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Q296096: Source Code for Global.asa Is Displayed in Browser

Article: Q296096
Product(s): Internet Information Server
Version(s): 4.0,5.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 08-MAY-2002

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Internet Information Server versions 4.0, 5.0 
- Microsoft Active Server Pages 
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SYMPTOMS
========

When you explicitly request the Global.asa file (for example, when you request
http://payroll/global.asa), the browser displays the source code for the
Global.asa file instead of the expected HTTP 500-15 status code.

CAUSE
=====

This behavior occurs after you remove the script mapping for the .asa file type
and is by design. When application types are not mapped to a specific Internet
Server Application Programming Interface (ISAPI) application (such as Asp.dll or
Ssinc.dll), IIS returns the requested content to the browser with a
Content-Type: application/octet-stream header. This header indicates that the
browser should render the data as text, so the source code of the Global.asa
file is displayed in the browser.

RESOLUTION
==========

To prevent the display of source code for Global.asa files, add the application
mapping (sometimes referred to as script mapping) for the .asa extension back to
the Web application or applications that return source code. To do this, follow
these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type "inetmgr" (without the quotation marks), and
  then click OK to open the Internet Service Manager (ISM) Microsoft Management
  Console (MMC).

2. Expand the nodes under Internet Information Server to display the Web
  application that is returning source code for the Global.asa file.

3. Right-click the Web application, and then click Properties.

4. On the Home Directory tab, click Configuration.

5. On the App Mappings tab, click Add.

6. Type the following information in the Add/Edit Application Extension Mapping
  dialog box that appears:

  Executable: C:\WINNT\System32\inetsrv\asp.dll
  Extension: .asa
  Limit to: GET,HEAD,POST,TRACE
  Script engine: checked

NOTE: The path for the executable file may be different if %windir% is not in the
default location of C:\Winnt.

MORE INFORMATION
================

This problem is not unique to the .asa file type, and can occur for any
script-mapped ISAPI application (including .asp file types). However, the
effects may be less noticeable with other file types such as .asp because many
browsers do not render content that is in the server-side script tags. The
Global.asa file requires server-side script to be included in <SCRIPT>
tags, which render in the browser. The following .asp code sample is likely to
display only the word "World" in the browser, even though "<%
Response.Write("Hello")%>" is visible when you view the source of the .asp
document in the browser:

  <% Response.Write("Hello") %> World

NOTE: If Application or Session variables are not initialized in a Web
application, the .asa extension may not be properly mapped to Asp.dll. Without
the application mapping, the Global.asa file does not execute when requests are
made to the specified Web application.


Additional query words: scriptmap script-map appmap app-map

======================================================================
Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbiisSearch kbZNotKeyword6 kbiis500 kbiis400 _IKkbZNotKeyword4 kbZNotKeyword5
Version           : :4.0,5.0
Issue type        : kbprb
Solution Type     : kbpending

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