I'm trying to run an ASP file (rather than ASP.NET) from my server.  When I try to test it using the browser preview in VWD, I get the following error:

"This type of page is not served"

It's my understanding that there is a handler setting *somewhere* that precludes ASP files from being run in the VWD debug environment.  Skipping past the fact that I don't understand why, where do I find this restriction setting and how do I go about changing it?  In some cases I'm limited to exported ASP files based on the fact that Microsoft's own Office products haven't fully caught up to .NET and attempts at converting the pages over have failed.

Thanks,

Randall Arnold

Hi,

are you using file-system based projects when pages would be served by ASP.NET Development Server (internal test server in VWD)? I suppose it can't execute/serve classic .asp pages.

Simple workaround would be using IIS (project location being http://localhost/<Projectname> instead of the file system) or is that an issue?

If you are not using VWD development server, then the problem certainly is in IIS's extension mapping with ISAPIs

Hi Teemu!

You are correct: IIS serves the page up just fine.  The problem is only occurring in VWD's debugging environment so obviously the development server is to blame.  However, in order to see what's going on as I work I need to get this functioning in VWD and not just IIS.  Any suggestions along those lines are highly appreciated.

By the way, I work for Nokia Americas... how are things in Finland right now?

Randall

Texrat wrote:

You are correct: IIS serves the page up just fine.  The problem is only occurring in VWD's debugging environment so obviously the development server is to blame.  However, in order to see what's going on as I work I need to get this functioning in VWD and not just IIS.  Any suggestions along those lines are highly appreciated.

Classic ASP pages are served by asp.dll which is mapped to .asp extension in IIS (ISAPI). That dll is tied to IIS, so technically & strictly saying it is not possible. But is your requirement to have it run on machine without IIS at all? I bet it's not possible (realistically) since you would need deal with asp.dll as ISAPI etc etc.

Eventually this website will be deployed on IIS.  That is not the issue.  The problem is that before that time I need to test and debug the web application in VWD on a workstation.  The VWD web server refuses to resolve asp pages, which I personally find to be ludicrous (way to go, Microsoft).  However, I've run across technical articles that mention running ASP files in VWD so I have to assume it's somehow possible.  I just haven't found what it takes to make this happen.  I'm still surprised it's disabled by default.  Crazy.

Any ideas out there at all?  Surely I'm not the only developer who's tried to run an asp page in VWD!

Texrat wrote:

Eventually this website will be deployed on IIS.  That is not the issue.  The problem is that before that time I need to test and debug the web application in VWD on a workstation.  The VWD web server refuses to resolve asp pages, which I personally find to be ludicrous (way to go, Microsoft).  However, I've run across technical articles that mention running ASP files in VWD so I have to assume it's somehow possible.  I just haven't found what it takes to make this happen.  I'm still surprised it's disabled by default.  Crazy.

Any ideas out there at all?  Surely I'm not the only developer who's tried to run an asp page in VWD!

Can you point those articles? What I'm trying to say, in case that wasn't clear, is that this is limitation of the development server, not just disabled feature. Serving classic ASP pages is IIS-specific with the IIS-tied asp.dll (ISAPI dll used to deal with the asp request)

Perhaps this helps in believing :-)
http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=144790&SiteID=1

If Nokia policy allows, you could have local IIS on your desktop machine (assuming its Win Xp pro or Win2k Pro) and use it for development work.

I have IIS on this desktop now, but don't know how to make VWD use it as its development debugging server.  VWD seems to insist on using its own server (Cassini maybe?  I have no idea).

Also, I don't have the links handy to articles mentioned-- and it was WAY too much work finding them in the first place.  However, I did see mention of making a configuration change *somewhere* that allowed legacy asp pages to preview in VWD.

I still think Microsoft's decision to disable this by default is asinine.

Anyway, the point is now moot-- through much persistance and trail-and-error, I managed to get the old asp content working in an asp.net page.  I just had to settle for bringing in all of the old html, and using the legacy VBScript code in the body rather than newer VB.Net code (which kept producing errors that made no sense).  So, I'm not 100% happy with the means, but I am mostly happy with the results.

Now if I could just figure out why a Microsoft Access report's OnFormat formatting (using VBA) is lost once it's been converted to xml...

Texrat wrote:

I have IIS on this desktop now, but don't know how to make VWD use it as its development debugging server.  VWD seems to insist on using its own server (Cassini maybe?  I have no idea).

When you start File -> New Web Site, in "location" box (on the opening window) there are selections File System, HTTP, and FTP.

When you have selected File System and give it path such as C:\something. it will create the site on that location and also use local development web server. But when you select HTTP and give it location such as http://localhost/<WebSitename> (<WebSiteName> is the name for your site that you specify), it will create the site to IIS and run it from there. In that case, what's the final physical location,depends on where IIS is installed to have root web site.

By the way, things are quite good in Finland. :-)

Hmm, thanks, I may have to look into that.

A fellow employee here in Texas is trying to get me to go to Salo or Espoo soon... I think I'll wait for warmer weather.  ; )

Hi All, Just skimming the thread and thought I'd add to the topic (forgive me for any repetition--I have ADHD when it comes to reading sometimes):

http://www.jetstat.com/iisadmin/

IISAdmin is a nice little tool that exposes the ability to add multiple websites under Windows XP.  Now only one of these websites can run at the same time, but you can easily start and stop any one from the IISAdmin console.  This allows each website you test on to be http://localhost instead of http://localhost/virtualdirectory

To test your sites from VWD under http://localhost instead of VWD's server go to website > start options - under this dialogue in the Server section click the Use Custom server radio button and then change the Base URL to http://localhost - Now you can run and debug against IIS through VWD.

More possibly useful stuff:

c:\windows\microsoft.net\framework\v2.0.50727\webdev.webserver.exe /port:8080 /path:c:\mywebapp

If you ever need to run multiple ASP.NET apps at the same time--possibly one acting as a service app, the above commandline will allow you to run them against VWDs server on different ports.

Hope someone found this useful.

Jay