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| ASP Kitchen: Classic ASP Articles: Practical uses of the ASP Documentation Tool Practical uses of the ASP Documentation ToolHow
to determine which ActiveX objects are used on a site | Modifying ASP function or
subroutine parameters IntroductionThis article describes some of the practical uses of the ASP Documentation Tool. The ASP Documentation Tool is a utility for creating technical documentation for web applications written in ASP 2.0 and 3.0 using either the VBScript or JScript scripting languages. Three different type of reportThe ASP Documentation Tool creates three types of report about an ASP web application:
Click on any of the images above to view an example of that report. How to determine which ActiveX objects are used on a siteASP web applications commonly make use of ActiveX objects to perform tasks such as connecting to databases or sending email. When moving websites between web servers, it is critical to know which objects are used on the site, as it may be necessary to install these objects on the new web server or to rewrite the code. For example, ASP code that sends email can use any one of a number of third party objects. The ASP Documentation Tool looks for the instantiation of ActiveX objects through the use of the CreateObject and Server.CreateObject functions. The report produced by the ASP Documentation Tool contains a list of the objects used, and shows where each object is used in the web application:
The ASP Documentation Tool is able to show the source code of public Functions and Properties of any custom ActiveX objects written in Visual Basic 6.0. This is shown in Figure 1 above (the custom ActiveX object is called Samplewebcomobject). Modifying ASP function or subroutine parametersA common task in development is modifying the parameters associated with a particular function or subroutine. Typically this would be to add additional parameters to the function and subroutine. This involves two processes:
The ASP Documentation Tool contains a list of all the VBScript functions and subroutines, and JScript functions. Clicking on a function or subroutine name will show where the function or subroutine is to be found within the site. There is a also a list of where in the site the function or subroutine is used. This makes it a straightforward task to change the function or subroutine's parameters, as well as all of the calls made to the function or subroutine.
Tidying up the code of a web applicationThe ASP Documentation Tool can be useful when tidying up the ASP code of a web application. For example, it is able to assist with the following:
Determining where a particular stored procedure is usedThe ASP Documentation Tool is also able to document SQL Server 7 and SQL Server 2000 databases. The resulting documentation for the database is fully integrated with the documentation of the ASP files within the web application. The documentation includes a list of stored procedures within the databases documented. Clicking on the name of a stored procedure will show the details of that procedure. It will also show where in the ASP code that stored procedure is called from (provided that the name of the stored procedure has been preceded with the EXEC keyword).
Alternatively, it is possible to use the integrated search facility within the HTML Help report to search for the name of the stored procedure. A list of all the occurrences of the search query will be displayed. HTML Help report produced by the ASP Documentation Tool allows all of the source code of the web application to be searched. Because HTML Help files are compiled, searching them is much faster than using the search facility within a development package such as Visual InterDev. My boss/project manager/client wants technical documentation in Word formatThe ASP Documentation Tool is able to create a text report of the ASP web application and associated SQL Server 7.0 or SQL Server 2000 databases or Microsoft Access databases. This text report can, therefore, be used as the basis for the technical documentation of a project. The ASP Documentation Tool's text report contains lists of:
An ASP Documentation Tool sample text report is available. Migrating a site from Classic ASP 2.0 or 3.0 to ASP.NETThe ASP Documentation Tool can also assist in the migration of web applications from ASP to ASP.NET. This is a topic that has been covered on the Microsoft website (see Migrating to ASP.NET: Key Considerations). The ASP Documentation Tool can assist the migration process by:
Note that a ASP.NET Documentation Tool is also available, should you also wish to document your ASP.NET web applications. System RequirementsThe ASP Documentation Tool will run on any Windows operating system from Windows 95 onwards. If you want the ASP Documentation Tool to create a report in HTML Help format then you will need to download and install the HTML Help Workshop. This is a free download from Microsoft.com. At the time of writing the download URL was http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=33071. Availability & Pricing
This trial version is fully functional, but has a few limitations.
Resources
Useful Development Tools
Author detailsBrett Burridge has worked as a web developer since 1997 and has developed web applications for a range of corporations, start up busiensses and educational establishments. Brett is presently employed as an Internet developer and technical writer through his own company, Winnersh Triangle Web Solutions Limited. The company produces a number of innovative products, including a range of software documentation tools, which include the ASP Documentation Tool™, the .NET Documentation Tool for VB.NET and C#, and the SQL Server Documentation Tool. Other products include The Website Utility, which functions as a website error checker, search engine optimizer and ASP/ASP.NET search engine builder application. As well as the ASPAlliance, Brett has written articles for Ariadne.ac.uk, ASPToday, the software documentation portal www.softwaredocumentation.info, and has contributed recipes to the ASP.NET Developer's Cookbook. links Outside web development, Brett is interested in travelling (here are my travel logs from New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo), digital photography (here's my photo gallery), tropical fishkeeping and collecting contemporary works of art by artists such as Doug Hyde. Contact Brett by emailing
Article history"Practical uses of the ASP Documentation Tool" published on ASPAlliance.com on 07 January 2003, revised 11 September 2006. ASP Kitchen: Classic ASP Articles: Practical uses of the ASP Documentation Tool |
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