This section will be closely linked with the components section in the weeks to come; the folks at ASP Alliance asked if I wanted it, and since I'm a glutton for punishment, of course the answer was yes (hopefully the reason had something to do with my subject matter...)

    That said, our first order of business is selecting a component as a tool. Why use a component? To clarify, we should understand that by "component", we mean a third-party object that is not part of the standard set of objects available to ASP. More specifically, it is a .dll ("Dynamic Linked Library") file compiled from any of a variety of programming languages; the three most commonly used are Visual Basic, C++, and Java. Each of these languages has advantages and disadvantages, a few of which we will discuss in a later article.

    When deciding whether or not to use a component, the following issues should be considered:

Necessity
    Can you accomplish the task using the available scripting functions? There's more than one way to skin a cat... or to weave a web solution. For example, the inherent FileSystemObject object (sounds a bit redundant) is used in a great many components to do everything from checking the size of a file to slicing and dicing file contents. For an example of what you can do with the FSO, click here.

Convenience
    If possible, how long will it take to write/debug the code? Delegating responsibility is for managers, right? Well, sometimes; if you don't have the luxury of extra time to research and tinker, it might be preferable to trust someone else's skills.

Performance
    Will the application run better with a component doing the work? Generally speaking, the answer to this question is "yes". Compiled languages -- especially lower-level compiled languages -- have a pretty obvious speed advantage over an interpreted script. In addition, a component may have access to Windows APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that the ASP scripting environment can't use, thereby shortening the path to the desired result. One thing to remember, however, is that if you want to take advantage of only one or two functions that can be easily scripted, it's possible that the overhead of a large object might outweigh the shorter processing time.

    In summary, it's easy to see why people choose to use components for specialized functions in their web apps. They extend the capabilities of ASP, they shorten the time to production and lower the cost of development, and in most cases, they enhance performance for the application.