I've noticed a lot of Microsoft sites have the *.MSPX extension. While I'm very familiar with ASP.NET, I've not seen this extension before.
Does anyone know what this identifies?
A few internet searches led me to http://www.microsoft.com/backstage/bkst_column_46.mspx, but it was a dead link. Fortunately, it was archived on the Wayback Machine and you can read it here:
http://web.archive.org/web/20040803120105/http://www.microsoft.com/backstage/bkst_column_46.mspx
The .MSPX extension is part of the "Microsoft Network Project," which according to the article above, is designed to give Microsoft's sites a consistent look-and-feel worldwide, as well as keep the design of the site seperate from the content. Here's the gist of the article:
The presentation framework includes a custom Web handler built in ASP.NET. Pages that use the presentation framework have the .mspx filename extension, which is registered in Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) on the Web servers. When one of the Microsoft.com Web servers receives a request for an .mspx page, this custom Web handler intercepts that call and passes it to the framework for processing.
The framework first checks to see whether the result is cached. If it is, the page is rendered immediately. If the page is not cached, the handler looks up the URL for that page in the table of contents provided by the site owner (see below) to determine where the XML content for the page is stored. The framework then checks to see if the XML is cached, and either returns the cached content or retrieves the XML from the data store identified in the table of contents file.
Within the file that holds the content for the page, XML tags identify the content template to be used. The framework retrieves the appropriate template and uses a series of XSLTs to assemble the page, including the masthead, the footer, and the primary navigational column, finally rendering the content within the content pane.
I think it's an XML based template system that outputs HTML. I think it's internal to MS only.
Well, a little googling found this:
The presentation framework includes a
custom Web handler built in ASP.NET.
Pages that use the presentation
framework have the .mspx filename
extension, which is registered in
Microsoft Internet Information
Services (IIS) on the Web servers.
When one of the Microsoft.com Web
servers receives a request for an
.mspx page, this custom Web handler
intercepts that call and passes it to
the framework for processing."
I'd like to find out more info though.
I love you guys, i was asking myself also many times, why MS uses .mspx and what it is at all?! :)
That time i couldn´t find any informations quickly and assumed it would just be something on top of asp.net or maybe not even that, because you should be able to assign the same asp.net cgi dll to .mspx also easy too ;)
But, surely, it can be anything.. also an "special" CGI itself (completely beside ASP.NET), which processes that request with much better / much more cache-use, easier editing and so on..
The end of the story was, that i came accross the view, that maybe it´s not important to know, what .mspx exactly is :)
Related
I'm trying to download a municipal planning plan together with all the relevant documents.
All documents can be reached from the following link
I've tried the following command (that worked well for other sites) and some variations without success.
wget -E -k -r -l 3 "http://www.mavat.moin.gov.il/MavatPS/Forms/SV4.aspx?tid=4&et=1&mp_id=ppnCWTcsST9gG0%2fa0ayWnjFyZ%2bo14s221Ujlpi7UvR4jIRAHLKhJ8lOLSkomZ%2fvlHk8b2T0oENpI6Wh2hKzxQJCw9BPJP8gav%2ftgiKlk5S0%3d"
The same plan in their new site I can't get the files either,
https://mavat.iplan.gov.il/SV4/1/5000931297/310
I'd appreciate any help.
Well, these days, and especially with .net web sites?
We don't use hyper-links with a simple (full) path name to actual files from the web server. In fact in most cases one will not even give the web server rights to those folders. (they are not exposed to Internet Services).
So, no actual links as a full "url" to documents exist.
What happens is when you click on a button or button link? Then the code behind on the web server runs. (and that is code you don't have). And further more, that code behind can browser, read, retrieve any file from any folder on the server or other servers. But links from the web site don't exist and it not even possible to type in a url to resolve to a actual file name on the server.
So the server side code (not internet services) goes and grabs the document. In fact, the documents could be in a database. So, the code behind on the server side runs and pulls the binary data from the database (which represents a valid PDF file). Or the code behind reads the file from disk and then STREAMS the file for a download.
Now, this is often done for reasons of security. It means that no valid URL exists to get at a document.
Not only is this done for security, but from a developer point of view, it often better to retrieve a row from a database. That row can have the information you SEE rendered on that form, but the web page is not static, and the display of information is thus a developer coding a pull of rows from a database, and then you simply "assign" that data to some type of control - save datagrid, or listview or whatever. (this assignment of data is only 1 or two lines of code, and then the control + web server renders that datagrid control.
So, this is done since the developer thus only assigns the result of a database query to the control when then renders on the form. Thus, to add or remove documents? Then you only have to edit the database for the information on the web page to render.
As a result? There is no direct links to the actual documents on the server. To retrieve a document, you would have to send to the web site the exact command required.
You can hit f12 (most browsers support this). This will put your browser into developer mode. If we do this, and then select elements (select element feature). Now click on a pdf link. You get this:
<img src="../images/ft/file_PDF.gif" style="cursor:pointer"
onclick="openDoc('99000526871729',
'AABA7BE646E182B67DB1C15220E531DF36BBB591D8EEA7757435B2606C08E6F9')">
So, note above. The above code event openDoc is the SERVER side code you have to run to retrive a document. There is thus NO link. And you not going to be able to wire up, or run your OWN web page that hits that server and runs the routine "onclick".
However, the onclick DOES expose the internal database document numbers used to pull/read and retrieve a given document. But the path name, and how the code gets/grabs this file? You have no idea, and HAVE to run server side code (c#, or vb.net) code. That code as noted grabs the file and then uses code to "stream" the file when you download or click on a link.
So for simple HTML like pages? Well, for those that took a one day HTML course? Sure, such web sites will have scr=some path name to a valid url). And these simple systems thus allow you to enter a URL to grab/get a document. And those documents are fully exposed to the web site, and a simple valid URL path name to a file exists. Not so with asp.net, and as noted, this is not only done for security, but it a better over all developer experience to write code that grabs the files as opposed to rendering full path link names to files.
There are many additional benefits. For example, the database that drives this likely has a setting (or some settings) that contain the path names to the documents. If they run out of storage, or say want to move older files to a much slower storage system, which of course is much lower cost? Then can move the files, and update the path name columns in the database. The web site will continue to work, since we NEVER using a exposed URL on the web site. And as noted, actual direct URL's don't exist, and the web server (IIS) as opposed to the code behind will not even have rights to the file names.
As a result?
You not be able to simply pull the web page, and THEN extract the URL's to file names.
What you might be able to do is write code that loads the web page, and then scans all the event code stubs for the links, and have your code click on each button with web browser automation. But, even that don't allow you to enter file names into the download prompts.
So, what you ask is not easy, likely not possible, and a very difficult task. And the simple reason is that site does not use simple HTML and static links to files, and it never actually exposes a direct link to files, and even worse yet is the web server does not have or even allow a URL direct link to a site - they don't exist, and the web site will not even have rights or even allow such URL's to file names. (only the .net code behind does - not internet services).
and grabs the document and then code "streams" the file to to the web site or link you clicked on. So the simple HTML coders in the past would create say a folder (usually a virtual folder) that points to the files on some server/folder. But with .net, it easier (and far more secure).
Modern development tools don't use old fashioned ideas like a URL's to directly retrieve a file - they are designed differently.
In some cases, URL's are allowed or created, and this is done for reasons of sharing links. So if you have a cute video or document? Then the designers of the system will often permit use of parameters in the URL, so you can share a link to someone else. This page has no such provisions. So, you can share a link to the page, but no actual URL to documents or even provisions to allow URL's to a document even exists.
So this quite much means to retrieve a document, you have to go to that web page, and ONLY when you click on a document will the web site "stream" down that one particular document in question.
I've been doing the html and css for a site, sending it off to a guy to implement in a web server. I get a call from the designer freaking out about the progress, saying the clients aren't happy. He wants me to personally integrate my css with what's on the site. The site is done in ASP.net, time is short, and I'm a little in over my head. I have an understanding of how php works, but have never worked extensively with it.
Looking at the stuff on the ftp, I can't even find equivalent of the index.html file (I know that when I go to the site itself, there is nothing after the base url, i.e., www.site.com/ brings me to the homepage.)
Can anyone give me a few tips or links as to what I am to do with this, or where to even being navigating this site?
EDIT: It's -not- a .Net Web Application, from the looks of it.
ASP.Net can be run in a compiled or a scripted environment. It is important to understand which environment your client has. If it is completely scripted, then you are likely looking for the default.aspx file and it's contents. If it is a compiled environment, you may be in for a ride. A compiled site may incorporate "master pages" as a templating engine, and then you'll need to apply your html/css modifications in several places.
You should start with the default.aspx page if there is one. Look for master page directives (it'll be named something like masterpage.master). If there isn't one, then you're in luck you'll just need to implement your changes on a page by page basis. The aspx page will be in a templated xml format so avoid touching tags that involve touching
If you are making changes to divs and structures of that nature, you may need to modify the CssClass attribute of the controls. I would recommend however that you make a back up, give it a shot, and under no circumstances attempt to do something that you aren't really ready to do. You will only anger the client and ruin your rep. It may actually be prudent to contact an actual ASP.Net developer to analyze the files separately and determine what you need to do.
I suggest that you read the Wikipedia article about ASP.NET to get familiarized with it as it summarizes the basic building structures.
Then, just to get you started: take a look at the more recent ASP.NET MVC (Model-View-Controller) paradigm. There's also development in what is called ASP.NET WebForms.
For example: when you go to www.site.com/ (known as friendly URLs) it may be redirecting you to an action method inside a controller. It's called routing. There's also URL rewrite.
In the MVC world a Controller can send/redirect the user to a specific View/Page.
A View (.aspx form/page) that contais HTML markup and CSS on the server side is basically an HTML page (.htm) page that'll be rendered on the client side.
I am working on an ASP.NET 3.5 Web Application project in C#. I have manually added a Google-friendly sitemap which includes entries for every page in the project - this is not a CMS.
<url>
<loc>http://www.mysite.com/events.aspx</loc>
<lastmod>2009-11-17T20:45:46Z</lastmod>
<changefreq>daily</changefreq>
<priority>0.8</priority>
</url>
The client updates events using an admin back-end. Other than that, the site is relatively static. I'm trying to decide on the best way to update the <lastmod> values for a handful of pages that are regularly updated.
In particular, I am using the QueryStringField of the ListView control to enhance SEO as described here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20211029044137/https://www.4guysfromrolla.com/articles/010610-1.aspx
http://gsej.wordpress.com/2009/05/31/using-a-datapager-with-both-a-querystringfield-and-renderdisabledbuttonsaslabels/
When the QueryStringField property is set, the DataPager renders the paging interface as a series of hyperlinks which the crawler can follow and index. However, if Google has crawled my list of events two days ago, and in the meantime, the admin has added another dozen events... say the page size is set to 6; in this case, the Google SERP links would now be pointing to the wrong pages. This is why I need to be sure that the sitemap reflects changes to the events page as soon as they happen.
I have already looked though other SO questions for info and didn't find what I needed. Can anyone offer some guidance or an alternative approach?
UPDATE:
Since this is a shared hosting environment, a directory watcher/service won't work:
How to create file watcher in shared webhosting environment
UPDATE:
Starting to realize that I may need signify to Google that the containing page has been updated; update the last-modified HTTP header?
Rather than using a hand-coded sitemap, create a sitemap handler that will generate the sitemap on the fly. You can create a method in the handler that will grab pages from an existing navigation sitemap, from the database, or even from a hard-coded list of pages. You can create an XmlDocument from the list, and write the InnerXml of the document out to the handler response stream.
Then, create a class with a method that will automatically ping search engines with the above handler's URL (like http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/ping?sitemap=http://www.mysite.com/sitemap.ashx).
Whever someone adds a new event, call the above method. This will ping Google using your latest sitemap (freshly generated by the above method).
You want to make sure that the ping only works if the sitemap has actually been updated. You could use File.SetLastWriteTime on events.aspx in the AddNewEvent handler to signify that the containing page has been updated.
Aslo, be careful to make sure there have been no pings for the last hour (as Google guidelines discourage pinging more than once per hour).
I actually plan to implement this in the following OSS project: http://cyclemania.codeplex.com. I will let you know once it's done and you can have a look.
If you let your user add events to the website you are probably using a database.
This means you can generate the XML-Sitemap at runtime like this:
create a page where your sitemap will be available (this doesn't need to be sitemap.xml but can also be sitemap.aspx or even sitemap.ashx).
open a database connection
loop through all records and create an Xml Element for each record
This blog post should help you further: Build a Search Engine SiteMap in C#.
It is not using the new XElements from .Net 3.5, but is will work fine.
You can put this in an aspx page, but adding an HttpHandler is probably better as described on the same blog, different post: (creating a httphandler for a sitemap)
In my research, I found 2 ways to do them.
Both required modifications to the Application_BeginRequest procedure in the Global.Asax, where you would run your code to do the actual URL mapping (mine was with a database view that contained all the friendly URLs and their mapped 'real' URLs). Now the trick is to get your requests run through the .NET engine without an aspx extension. The 2 ways I found are:
Run everything through the .NET engine with a wildcard application extension mapping.
Create a custom aspx error page and tell IIS to send 404's to it.
Now here's my question:
Is there any reason one of these are better to do than the other?
When playing around on my dev server, the first thing I noticed about #1 was it botched frontpage extensions, not a huge deal but that's how I'm used to connecting to my sites. Another issue I have with #1 is that even though my hosting company is lenient with me (as I'm their biggest client) and will consider doing things such as this, they are wary of any security risks it might present.
`#2 works great, but I just have this feeling it's not as efficient as #1. Am I just being delusional?
Thanks
I've used #2 in the past too.
It's more efficient because unlike the wildcard mapping, the ASP.NET engine doesn't need to 'process' requests for all the additional resources like image files, static HTML, CSS, Javascript etc.
Alternatively if you don't mind .aspx extension in your URL's you could use: http://myweb/app/idx.aspx/products/1 - that works fine.
Having said that, the real solution is using IIS 7, where the ASP.NET runtime is a fully fledged part of the IIS HTTP module stack.
If you have the latest version of IIS there is rewrite module for it - see here. If not there are free third party binaries you can use with older IIS (i.e. version 6) - I have used one that reads the rewrite rules from an .ini file and supports regular expression but I cant remember its name sorry (its possibly this). I'd recommend this over cheaping it out with the 404 page.
You have to map all requests through the ASP.NET engine. The way IIS processes requests is by the file extension. By default it only processes the .aspx, .ashx, etc extensions that are meant to only be processed by ASP.NET. The reason is it adds overhead to the processing of the request.
I wrote how to do it with IIS 6 a while back, http://professionalaspnet.com/archive/2007/07/27/Configure-IIS-for-Wildcard-Extensions-in-ASP.NET.aspx.
You are right in doing your mapping from the database. RegEx rewriting, like is used out of the box in MVC. This is because it more or less forces you to put the primary key in the URL and does not have a good way to map characters that are not allowed in URLs, like '.
Did you checked the ASP .Net MVC Framework? Using that framework all your URLs are automatically mapped to Controllers which could perform any desired action (including redirecting to other URLs or controllers). You could also set custom routes with custom parameters. If you don't have seen it yet, maybe it will worth the look.
Is there a way to share the session between ASP3 And ASP.NET?
Thanks
Despite all of Microsoft's best efforts to make ASP and ASP.NET coexist effortlessly, one area remains a stumbling block... session state. Fortunately the advantages of ASP.NET's upgraded session state management far outweigh the inconvenience of not being able to pass "Classic" session information to .NET. Unfortunately there is no simple solution; the most I can offer is an easy to implement workaround.
In trying to find a suitable resolution, I've come across two good options that are worth mentioning. The first involves parsing the session information out to hidden form fields on a "Classic" intermediate page and then submitting the page to a .NET intermediate page that loads the form fields into the session state. This is a good, simple solution, however it doesn't work both ways. In .NET you cannot specify the page that you submit to. Each page has to PostBack to itself.
The second option is probably closer to an actual solution than to a workaround. Billy Yuen at Microsoft has developed an effective solution. The code is elegant, the integration appears to be seamless, but I couldn't get it to work on my system (remember I said that there was no simple solution, not that there was no solution at all). If this solution works for you, great! You won't need my code and you'll be happily passing session information from "Classic" to .NET like it's going out of vogue, thanks for stopping by.
Ok, if you're still reading let me briefly describe the workaround I've created. It requires a database, but it is not important which type of database (though the code is written for SQL Server). When a page (source page) wants to redirect to another page (destination page) that uses a different version of ASP, it calls an intermediate page. The source intermediate page takes each session variable and adds it to the database along with a Globally Unique ID (GUID). Since "Classic" and .NET use different SessionID formats it is not possible to use SessionID, hence the use of a GUID. The source intermediate page then passes the GUID to the destination intermediate page through a Querystring variable. The destination intermediate page retrieves the session information from the database, cleans up after itself, and then redirects to the destination page. It's similar to the first workaround, but supports transferring state in both directions.
Code Usage
Installation
Run the SQL Query in "ASPSessionState.sql" on the database which will hold the temporary Session information.
Copy the .asp and .aspx.* (SessionTransfer.aspx and SessionTransfer.aspx.cs) files to a folder on your website.
Update connection object information in the "SessionTransfer.asp" and "SessionTransfer.aspx.cs" files. It is located in three places in each file (sorry about not consolidating the connection info).
Compile the aspx files.
The .asp and .aspx.* files must all reside in the same folder to work.
Usage
For use in a Hyperlink (Anchor Tag) or a Response.Redirect, set the destination URL to be one of the following:
From a ASP "Classic" page:
SessionTransfer.asp?dir=2aspx&url=<asp_dotnet_url>
From an ASP.NET page:
SessionTransfer.aspx?dir=2asp&url=<asp_classic_url>
The code will transfer the Session information and Redirect the user to the url specified by or .
Download
You can download the code from here: session_transfer.zip (4.6 KB).
Could take a look at NSession it allows sharing session state between Classic ASP and ASP.Net using State server. Pretty easy to setup just configure App to use State Server for session and register a couple of dll files.