<In the voice of an Infomercial host.>
Not only does it check for an existing cookie, but it also posts its own form data to itself , collects the data, and writes the information onto the user's system in the form of a cookie! But wait there's more: It also writes that information to a database!

<End Infomercial Voice>

Notice that the first line checks to see if the person is posting any information to the page. It just simply Requests to see if there was a variable sent called ("ActionType") and if it is equal to a string called "BadMutha". If the statement is equal to true, then the page starts executing all of the cookie code you see in this block.

The first little paragraph Requests/extracts and collects the data that has been posted to it. Each variable is given a name that the page can use later on.

<%

dim Status

dim Address

Status = Request("Status")

Session("Status") = Status

Address = Request("EMail")

Remember the if statement from the block above? Well it's still got work to do. This is where I start the process of creating a Member Profile in a database using ADO and SQL.

The first thing that I do is create a couple of variables:

The "Status" variable I use for sticking the information collected from the form about wheteher they are an "Employer" "Developer" etc. into the Session("Status") variable that was created in the global.asa file. Remember the global.asa file is where we can create variables to use across the entire time the user is visiting our site. Any other variables "die" as soon as the page is done executing.

1 Set Conn = Server.CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")

2 Set NewCust = Server.CreateObject("ADODB.RecordSet")

3 Conn.Open "ClassyAds","sa",""

4 NewCust.Open "SELECT * FROM ASPLoginUserTbl WHERE  _

EMail = '" & Address & "'", Conn , adOpenKeyset , adLockOptimistic

Here's where we make a connection to the database, build an SQL statement and execute it!

1. Create an ADODB connection object.
2. Create a recordset object.
3. Open a connection to the DSN called Classy ads. (The server must have a Data Source Name created in the control panel's ODBC icon.)
4. SQL statement: where I basically say, SELECT everything FROM the ASPLoginUserTbl Table WHERE the Email field in that table is equal to the contents the Address variable. The other "Conn, AdOpenKeyset,.." things are properties of the statement's interaction with the database that you can read up on in Charles Carol's massive database tutorial pages!

If NewCust.RecordCount = 0 Then

NewCust.AddNew

If Request("ContactName") <> "" Then

NewCust("ContactName") = Request("ContactName")

End If

If Request("Company") <> "" Then

NewCust("Company") = Request("Company")

End If

If Request("Email") <> "" Then

NewCust("Email") = Request("Email")

End If

If Request("Password") <> "" Then

NewCust("Password") = Request("Password")

End If

If Request("Status") <> "" Then

NewCust("Status") = Request("Status")

End If

Since the SQL statement has executed above, we can now see if the Recordset object we created, called "NewCust", has a RecordCount equal to 0. Logically, it should because we've already made the assumption that the individual has never been here before. Since we all know the evils of assumptions, this if statement covers our butt if the user has already filled out a member profile. So if our SQL query finds an e-mail address it will increment the record count by one. We should only have one member profile per E-mail address!

The second line executes if there is no other e-mail address in the table that matches. This line actually adds a new row to the table. Each line that follows actually inserts the information it Requests from the posted form into the individual fields in the access table.

*Again if the SQL statement references a field that doesn't exist in the table, ERROR!

NewCust.Update

NewCust.Close

This little section of code just does some basic administrative work . It updates/saves the new row in the Recordset called NewCust. And since we're done with it we close it.

Else

Response.Cookies("JonShaft").Expires = Date - 2

Response.Redirect "addresserr.htm"

End If

%>

This little section basically references that if statement that checks to see if they have already entered a member profile before. If the RecordCount property equals anything other than "0" then this little section is executed.

<%Else%>

<HTML>

<HEAD>

<TITLE>New Member Login Screen</TITLE>

</HEAD>

<body>

<form METHOD="POST" ACTION="<%=Request.ServerVariables("SCRIPT_NAME")%>" Name="MyForm">

<input type="hidden" name="ActionType" value="BadMutha"><p><font face="Verdana"

color="#408080"><big><strong>New Member Login</strong></big></font></p>

<p><small><font face="Verdana">Our site does not recognize you as an existing member. If you do not have an account yet please fill in your

personal information below to recieve your "member cookie". If you have somehow

lost or deleted your "member cookie" and you remember your user name and password, you may

proceed to the member login page.</font></small></p>

<table border="1" width="100%" bgcolor="#FFFFA2" style="border: 2px solid rgb(64,128,128)">

<tr>

<td width="18%"><small><font face="Verdana">Contact Name(First&Last):</font></small></td>

<td width="82%"><small><font face="Verdana"><input type="text" name="ContactName" size="30"><font

color="#FF0000">*</font></font></small></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td width="18%"><small><font face="Verdana">Company:</font></small></td>

<td width="82%"><small><font face="Verdana"><input type="text" name="Company" size="30"><font

color="#FF0000">*</font></font></small></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td width="18%"><small><font face="Verdana">E-mail:</font></small></td>

<td width="82%"><small><font face="Verdana"><input type="text" name="EMail" size="30"><font

color="#FF0000">*</font></font></small></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td width="18%"><small><font face="Verdana">Password:</font></small></td>

<td width="82%"><small><font face="Verdana"><input type="password" name="Password"

size="10"><font color="#FF0000">*</font></small></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td width="18%"><small><font face="Verdana">Verify Password:</font></small></td>

<td width="82%"><small><font face="Verdana"><input type="password" name="Password2"

size="10"><font color="#FF0000">*</font></small></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td width="18%"><strong><small><font face="Verdana">Membership category(Select a profile for your account):</font></small></strong></td>

<td width="82%"><small><font face="Verdana"><select name="Status" size="1">

<option value="Employer">Employer</option>

<option value="Developer">Developer</option>

<option value="Graphic Designer">Graphic Designer</option>

<option value="Contracts">Contract(s) To Post</option>

</select></font></small></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td width="100%" colspan="2"><div align="left"><p><small><font face="Verdana"><input

type="reset" value="Clear Form" id="reset1" name="reset1"> <input TYPE="submit"

VALUE="Submit Info!" id="submit1" name="submit1"></form>

<form METHOD="POST" ACTION="<%=Request.ServerVariables("SCRIPT_NAME")%>" Name="Form2"> <input TYPE="submit"

VALUE="Proceed to Login Screen" id="submit2" name="submit2"></form></font></small></td>

</tr>

</table>

<p><font face="Verdana" color="#FF0000"><small><strong>* Required information for new

members. No information collected will be redistributed or used for spamming.</strong></small></font></p>

</BODY>

</HTML>

<%End If%>

<%End If%>

Remember that "If" statement from way-back-when that checked to see if the user was posting a form that had an ActionType equal to the string "BadMutha"? Well, this is the HTML for the form!

Please notice a couple things:

1. Since I'm posting this form to this asp page I extract the pages name from itself by using the Request.ServerVariables object-Cool trick!
2. I have a hidden input field called ActionType that I use for finding out if they are posting this form to this page-Cool Trick #2
3. There is also a form that redirects the user to the login page. Just in case they don't have cookies enabled.

<% If Request.Form("submit2") = "Proceed to Login Screen" Then

Response.Redirect "memberpage.asp"

End If%>

This little section tests to see if the user has selected the "Proceed to login screen" button that I put there for people who don't want the cookie to remember their password information. It just Redirects them to the login page where they will need to provide their e-mail address and password information.

The remaining portion of this ASP page is some advanced client-side VBScript that does some cool input field validation. If you don't have the source-code for the FOOApp, you can download it at the top of this article. VBScript tutorials will come at a later date.