shopdb/docs/ASP_DEVELOPMENT_GUIDE.md

Classic ASP/VBScript Development Guide

Overview

shopdb is a Classic ASP application using VBScript running on IIS Express in Windows 11 VM.

• Language: VBScript (Classic ASP)
• Server: IIS Express (Windows 11 VM)
• Database: MySQL 5.6 (Docker container on Linux host)
• Development: Edit files on Linux with Claude Code, test on Windows/IIS

Project Setup

Location

• Linux: ~/projects/windows/shopdb/
• Windows: Z:\shopdb\
• IIS Config: Points to Z:\shopdb\

Database Connection

<%
' Connection string for shopdb
Dim conn
Set conn = Server.CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")

conn.ConnectionString = "Driver={MySQL ODBC 8.0 Driver};" & _
                       "Server=192.168.122.1;" & _
                       "Port=3306;" & _
                       "Database=shopdb;" & _
                       "User=570005354;" & _
                       "Password=570005354;" & _
                       "Option=3;"

conn.Open

' Use the connection
' ... your code here ...

conn.Close
Set conn = Nothing
%>

Database Credentials

Production Database: shopdb

• Host (from Windows): 192.168.122.1
• Port: 3306
• Database: shopdb
• User: 570005354
• Password: 570005354

Prerequisites in Windows VM

Required Software

1. MySQL ODBC 8.0 Driver

   • Download: https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/odbc/
   • Install 64-bit version
   • Used by Classic ASP to connect to MySQL

2. IIS Express

   • Already installed
   • Location: C:\Program Files\IIS Express\

Windows Configuration

• Z: Drive mapped to \\192.168.122.1\windows-projects
• Firewall allows port 8080 inbound
• URL ACL configured: netsh http add urlacl url=http://*:8080/ user="Everyone"

Auto-Start IIS Express on Windows Boot

To automatically start IIS Express when Windows boots:

1. In Windows, open Task Scheduler (search for "Task Scheduler")

2. Create a new task:

   • Click "Create Task..." (not "Create Basic Task")

   • General tab:

     • Name: Start IIS Express - shopdb
     • Description: Auto-start IIS Express for shopdb site
     • Check "Run with highest privileges"
     • Check "Run whether user is logged on or not"
     • Configure for: Windows 10/11

   • Triggers tab:

     • Click "New..."
     • Begin the task: "At startup"
     • Delay task for: 30 seconds (gives network time to connect)
     • Click OK

   • Actions tab:

     • Click "New..."
     • Action: "Start a program"
     • Program/script: wscript.exe
     • Add arguments: Z:\start-iis-shopdb.vbs
     • Click OK

   • Conditions tab:

     • Uncheck "Start the task only if the computer is on AC power"
     • Check "Wake the computer to run this task" (optional)

   • Settings tab:

     • Check "Allow task to be run on demand"
     • Check "Run task as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed"
     • If the task is already running: "Do not start a new instance"

   • Click OK to save

3. Test the task:

   • Right-click the task in Task Scheduler
   • Click "Run"
   • Check http://localhost:8080 in browser
   • Should see shopdb running

4. Verify on next boot:

   • Restart Windows VM
   • Wait 30 seconds after login
   • Check http://192.168.122.151:8080 from Linux
   • IIS Express should be running automatically

Files Created:

• Z:\start-iis-shopdb.bat - Batch file to start IIS Express
• Z:\start-iis-shopdb.vbs - VBScript wrapper (runs silently, no console window)

Manual Start (if needed):

# In Windows, double-click:
Z:\start-iis-shopdb.vbs

# Or run from PowerShell:
wscript.exe Z:\start-iis-shopdb.vbs

Development Workflow

1. Edit Code on Linux

# Navigate to project
cd ~/projects/windows/shopdb

# Start Claude Code
claude

# Ask Claude to help with your ASP/VBScript code
# Example: "Create a VBScript function to query the database and display results"

2. Files Auto-Sync to Windows

• Any changes saved on Linux automatically appear in Windows at Z:\shopdb\
• No manual copying needed thanks to Samba share

3. Test on IIS Express

In Windows PowerShell (as Administrator or with URL ACL):

cd "C:\Program Files\IIS Express"
.\iisexpress.exe /site:shopdb

Access from Linux:

• Browser: http://192.168.122.151:8080

Access from Windows:

• Browser: http://localhost:8080

4. Iterate

• Edit on Linux with Claude
• Refresh browser to see changes
• Debug and repeat

Common VBScript/ASP Patterns

Database Query (SELECT)

<%
Dim conn, rs, sql
Set conn = Server.CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
Set rs = Server.CreateObject("ADODB.Recordset")

conn.ConnectionString = "Driver={MySQL ODBC 8.0 Driver};Server=192.168.122.1;Port=3306;Database=shopdb;User=570005354;Password=570005354;"
conn.Open

sql = "SELECT * FROM products WHERE category = ?"
rs.Open sql, conn

Do While Not rs.EOF
    Response.Write rs("product_name") & "<br>"
    rs.MoveNext
Loop

rs.Close
conn.Close
Set rs = Nothing
Set conn = Nothing
%>

Database Insert

<%
Dim conn, sql
Set conn = Server.CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")

conn.ConnectionString = "Driver={MySQL ODBC 8.0 Driver};Server=192.168.122.1;Port=3306;Database=shopdb;User=570005354;Password=570005354;"
conn.Open

sql = "INSERT INTO orders (customer_id, order_date, total) VALUES (1, NOW(), 99.99)"
conn.Execute sql

conn.Close
Set conn = Nothing

Response.Write "Order inserted successfully"
%>

Database Update

<%
Dim conn, sql, orderId
orderId = Request.Form("order_id")

Set conn = Server.CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
conn.ConnectionString = "Driver={MySQL ODBC 8.0 Driver};Server=192.168.122.1;Port=3306;Database=shopdb;User=570005354;Password=570005354;"
conn.Open

sql = "UPDATE orders SET status = 'completed' WHERE order_id = " & orderId
conn.Execute sql

conn.Close
Set conn = Nothing

Response.Redirect "orders.asp"
%>

Form Handling

<%
If Request.ServerVariables("REQUEST_METHOD") = "POST" Then
    ' Handle form submission
    Dim name, email
    name = Request.Form("name")
    email = Request.Form("email")
    
    ' Validate and process
    ' ...
    
    Response.Write "Form submitted successfully"
Else
    ' Display form
%>
    <form method="post" action="submit.asp">
        <input type="text" name="name" required>
        <input type="email" name="email" required>
        <button type="submit">Submit</button>
    </form>
<%
End If
%>

Include Files

<!-- #include file="config.asp" -->
<!-- #include file="header.asp" -->

<% ' Your page content here %>

<!-- #include file="footer.asp" -->

Session Management

<%
' Set session variable
Session("user_id") = 123
Session("username") = "admin"

' Get session variable
If Session("user_id") <> "" Then
    Response.Write "Welcome, " & Session("username")
Else
    Response.Redirect "login.asp"
End If

' Clear session
Session.Abandon
%>

Connection File Template

Create: ~/projects/windows/shopdb/includes/db_connection.asp

<%
' Database connection configuration
Function GetConnection()
    Dim conn
    Set conn = Server.CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
    
    conn.ConnectionString = "Driver={MySQL ODBC 8.0 Driver};" & _
                           "Server=192.168.122.1;" & _
                           "Port=3306;" & _
                           "Database=shopdb;" & _
                           "User=570005354;" & _
                           "Password=570005354;" & _
                           "Option=3;"
    
    On Error Resume Next
    conn.Open
    
    If Err.Number <> 0 Then
        Response.Write "Database connection failed: " & Err.Description
        Response.End
    End If
    
    Set GetConnection = conn
End Function
%>

Usage in other files:

<!-- #include file="includes/db_connection.asp" -->
<%
Dim conn
Set conn = GetConnection()

' Use the connection
' ...

conn.Close
Set conn = Nothing
%>

Testing Database Connection

Create: ~/projects/windows/shopdb/test_connection.asp

<%@ Language=VBScript %>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Database Connection Test</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>MySQL Connection Test</h1>
    <%
    On Error Resume Next
    
    Dim conn, rs
    Set conn = Server.CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
    
    Response.Write "<p>Attempting to connect to shopdb...</p>"
    
    conn.ConnectionString = "Driver={MySQL ODBC 8.0 Driver};" & _
                           "Server=192.168.122.1;" & _
                           "Port=3306;" & _
                           "Database=shopdb;" & _
                           "User=570005354;" & _
                           "Password=570005354;"
    
    conn.Open
    
    If Err.Number <> 0 Then
        Response.Write "<p style='color:red;'><strong>Connection Failed!</strong></p>"
        Response.Write "<p>Error: " & Err.Description & "</p>"
    Else
        Response.Write "<p style='color:green;'><strong>Connection Successful!</strong></p>"
        
        ' Test query
        Set rs = conn.Execute("SELECT VERSION() as version, DATABASE() as db")
        Response.Write "<p>MySQL Version: " & rs("version") & "</p>"
        Response.Write "<p>Current Database: " & rs("db") & "</p>"
        rs.Close
        Set rs = Nothing
        
        conn.Close
    End If
    
    Set conn = Nothing
    %>
</body>
</html>

Troubleshooting

Can't Connect to MySQL

Check from Windows PowerShell:

# Test network connectivity
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName 192.168.122.1 -Port 3306

# Should show: TcpTestSucceeded : True

Check MySQL is running on Linux:

docker ps | grep mysql
docker compose logs mysql

ODBC Driver Not Found

Error: [Microsoft][ODBC Driver Manager] Data source name not found

Solution:

1. Install MySQL ODBC 8.0 Driver in Windows
2. Verify in Control Panel → Administrative Tools → ODBC Data Sources
3. Check driver name matches in connection string

Permission Denied

Error: Access denied for user '570005354'

Solution on Linux:

# Re-grant permissions
docker exec -it dev-mysql mysql -u root -prootpassword -e "
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON shopdb.* TO '570005354'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY '570005354';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
"

IIS Express Won't Start

Check:

1. Another process using port 8080? Check Task Manager
2. URL ACL configured? Run as Admin or check: netsh http show urlacl
3. applicationhost.config correct? Check binding: *:8080:*

Changes Not Appearing

Solutions:

1. Hard refresh browser: Ctrl + F5
2. Clear browser cache
3. Check file actually saved on Linux: ls -la ~/projects/windows/shopdb/
4. Check Samba: sudo systemctl status smbd

MySQL 5.6 Limitations

Our MySQL version (5.6) doesn't support:

• JSON data type (use TEXT and parse)
• CREATE USER IF NOT EXISTS syntax
• Some newer functions

User management in MySQL 5.6:

-- Create/update user
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON shopdb.* TO 'username'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Security Notes

Development Environment Only

These credentials are for DEVELOPMENT:

• User: 570005354
• Password: 570005354

For Production:

• Use strong, unique passwords
• Implement proper authentication
• Use SSL/TLS connections
• Restrict database access by IP
• Never commit credentials to Git

Quick Commands Reference

Start Development

# On Linux
~/start-dev-env.sh

# In Windows
cd "C:\Program Files\IIS Express"
.\iisexpress.exe /site:shopdb

# Open browser to: http://192.168.122.151:8080

Edit Code

# On Linux
cd ~/projects/windows/shopdb
claude

Check Database

# On Linux
docker exec -it dev-mysql mysql -u 570005354 -p570005354 shopdb

Backup Database

# On Linux
docker exec dev-mysql mysqldump -u 570005354 -p570005354 shopdb > ~/backups/shopdb-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

Restore Database

# On Linux
docker exec -i dev-mysql mysql -u 570005354 -p570005354 shopdb < backup.sql

Using Claude Code for ASP/VBScript

Good Prompts:

"Create a VBScript function to display all products from the database in an HTML table"

"Add error handling to this database query in Classic ASP"

"Create a login form in Classic ASP that checks credentials against the users table"

"Write VBScript code to handle a POST form submission and insert into database"

"Create a pagination system for displaying database results in Classic ASP"

Be Specific:

"I'm using Classic ASP with VBScript and MySQL 5.6. Create a page that..."

Starting a Claude Code Session

When beginning work, tell Claude to "start up" or "let's start the dev environment". Claude will automatically:

1. Review all .md documentation files
2. Run ~/start-dev-env.sh to start Docker containers and Windows VM
3. Check service status to ensure everything is running
4. Load the todo list to continue from where you left off

Closing Out a Claude Code Session

When you're done working, tell Claude to "close out" or "we're closing out for now". Claude will automatically:

1. Update and consolidate the todo list with completed work
2. Mark completed phases/tasks
3. Run ~/stop-dev-env.sh to properly shutdown the environment
4. Update relevant documentation

This ensures your development environment is properly shut down and all progress is tracked.

Project Structure Example

shopdb/
├── index.asp                 # Homepage
├── test_connection.asp       # Database test page
├── includes/
│   ├── db_connection.asp    # Database connection function
│   ├── header.asp           # Common header
│   └── footer.asp           # Common footer
├── admin/
│   ├── login.asp            # Admin login
│   └── dashboard.asp        # Admin dashboard
├── css/
│   └── styles.css           # Stylesheets
├── js/
│   └── scripts.js           # JavaScript files
└── images/
    └── logo.png             # Images

Additional Notes

• No PHP on Windows - PHP development is done via Docker/Nginx on Linux (port 8080)
• ASP on Windows only - Classic ASP runs on IIS Express in Windows VM
• Database shared - Both PHP (Docker) and ASP (Windows) can access the same MySQL
• File editing - Always edit on Linux with Claude Code, files sync automatically to Windows

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Technology Stack Summary:

• Classic ASP with VBScript
• IIS Express on Windows 11
• MySQL 5.6 (Docker/Linux)
• Samba for file sharing
• Claude Code for development assistance