Classic ASP Debugging in Visual Studio 2017: A Step-by-Step Guide

Debugging classic ASP code in Visual Studio 2017 can be a daunting task for those unfamiliar with the environment. Fear not! In this article, we will provide a bursty, perplexing guide to help you debug your classic ASP code in Visual Studio 2017 effectively.

Setting up the Environment

Before we can begin debugging, we must first set up our environment. Here’s how:

1. Install IIS you do not already have it.
2. Open your IIS Manager and create a new website or virtual directory.
3. Set the physical path to the folder containing your classic ASP files.
4. Ensure that the ASP and ASP.NET features are enabled on the website.

Modifying Web.Config

After setting up the environment, we need to modify the web.config file to enable debugging. Follow these steps:

1. Open your classic ASP project in Visual Studio 2017.
2. Right-click on your project and click on Add New Item.
3. Select the Web Configuration File and name it web.config.
4. Add the following line of code between the system.webServer tags:

<asp scriptErrorSentToBrowser="true"/>

This line of code will force the server to send error messages to the browser, allowing you to see the error messages and debug them.

Attach to the Process

Now it’s time to attach to the process and start debugging your classic ASP code. Follow these steps:

1. Open your classic ASP project in Visual Studio 2017.
2. Click on the Debug menu and select Attach to Process.
3. In the window that appears, select w3wp.exe and click on the Attach button.

This will enable you to attach to the process running on your IIS server and debug your classic ASP code.

Debugging Your Code

Finally, we can start debugging our classic ASP code. Here’s how:

1. Add a breakpoint in your code by clicking on the gray area to the left of the code line.
2. Run your classic ASP code by navigating to the URL in your browser.
3. When the breakpoint is hit, Visual Studio will stop the execution of the code and provide you with a window containing debugging tools such as the Call Stack and Locals window.

You can use these tools to identify the problem in your code and make changes to fix it.

Conclusion

Debugging classic ASP code in Visual Studio 2017 is a complex task, but by following the steps outlined above, you can successfully debug your code and find and fix any issues. Don’t forget to set up your environment, modify the web.config file, attach to the process, and use the debugging tools provided by Visual Studio. Happy debugging!