Chapter 9 - ASP - NET Intrinsic Objects

ASP.
NET Intrinsic Objects
ASP.NET Intrinsic Objects
Main Menu 1 of 79
Objective
 At the end of this chapter, you will be able to
understand the object model of ASP.NET.
 You will also be able to understand how we can
work with the objects available in object model
through various methods and properties.
Main Menu 2 of 79
Scope
 ASP.NET Object Model
• Design Model
 Request object
• Properties and Methods
• QueryString Collection
• Form Collection
• ServerVariables collection
 Response object
• Write Method
• Redirect Method
Main Menu 3 of 79
Scope
 Cookies
• Understanding Cookies
• Cookies Base Class
 Server Object
• ScriptTimeOut
• HtmlEncode and UrlEncode
• HtmlDecode and UrlDecode
 Session Object
• Session Variables
Main Menu 4 of 79
Scope
 Application Object
• Application Variables
 Global.asax
• Events in Global.asax
• Sequence of events
• Application and Session Events
Main Menu 5 of 79
ASP.NET Object Model

 Sending data based on simple decisions may either
be dynamic or active.
 A dynamic content is generated on the server and
sent to client.
 While active content interacts with the user in real
time.
 Visitors to the web site are passive receptors of
information.
 Their only control over the information path they
follow is defined by the links they click in the pages.
Main Menu 6 of 79
ASP.NET Object Model

 Traditionally, a web browser communicates with
web server through forms, a method whereby
information was sent to a server side program.
 The program could then examine this information
and produce a new HTML document to be sent back
to the client who has initiated the request.
 Alternatively, the page might contain hyperlinks that
include information about the user’s selections.
Main Menu 7 of 79
Design Model
 The ASP.NET is a lot more structured technology
than ASP.
 Here the complete ancestral line of every single
class/ Property can be traced back to its origin.
 The ASP.NET intrinsic objects are available to the
Page Class by virtue of inheritance from a
namespace called “System.Web”.
 Every intrinsic ASP.NET object maps to a class
provided by System.Web namespace which supplies
classes and interfaces that enable browser/server
communication. System.
Main Menu 8 of 79
Design Model
 Web also includes classes for cookie manipulation,
file transfer, exception information, and output
cache control.
 The ASP.NET core engine provides six built-in
objects that we can use in our server programs.
 These objects are made available to us in form of
properties of the Page class.
 These objects can be directly accessed with the
Object name eg. Response.write(“Hello”), it is
equivalent to writing Page.Response.Write(“Hello”)
Main Menu 9 of 79
Design Model
 The ASP.NET built-in objects have their own
properties and methods.
 There are some important concepts to note when
using the model as offered by ASP.NET.
 First, multiple applications can run on the same
server.
 An application consists of a set of script files,
HTML documents, images etc. and all stored in the
virtual directory.
 This is called virtual mapping.
Main Menu 10 of 79
Request Object
 The Server is always passive in a client-server
environment.
 When the client sends a request for a URL, at this time
the server traps the data sent by the client with help of
the Request object and responds by sending the
requested page to the client’s browser.
 The Request object provides the developer all the
information about the user’s request to the site or
application on the server.
 It enables type-safe browser to server communication.
Main Menu 11 of 79
Request Object
 Any information sent by the browser to the server
can be retrieved by Request object.
 The Request object’s Form collection is used to
store the information provided by the user in a web
page.
 The Request objects provide various collections
(such as QueryString, Form etc.), methods and
properties.
 A collection is a data structure, rather like an array
(but it is more powerful), which can store values by
linking each one to a unique key.
Main Menu 12 of 79
Properties and Methods

 Request object provides set of properties that store a
variety of information.
 All the values are read-only, and the information is
just copy of the request made by the browser.
 We will now discuss some of the properties.
Main Menu 13 of 79
QueryString Collection
 QueryString is a collection of QueryString variables.
 It is populated when the method for a form is GET
or the values are appended to the URL as a query
string.
 There are basically two ways that the browser can
send specific information to the server.
 The information can come from FORM section
(<FORM> tag) on the page using POST method or
can be appended directly to the end of URL as a
query string using GET method.
Main Menu 14 of 79
 Let’s make an example
 Design the form as shown below.
Main Menu 15 of 79
 Now click on the HTML view and set the method
attribute of the form tag to “Get” (it s Post by
default).
 Set the visible property of the table to false in the
page load event by writing the following code.
Table1.visible=false
 Write the following code in button1_Click event
Main Menu 16 of 79
Dim usrName As String
Dim usrPwd As String
usrName = Request.QueryString("txtName")
usrPwd = Request.QueryString("txtPwd")
Table1.Rows(0).Cells(0).Text = "Name"
Table1.Rows(0).Cells(1).Text = "Password"
Table1.Rows(1).Cells(0).Text = usrName
Table1.Rows(1).Cells(1).Text = usrPwd
Table1.Visible = True
Main Menu 17 of 79
 Save and Run the project to get the following output.
Main Menu 18 of 79
Form Collection
 This is a second way of sending data from the
browser to the server.
 Instead of using GET in the method attribute of
form, we can use POST method.
 Using POST method, buries the information inside
the HTTP header rather than adding it to the URL as
a query string.
 This is the default method which is used by VB.NET
web forms.
Main Menu 19 of 79
Form Collection
 Lets us see now with an example how we capture
the data using Form collection of Request object:
 In the form that you created for the previous
example make the following changes:-
 In the HTML view change the method back to
“Post”.
 In the button1_click event write the following
code (please note that only the collection name has
changed)
Main Menu 20 of 79
Form Collection
Dim usrName As String
Dim usrPwd As String
usrName = Request.Form("txtName")
usrPwd = Request.Form("txtPwd")
Table1.Rows(0).Cells(0).Text = "Name"
Table1.Rows(0).Cells(1).Text = "Password"
Table1.Rows(1).Cells(0).Text = usrName
Table1.Rows(1).Cells(1).Text = usrPwd
Table1.Visible = True
Main Menu 21 of 79
Form Collection
 Save and Run the project.
 You will notice that the output is just the same
except for the URL.
 When this page is submitted, the names and values
of the text boxes are encoded into the request
header, and there is no sign of them in the browser’s
address box.
 This time in the second file (given below), the
values of the request can’t be accessed through
QueryString collection.
Main Menu 22 of 79
ServerVariables Collection
 ServerVariables collection exposes a collection of
various server variables, which are used to extract
information sent from the client.
 This collection has little to do with the client
request, much of the information that we worked
with the other collections actually originates from it.
 Any HTTP header sent by the client browser is
available in this collection and we can view
information through ASP.NET code like this:
Main Menu 23 of 79
variable =
Request.ServerVariables(“HeaderType”)
 This variable now contains the value of the Header
as passed by us in the ServerVariables collection as
a parameter.
 We can now either display this value or apply some
business logic based on the information available.
 The standard HTTP headers are automatically
defined as members of the ServerVariables
collection.
Main Menu 24 of 79
 For example if we want to know the method using
which form data is sent to the server, we could use
the following line of code:
<% =
Request.ServerVariables(“REQUEST_METHOD”)
%>
 This will return the method either GET or POST,
depending on how data were sent from the browser.
 We can also use QUERY_STRING header to obtain
the original unadulterated query string that was pass
to the server from the client browser.
Main Menu 25 of 79
 There is a list available of the HTTP headers, which
are available in the ServerVariables collection.
 Let’s understand this with help of an example.
 Open a new web form and write the following code
in the Page_Load event.
Dim x As String
Response.Write("<table border=2>")
For Each x In Request.ServerVariables
Response.Write("<tr><td>")
Main Menu 26 of 79
Response.Write("<br> " & x & "</td><td>“
&Request.ServerVariables(x))
Response.Write("</tr>")
Next
Response.Write("</table>")
Response.Write(Request.ServerVariables.Count)
 Save and Run the project and all the ServerVariables
are displayed with their values.
Main Menu 27 of 79
Main Menu 28 of 79
Response Object
 Response object is used to send information and the
output of scripts to the browser.
 It is also used to control the execution of the script.
 The Response object handles all the data and
messages that we want to send back to the browser.
 Response object implements only one collection
(Cookies).
 There are other properties and methods available
with the help of which we can manipulate with
Response object.
Main Menu 29 of 79
Write Method
 The Write method inserts a string into the HTML
stream that the browser receives.
Response.Write(“Welcome to site” &
strValue)
 Let’s see this with the help of example that displays
some text in a loop.
 Open a new web form and write the following code
in the Page_load event.
Dim x As Integer
Response.Write("<center>")
For x = 1 To 6
Main Menu 30 of 79
Write Method
Response.Write("<H" & x & ">")
Response.Write("Response")
Response.Write("</H>")
Next
Response.Write("</center>")
 Save and run the project a text “Response” is
displayed 6 times. But every time the output will be
different as it will be displayed with the heading tag
in the decrement order. The output of the above code
will be as follows:
Main Menu 31 of 79
Write Method
Main Menu 32 of 79
Redirect Method
 A particular useful example of Response object is
redirect, which we can use to refer to other web
page.
 When the user loads a page that specifies a
redirection, his or her browser loads a new page,
which is been specified in the redirect method.
 Depending on the contents of the ASP.NET file
itself, the actual redirection can occur as soon as
redirection line is interpreted by ASP.NET core
engine.
Main Menu 33 of 79
Redirect Method
 One of the things that a client can receive is a
redirection header, which tells the browser to get the
information elsewhere.
 The HTTP headers are already written to the client
browser by the IIS.
 We must do any HTTP header modification before
writing page content because it must be done before
IIS begins sending content.
 Let us understand the working of the
Response.Redirect method with help of an example.
Main Menu 34 of 79
Redirect Method
 Design a page as shown below:
 Put both Radio Buttons in the same group by

providing same name in the GroupName property.
Main Menu 35 of 79
Redirect Method
 Write the following code in the button1_Click event
If RadioButton1.Checked = True Then
Response.Redirect("http://localhost/locat
ions/delhi.htm")
Else
Response.Redirect("http://localhost/locat
ions/mumbai.htm")
End If
Main Menu 36 of 79
Redirect Method
 Save and run the project. Select one of the options,
say “Delhi” and click on the button “Go…”.The
Delhi page will open in the browser window.
Main Menu 37 of 79
Cookies
 Cookie is a file used to store data on the client’s
system.
 The web server inserts small piece of information
into these files.
 In other words, a cookie is a packet of information
sent by browser to the server with each request.
 The cookie is stored as a file on the client machine,
which means that it can be used to store information
that is available the next time browser starts.
 Data items within each cookie are available in the
Cookies Collection.
Main Menu 38 of 79
Cookies
 You can access cookies in the same way you access
QueryString and Form collection in Request object.
 Cookies are written using Response object and are
accessed through Request object in this case these
are read-only since the information they represent is
actually held on the client browser and not the
server.
 Cookies can also be changed using Response object.
Main Menu 39 of 79
Cookies Base Class

 Cookies also find a representation in System.Web
namespace.
 The hierarchy is as follows:
 Let us understand this with an example:
Main Menu 40 of 79
Cookies Base Class

 Design the page as shown in the figure.
Main Menu 41 of 79
Cookies Base Class

 Write the following code in the Click event of
btnCreate button control.
Dim MyCookie As New
HttpCookie("LastVisitedOn")
MyCookie.Value = CStr(DateTime.Now())
Response.Cookies.Add(MyCookie)
 Write the following code in the Click event of
btnFetch button control.
Dim i As Integer
Dim arr() As String
Dim CookieColl As HttpCookieCollection
Main Menu 42 of 79
Cookies Base Class

Dim Cookie As HttpCookie
CookieColl = Request.Cookies
arr = CookieColl.AllKeys
For i = 0 To arr.GetUpperBound(0)
Cookie = CookieColl(arr(i))
Response.Write("Cookie: " & Cookie.Name &
"<br>")
Response.Write("Value: " & Cookie.Value &
"<br>")
Next
Main Menu 43 of 79
Cookies Base Class

 Save and run the project to see the following output.
Main Menu 44 of 79
Cookies Base Class

 In this example when you click on the “Create
Cookie” button, it creates a cookie by creating an
instance of “HttpCookie” class and passing the name
of cookie in its constructor.
 After this we set the value of the cookie by setting
the “value” property of this class.
 Finally the cookie is added to the cookies collection
using the “Response.Cookies.Add()”
method.
Main Menu 45 of 79
Server object
 The Server object provides a number of methods
that are used to carry out routine tasks while
processing the page.
 Such as converting strings into the format for use in
HTML, or creating instances of COM components
on the Server.
 The Server object is implemented in ASP.NET by
the HttpServerUtility class which is found in
System.Web namespace.
 Let us understand some of the properties in details:
Main Menu 46 of 79
ScriptTimeOut
 ScriptTimeout property is set by default to 90
seconds, a long time for the user to be staring at the
screen waiting for something to happen.
 We can read and change the timeout period using
ScriptTimeout property.
 Given below is the way in which we can handle this
property.
<% Server.ScriptTimeout= 10 %>
Main Menu 47 of 79
HTMLEncode and URLEncode

 ASP.NET provides two very useful methods to
encode your strings, which you wish to send to the
server with the URL of the page.
 Let’s take a look at an example.
 We want to display the following string.
StrText = “This is a <this>” & name & “
to check error”;
 To display this string as part of the page, rather then
having it to execute on the server, we have to replace
the angle brackets with an escape sequence that the
browser can understand.
Main Menu 48 of 79

 Two escape sequences are &lt and &gt which
produces < and > symbols.
 We have a method in server object HtmlEncode,
which takes a string of text and converts any illegal
characters contained in it, to its appropriate HTML
escape sequence.
 For example to produce the text <table> on our
page, without this string being interpreted as an
opening table tag, we could use this method.
Response.Write(Server.HTMLEncode
(“This is example of <table> tag”))
Main Menu 49 of 79

 There is another method called URLEncode which is
far more refined than this and does all the encoding
and decoding of the string or the URL passes to it.
 This method takes a string of information and
converts it into URL-encode form rather than
HTML.
 All the spaces are replaced by + symbol and certain
other characters which hold a special meaning to the
QueryString are replaced by percent signs combined
with their ANSI equivalents in hexadecimal.
Main Menu 50 of 79

 URLEncode can translate a string into a correct
format for use in a QueryString.
 If we are creating hyperlinks in our code, we can use
URLEncode to ensure that they are correctly
formatted:
Response.Write(server.URLEncode
(“http//localhost/first/display.asp
x?color=blue”))
Main Menu 51 of 79
HTMLDecode and URLDecode

 These methods decode the encoded string or the
URL to its original form.
 Let us understand this with help of an example.
 Design the web form as shown.
Main Menu 52 of 79

 Write the following line in click event of Encode
button
lblEncode.Text =
Server.UrlEncode(TextBox1.Text)
 Write the following line in click event of Decode
button
lblDecode.Text =
Server.UrlDecode(TextBox1.Text)
 Save and run the project. Now try with various
URLs.
Main Menu 53 of 79
Main Menu 54 of 79
Session Object
 A session is said to begin when a user logs-on to a
site and finishes when he logs-off.
 Session is dedicated data storage for each user
within an ASP.NET application.
 It stores data in Key-value combinations.
 A variable declared with session scope will remain
visible to all the pages of a web site.
 Each user will have a different set of session
variable with them thus the state of the user can be
maintained.
Main Menu 55 of 79
Session Object
 In ASP.NET, sessions can be maintained even
without cookies (though the default mode is still
with cookies – this is achieved with Cookieless
property of the session object).
 Session state is maintained in ASP.NET with help of
HttpSessionState class which is found in
System.Web namespace.
Main Menu 56 of 79
Session Variables
 A session variable is declared and initialized as
follows :
Session(“UsrName”) = txtName.Text
 This declares a variable “UsrName” this variable
takes the values of the textbox that accepts the name
of the user.
 This variable will hold a different value for each
user.
 This helps us in customizing the pages of our
website according to the values entered by the user.
 Here is an example:
Main Menu 57 of 79
Session Variables
 Design the Web form as shown
 Write the following code in the Click of the button

Session("UsrName") = txtName.Text
Response.Redirect("WebForm2.aspx")
Main Menu 58 of 79
Session Variables
 Add another web form (as WebForm2.aspx) in the
project and write the following code in the
Page_Load event.
Response.Write("<H1> You are
welcome " & Session("UsrName") &
"</H1>")
 Save and run the project.
Main Menu 59 of 79
Session Variables
 Enter your name in the text box (txtName) and click
on the button.This will fire the code in button1_click
event handler and store your name in the session
variable and redirect to another page.See that the
second page is able to access the session variable
value and customize accordingly.
Main Menu 60 of 79
Application Object
 This object is also used to maintain state in the web.
 When you want a variable to be accessible to all the
page of your Web Site and to all the users, declare
the variable as an Application variable.
 The difference between the Session and Application
object is that an Application variable is visible to all
the users i.e., there is only one set for all the users.
 If one updates it, it will be updated for all others.
Main Menu 61 of 79
Application Object
 ASP.NET application state handling is implemented
by the HttpApplicationState Class which is
found in the System.Web namespace
 An instance of an HttpApplicationState
class is created the first time a client requests any
URL resource from within a particular ASP.NET
application virtual directory.
 A separate instance is created for each ASP.NET
application on a Web server.
 A reference to each instance is then exposed through
the intrinsic Application object.
Main Menu 62 of 79
Application Variables
 It is a variable, which is declared with an application
scope is visible throughout the web site.
 Declaring an Application variable is very simple:
Application(“HitCounter”)=0
 This code declares a variable named “HitCounter”.
Ideal place for declaration of such variable is
global.asax file in the Application_onStart event
Main Menu 63 of 79
Application Variables
 Updating an Application variable:
Application.Lock()
Application(“HitCounter”)=Applicati
on(“HitCounter”)+1
Application.Unlock()
 Here we are Locking the variable so that we have an
exclusive access to it and after updating the lock is
released by unlock method.
Main Menu 64 of 79
Global.asax
 The Global.asax file, also known as the ASP.NET
application file, is a file that contains code for
responding to application-level events raised by
ASP.NET.
 This file resides in the root directory of an
ASP.NET-based application.
 At run time, Global.asax is parsed and compiled into
a dynamically generated .NET Framework class
derived from the HttpApplication base class.
Main Menu 65 of 79
Global.asax
 The Global.asax file itself is configured so that any
direct URL request for it is automatically rejected, it
is very interesting to know that external users cannot
download or view the code written within it.
 You can create a Global.asax file either in a
WYSIWYG designer such as Visual Studio.NET or
in a notepad.
 The Global.asax file is optional.
 If you do not define the file, the ASP.NET page
framework assumes that you have not defined any
application or session event handlers.
Main Menu 66 of 79
Global.asax
 When you save changes to an active Global.asax
file, the ASP.NET page framework detects that the
file has been changed.
 It completes all current requests for the application,
sends the Application_OnEnd event to any
listeners, and restarts the application domain.
 When the next incoming request from a browser
arrives, the ASP.NET page framework re-parses and
recompiles the Global.asax file and raises the
Application_OnStart event.
Main Menu 67 of 79
Application and Session Events in

Global.asax
 In addition to page and control events, the ASP.NET
page framework provides ways for you to work with
events that can be raised when your application
starts or stops or when an individual user's session
starts or stops:
 Application events are raised for all requests to an
application.
 Let us understand these events with help of an
example which give you a greater understanding of
the use and relevance of the Application and Session
objects.
Main Menu 68 of 79

Global.asax
 Open the Global.asax file and click on “click here to
switch to code view” hyperlink to go the code view.
 Write the following line in Application_Start event.
Application ("hits") = 0
 Write the following code in Session_start event.
Application.Lock()
Application("hits") =
Application("hits") + 1
Application.UnLock()
Main Menu 69 of 79

Global.asax
 Now open a web form and write the following line
in Page_Load event.
Response.Write("<H1> HITS = " &
Application("hits"))
 Save and run the project three times. You will notice
that the number of hits increase in each user session.
Main Menu 70 of 79

Global.asax
Main Menu 71 of 79
Summary
 Key points covered in this chapter are:
• ASP.NET object model enables us to collect information
passed with the request so that we can use it in the script
of the page we write.
• The ASP.NET Object Model provides us with various
intrinsic objects, which have their own properties and
methods.
• In ASP.NET each object is implemented internally by a
base class and all the properties and methods of the base
class.
• There objects available are Request, Response, Server,
Session and Application.
Main Menu 72 of 79
Summary
• These objects run on the server and are
programmed using methods, properties and
collections.
• Request object is used to gain access to the HTTP request
data elements supplied by a client.
• Any information send by the browser to the server can be
retrieved by Request object.
• QueryString is a collection of QueryString variables.
• QueryString is populated when the method for a form is
GET or the values are appended to the URL as a query
string.
Main Menu 73 of 79
Summary
• There are basically two ways that the browser can send
specific information to the server, POST method and GET
method.
• Appending the query string to the end of the URL is a
way GET method works.
• In QueryString, the amount of data we can send with the
URL is limited to 1000 characters, as specified by the
HTTP protocol specification.
• Using POST method buries the information inside the
HTTP header rather than adding it to the URL as a query
string.
• ServerVariables collection exposes a collection of various
server variables, which are used to extract information
send from the client. Main Menu 74 of 79
Summary
• Response object is used to send information and the
output of scripts to the browser.
• Response object’s Write method inserts a string into the
HTML stream that the browser receives.
• Using Request.Redirect method we can send the user from
one page to another by giving the name of the page as a
parameter.
• A cookie is a packet of information sent by browser to the
server with each request.
• The server object provides a series of methods that are
used to carry out routines tasks while processing the page
Main Menu 75 of 79
Summary
• HtmlEncode, which takes strings of text and converts any
illegal characters it contains to the appropriate HTML
escape sequence.
• URLEncode, but it takes a string of information and
converts it into URL-encode form rather than HTML.
• Session object is used to customize the pages according to
the data supplied by the user. It is implemented by using
Session variables.
• Each user has a unique SessionID.
• Every user has its own set of session variables.
Main Menu 76 of 79
Summary
• In ASP.NET session object can be implemented even
without using cookies by setting the Cookieless property
of the Session Object (this property was not available in
ASP).
• Application object is used to declare and use those
variables or objects that would be used throughout the
web site and across users.
• Global.asax file contains various event handles and is a
central place where every request comes before going to
any page in the site
• Global.asax is a file which is the first file to execute be it
starting of your Application or a user session or when a
request comes or when you want to authenticate the
credentials of user.
Main Menu 77 of 79
Self Assessment
 Fill in the blanks
1. The ________ object provides all information about
user’s request to server.
2. _________ returns virtual path of current request.
3. The servervariable _________________ returns the
server address
4. ________ Property contains the length of time before a
page cached on a browser expires.
5. ___________ Method is used to provide file-location
information for use in scripts.
Main Menu 78 of 79
Self Assessment
 State True or False:
• HTMLEncode can translate a string into a correct format
for use in a query string
• Status contains the code of HTTP status line returned by
the server
• QueryString can be used with both GET and POST
• SCRIPT_NAME servervariable returns physical path to
the script
• Response.Flush stops processing the page.
• Response.Redirect can be use to link the pages
• First event to be fired when you upload your site and
access the first page is Application_start.
Main Menu 79 of 79

Chapter 9 - ASP - NET Intrinsic Objects

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Chapter 9 - ASP - NET Intrinsic Objects

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ASP.

NET Intrinsic Objects

ASP.NET Intrinsic Objects

ASP.NET Object Model

ASP.NET Object Model

Properties and Methods

 Put both Radio Buttons in the same group by

Cookies Base Class

 Let us understand this with an example:

Cookies Base Class

Cookies Base Class

Cookies Base Class

Cookies Base Class

Cookies Base Class

HTMLEncode and URLEncode

HTMLEncode and URLEncode

HTMLEncode and URLEncode

HTMLEncode and URLEncode

HTMLDecode and URLDecode

HTMLDecode and URLDecode

HTMLDecode and URLDecode

 Write the following code in the Click of the button

Application and Session Events in

Application and Session Events in

Application and Session Events in

Application and Session Events in

You might also like