Classic ASP to .NET Conversion

By Ghulam Nabi Shah | Published on November 12th, 2018 | Last updated on May 16th, 2024 |

Should you plan the migration?

The move to make an ASP to .NET conversion is a big step whichever way you look at it. There are important decisions to be made and many pitfalls to be avoided. It is important to have a good plan based on sound knowledge.

ASP.NET is the next generation development platform to build enterprise Web Applications. With respect to syntax, there is not much difference between ASP and ASP.NET. Main steps involved are migrating to ASP.NET, implementing Web services, and making the new VB.NET user interface.

ASP to ASP.NET conversion can be performed with tools but, as the two environments differ fundamentally, this method is not preferable. Working on the new features in ASP.NET will help in understanding the framework and analyze how the business will fit. When considering classic ASP to ASP.NET migration, it’s crucial to evaluate the compatibility and functionality of existing code.

In an ASP to ASP.NET migration, the ASP.NET framework is very much different from unstructured ASP, and there is no correct way to just transform it into ASP.NET pages. Understanding the intricacies of classic ASP to ASP.NET migration is essential to ensure a smooth transition.

If you really want to make an ASP to .NET conversion then one has to remodel it and code almost all the page again, the most prominent reasons why one would do this is.

• ASP.NET supports object-oriented languages such as C# or VB.NET when compared to ASP which supports only scripting languages like VB Script or JavaScript. As ASP uses VBScript, when an ASP page is executed it gets interpreted. For ASP.NET, since it uses .NET language it is compiled to Microsoft Intermediate Language.
• ASP.NET helps you leverage the power of Event-based programming and introduced server controls that provide upper hand over Classic ASP.
• Classic ASP has code and HTML mixed up but ASP.NET provides separation to code and HTML sections. In ASP it is hard to reuse code unless it is placed in separate files, whereas ASP.NET allows for true separation of code and content.
• Developers devise techniques to migrate classic ASP to .NET, a one-step conversion to the .NET environment will require your code to work in existing ASP environment.
• In ASP there is no in-built support for XML, whereas ASP.NET has full XML support for easy data exchange.
• Classic ASP has very less development and debugging tools so it is very difficult to debug applications. In ASP.NET various tools and compilers are available, including Microsoft Visual Studio that makes your debugging much easier.
• In classic ASP when a code is updated the server needs to be restarted to reflect that change on the existing page. In ASP.NET it has state management support which maintains state and page information over multiple requests for the same or different pages.

Now, session sharing between ASP and ASP.NET is another requirement, but you will be stuck up with issues. So, it’s important to frame the right solution based on your current code that suits the migration requirements. Sometimes partial porting may be the solution, or otherwise, you may need to wrap .NET code to a COM object that can be utilized by your ASP code. Devising a feasible migration strategy that incorporates ASP to ASP.NET conversion will help you to develop exciting new features considering your legacy code.

To learn more about how an ASP to ASP.NET conversion works and the benefits of classic ASP to ASP.NET migration, contact us today!

Ghulam Nabi Shah

Chief Executive Officer at Macrosoft Inc

Shah is a forward-thinking corporate leader with twenty years of experience delivering top-notch customer solutions in large scale and enterprise business environments. As a technology visionary and driver of strategic business systems development, allow Macrosoft to deliver best-in-class software solutions. Shah’s profound expertise includes business strategy, product development, enterprise-wide architecture, application migration, IT transformation, and international development management. Shah holds multiple professional and technical certifications, scholastic degrees, and an MBA.