What are Active Server Pages? - Examples 2, 3 and 4
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Example 2
Try typing this into a Web page:
The time is <% =time %>. That means it's <% =minute(now) %>
minutes past <% =hour(now) %> o'clock. When you view the page in Internet Explorer, you should see something like this:
The time is 1:36:05 PM. That means it's 36 minutes past 13 o'clock.
Remember, the hour function is based on a 24-hour clock. Later we'll see how to convert from the 24-hour clock to a 12-hour clock.
Timevalue
You probably won't ever use the timevalue function. It takes the different ways you can write the time, such as "2:24PM" and "14:24," and returns them in this format: "2:24:00 PM." This can be useful if you're using a function that needs to be given the time in that exact format.
Example 3
Earlier we saw how you can use the hour, minute, and second functions to break up the time into hours, minutes, and seconds. With the timevalue function, you can put them back together. Type this into a Web page:
When it's 23 minutes and 5 seconds past 4 o'clock in the afternoon,
that means it's <% =timevalue("16:23:05") %>.
This is the same as <% =timevalue("4:23:05PM") %>
or <% =timevalue("16:23:05PM") %>.
Make sure you type "16:23:05PM" and not "16:23:05 PM." The "05" and the "PM." should be run together, not separated by a space. When you view the page in Internet Explorer, you should see:
When it's 23 minutes and 5 seconds past 4 o'clock in the afternoon, that means it's 4:23:05 PM. This is the same as 4:23:05 PM or 4:23:05 PM.
Displaying Text
len
The len function tells you how many characters are in a word or sequence of words. (The name "len" is an abbreviation of "length".) All characters are counted, including the space character. For example, to find the length of the sentence "The cat is on the mat," type this into a Web page:
There are <% =len("The cat is on the mat.") %> characters in "The cat is on the mat."
When you view the page in Internet Explorer, you should see this:
There are 22 characters in "The cat is on the mat."
left
You can use the left function to look at the first few characters of a word or sequence of words. For example, to find the first character of "Frankenstein," type this into a Web page:
"Frankenstein" begins with the letter <% =left("Frankenstein", 1) %>.
When you view the page, you should see this:
"Frankenstein" begins with the letter F.
right
To look at the last few characters of a word or sequence of words, use the right function. For example, to find the last three letters of "Wednesday," type this into a Web page:
The last three letters of "Wednesday" are: <% =right("Wednesday", 3) %>.
When you view this page, you should see this:
The last three letters of "Wednesday" are: day.
Example 4
What if you wanted to take a few letters from the middle of something? How would you specify exactly where in the middle you wanted to be? For example, how would you take out just the "apple" part of the word "pineapples"?
You could start with the fifth character from the left and then stop at the second character from the right. Or you could do it the following way.
Try typing this into a Web page:
<% =right("pineapples", 6) %> <% =left(right("pineapples", 6), 5) %>
This line takes the last six letters of the word "pineapples," which make up the word "apples." Then it takes the first five letters of the word "apples," which make up the word "apple." When you view this page in Internet Explorer, you should see this:
apples apple
Then try typing this into a Web page:
<% =left("pineapples", 9) %> <% =right(left("pineapples", 9), 5) %>
This line takes the first nine letters of the word "pineapples," which make up the word "pineapple." Then it takes the last five letters of the word "pineapple," which make up the word "apple."
When you view this page, you should see this:
pineapple apple
Next: Cool Things You Can Do with Date, Time, and Text >>
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