In the world of classic web development, certain files hold a special place in history. One such file is comm.asp, a workhorse for handling communication tasks in Active Server Pages. If you’re maintaining an older site or just curious about how things used to work, understanding this component is key.
Back in the day, before modern frameworks, developers relied on built-in objects and custom components to make websites dynamic. The comm.asp file was often the central hub for sending emails, processing form data, or interacting with other systems. It’s a snapshot of a simpler, yet powerful, approach to server-side scripting.
comm.asp
This file wasn’t a magical, built-in part of ASP. Instead, it was typically a custom-written include file created by a developer to organize code. Its purpose was to encapsulate common communication functions, making them reusable across multiple pages in an application. This kept the main pages clean and made updates much easier.
What Did a Typical comm.asp File Contain?
A standard comm.asp file would house server-side VBScript or JScript code. It acted like a library. Instead of writing the same email code on ten different pages, you’d write it once in comm.asp and just call that function whenever needed.
Common functions you might find included:
* Email Sending Logic: Code to configure the CDO.Message object (Collaboration Data Objects) to send emails from contact forms or notifications.
* Form Submission Handlers: Script to capture data from `POST` or `GET` requests, validate it, and then process it.
* Database Connection Strings: Centralized database login details, though security best practices later advised against this.
* File Upload Processing: Scripts to handle receiving and saving files uploaded by users.
* API Call Routines: Basic HTTP requests to communicate with other services, often using the `MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP` object.
Why Was This Pattern So Popular?
The pattern of using a comm.asp file made a lot of sense in its context. Development environments were less structured, and this was a straightforward way to introduce organization.
Here are the main reasons it caught on:
1. Code Reuse: Write once, use everywhere. This saved enormous time and reduced errors.
2. Easier Maintenance: Need to change your SMTP mail server? You only update the setting in one file (comm.asp), not in fifty different `.asp` pages.
3. Consistency: It ensured that every page in the application sent emails or processed forms in exactly the same way, leading to more predictable behavior.
4. Separation of Concerns: It was an early, simple attempt to separate the “communication logic” from the “page display logic.”
A Step-by-Step Example: Sending Email with comm.asp
Let’s look at how a typical email function inside comm.asp might have been built and used.
Step 1: The Function in comm.asp
The developer would create a function, say `SendMail()`, inside the comm.asp file.
“`asp
<%
Function SendMail(sFrom, sTo, sSubject, sBody)
On Error Resume Next
Set objMail = Server.CreateObject("CDO.Message")
objMail.From = sFrom
objMail.To = sTo
objMail.Subject = sSubject
objMail.TextBody = sBody
' Configuration for an SMTP server
objMail.Configuration.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpserver") = "mail.yourserver.com"
objMail.Configuration.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpserverport") = 25
objMail.Configuration.Fields.Update
SendMail = True ' Default to success
objMail.Send
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
SendMail = False ‘ Flag failure
End If
Set objMail = Nothing
End Function
%>
“`
Step 2: Including the File on a Page
On any page that needed to send an email, like `contact.asp`, the developer would include the comm file at the top.
“`asp
“`
Step 3: Calling the Function
Then, in the processing section of `contact.asp`, they would call the reusable function.
“`asp
<%
If Request.ServerVariables("REQUEST_METHOD") = "POST" Then
sEmail = Request.Form("email")
sMessage = Request.Form("message")
bSent = SendMail("noreply@site.com", "admin@site.com", "New Contact Message from " & sEmail, sMessage)
If bSent Then
Response.Write("Thank you for your message!")
Else
Response.Write("Sorry, there was an error sending your message.")
End If
End If
%>
“`
The Challenges and Downsides of comm.asp
While useful, this approach had significant limitations that led to its decline.
* Global Scope: Variables and functions in comm.asp were often globally scoped, which could lead to naming conflicts and unpredictable code.
* Security Risks: Hardcoding sensitive data like database passwords or SMTP credentials directly in the file was common and a major security hole if the server wasn’t configured properly.
* Performance: Including a large comm.asp file on every page, even if you only needed one function, could lead to unnecessary processing overhead.
* Testing Difficulty: Testing individual functions was hard because they were tightly coupled to the ASP environment and other code in the include.
Modern Alternatives to the comm.asp Pattern
Today, we have much more robust and secure ways to handle communication tasks. The core idea of comm.asp—centralizing logic—is still good, but the implementation is vastly improved.
* Class Libraries (ASP.NET): In the .NET world, you’d create a dedicated class library for communication tasks, compiled into a DLL for better performance and security.
* API Microservices: Communication functions are often broken into separate, independent services (e.g., a “Notification Service” for emails/SMS) that your main application calls via HTTP APIs.
* Configuration Management: Secrets like connection strings and API keys are stored in secure configuration managers (like Azure Key Vault or AWS Secrets Manager), never directly in code.
* NuGet/NPM Packages: Reusable code is packaged and distributed as versioned packages, making dependency management clean and simple.
Maintaining a Site That Uses comm.asp
If you’re responsible for an older site using a comm.asp file, here’s your action plan:
1. Locate and Audit: Find all instances of ``. Then, open the comm.asp file and document every function and variable it contains.
2. Secure Credentials: Immediately move any plain-text passwords or API keys to a more secure location, even if it’s just a separate config file with restricted permissions on the server.
3. Isolate for Upgrade: When planning an upgrade (e.g., to ASP.NET Core or a different platform), treat the comm.asp functions as a spec. Rewrite each one as a modern service or library.
4. Test Thoroughly: Before making changes, ensure you have a full set of tests for the existing functionality, so you know your new code works the same way.
FAQ About comm.asp and Classic ASP Communication
Q: Is comm.asp a standard Microsoft file?
A: No, it was not. It was a convention and naming pattern adopted by developers to organize there own custom communication code.
Q: Can I still use comm.asp on a modern server?
A: Technically, yes, if the server supports Classic ASP (IIS does). However, it’s not recommended for new projects due to security and maintainability concerns. Libraries and methods are outdated.
Q: What’s the biggest risk with an old comm.asp file?
A: Hard-coded credentials are the top risk. If the file contains database passwords or email server logins in plain text, it’s a serious security vulnerability that should be addressed immediatly.
Q: How do I replace the email function in comm.asp today?
A: You would use a dedicated email service API (like SendGrid, Mailgun, or Amazon SES) and call it from your server-side code using modern, secure HTTP client libraries. This is more reliable and secure than the old CDO method.
Q: Was comm.asp only for email?
A: Not at all. While email was a common use, the file could contain any code deemed “communication” related, like form processing, SMS gateways, or early web service calls. Its contents varied widely by developer and project needs.
Understanding comm.asp gives you a clear window into the pragmatism of early web development. It represents a logical solution to code organization within the constrains of its time. While we’ve moved on to more sophisticated tools, the fundamental principle of keeping your communication logic separate and organized remains as important as ever. For those tending the garden of legacy web applications, knowing how to care for and eventually transplant this old code is a valuable skill.