It really means just what it says. Your connection string is just not valid and the sql server speicifed can not be reached. The username and password could also be invalid. Since you already had a database set up you should use the same username and password you have always been using. You also need to use the same database name you have always been using. Without actually knowing more and seeing what you are doing it is pretty hard to tell you anymore than that.

The directions and sql scripts given are for setting up a new sql database. Applying them to an existing sql database requires a slightly different approach. Modificiations to the SQL scripts elimintating references to the usernames/password/database we suggest in the scripts is also a good idea.

A data connection is a low level as it gets. Until you get that working you are really not even touching any of the code in the ASPListings application.

If you want I have no problem going into your sql server and web and setting up for you correctly.

in the version you have changing it is not something we covered

I believe you will find it the "config_inc.asp" file in the root though... be careful with naming it though because if you use any spaces or weird characters it might cause issues with various functions in the application like emailing.. I recommend just using letter, numbers, and maybe dashes

as far as permissions are concerned I wrote two large articles about permissions that cover everything in detail on how to properly set them

http://support.cjwsoft.com/code/info11.htm

see the windows 2003 and windows xp permission threads

From things you are saying I assume this is your server. My comments about the path looking funny are because very few commercial hosts would use the "c:\inetpub\wwwroot\" directory. If you are using that and that is correct info then that is fine.

as for knowing whether or not the filesystem object is working the best thing to do is to try to write  a text file somewhere in your web and see if it works. Testing something under the most basic scenario is the key to troubleshooting asp issues.

http://www.devasp.com/samples/writetofile.asp

dsn-less is the way to go..
http://support.cjwsoft.com/code/moreinfo9-2.htm

you also need to use newer versions of the database as the odbc drivers on the server are sometimes very new and no longer work with access 97 databases

I'll try to help when I get back tues night,, see the contact page for info on where I am
http://www.cjwsoft.com/contact/default.asp?Subject=CJWSoft+G eneral+Inquiry

When using the ASPProtect admin panel. My firewall software is going crazy or Blocking it on the Mass E-Mail, Newsletter, and other pages.

Here are some of the messages:

[Unauthorized Access Attempt] This signatures detects an attempt by a web server to deliver a malicious HTML page to a browser client, in an

[Suspicious Activity] This signature detects HTML documents attempting to spoof a link destination in the browser's status bar.

I am using Black Ice...

Will users also get this kind of activity from the pages ??? Or is it only because of using the Admin Interface of the software ???

Thanks

Tony,

ASPBanner.NET was discontinued about 14 months ago. It is no longer supported in any way because quite frankly the classic ASP version is faster, more stable, has more features, and is a lot easier to install and get running.

If you PM me via the forum you are welcome to a copy of the current ASP Unlimited Version. It can serve banners to any type of page extension. All you have to do is ask for a copy.

Whether or not your existing ASPBanner.NET database is exactly the same structure I do not know, but I believe it is. You should compare the two if you plan to keep using the old database and make any neccessary changes so the old database has the exact same structure as the new version. If there are any differences they are very few.

Thank you so much that works great.

I will test with the other settings on the email server again thanks for the advice,

best regards

The Double DIM needs to be removed for this code to work properly.

<%
Dim BannerZone, BannerConnectionString, BannerDatabaseType, ConnBannerSystem
Dim CmdCheckUser, CmdGetConfiguration, App_Name, Config_SQL, BodyTag, BanDataConn
Dim CmdBannerTemp, CmdGetZones, ZoneString, ZoneArray, ZoneIndex, CmdUpdateWaiting
Dim CmdUpdateExpired, CmdRetrieveImpLimitedAds, CmdRetrieveImpressions
Dim CmdUpdateImpHit, CmdRetrieveAds, CycleBannerTotal, CycleList, NewCycleList
Dim Dim LoopBanner, CycleLoop, CycleListArray, CycleListArrayIndex, BannerCycleData
Dim Banner_Array, CurrentBanner, NewCycleListArray, Banner_Array2, LocationIndex
Dim Stop_Processing, Keep_Processing, CmdUpdateStats
%>

In a way your questions are confusing to me, but here is some information regardless.



Using Active Sever pages you can not protect entire folders. It is simply not possible. ASPProtect is Active Server Pages scripts so it can only protect individual ".asp" files.


If you are concerned about customers downloading the access database..

best practive is to store it in different folder name than it came in
best practive is to give the database .mdb file itself a different name
best practive is to change the password on the access database
best practice is to store it in a directory that is not part of your web if possible.. many of the better hosting companies have it set up so you actually can do that

the more of these things you can do the better..

And if you are really worried about security you should use a SQL Server database which nobody can download from your website under any conditions because your data lives in the sql server and unless they get the username/password to it they can not access it.

I am not entirely sure how one configures the system to assign a user to a specific group.  For example, let say I have created two groups A and B, and I have pages protected by the code generated in the admin area for groups A and B.  I know I can assign access to these groups in the admin area.  However,  it is not clear to me how I do it automatically through the registration process. 

Hello,

It is very possible (just basic ASP and database accessing techniques)
It is just not the sort of thing I support in the forums as it is a customization related.

Even for me something like that would take 1-3 hours of coding time. Basically, it is just not something I could just explain to you real quick.

You might want to pick up a good book on ASP or check out some of the great resources out there. http://support.cjwsoft.com/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=17

Doing stuff like this is relatively easy, but can be time consuming work.


In the future please use a more descriptive topic for yours posts "I need help" is not exactly helpful to anyone else searching through the forums . I therefore renamed your post accordingly.

I really try to keep the forums organized and clean. That's all.

Thanks

Hi,

You see, an include file is no different then a link to an image or graphic. The path to the include file must of course be valid. That file isn't in the same directory as that page so you get an error.

You simply need to make the call to the include file valid.

See my article on server side includes.
http://www.powerasp.com/content/code-snippets/includes.asp

You should also look at some of the provided example pages and see how the paths to the include files are done.

You can also use a virtual include if you figure out the page for that. See my article for the difference between a file include and a virtual include.

The code generator in the admin area shows examples of both but depending on your site structure the paths may need to be slightly edited.

Server Side Includes are a fundamental part of using ASP and they are used a lot. Once you understand how include files are used you will think it is the simplest thing.


More articles on server side includes

http://www.w3schools.com/asp/asp_incfiles.asp

http://www.4guysfromrolla.com/webtech/faq/Beginner/faq6.shtm l

http://www.minwar.com/24

i downloaded the latest version. i also downloaded the sql script provided and ran in sql query analyser to create the tables.

After that i ran a special page to intially get into the system,

then setup a new user, then make them an admin,

and after that i logged out and again when i try to login iam not able to login.  When i check the ASpp_User table I noticed that the values in the fields "Login_limit" and "Active" in the ASPP_Users table in the SQL changed to NULL and 0. But if the value are Nulls or 0 it means it's not active and it's not allowing me to login.

Pls advice

Upgrade from V6 to v7.x with an MSSQL SERVER DATABASE

1st of all, backup your existing ASPProtect files and database before performing this upgrade. Please be really careful while performing this upgrade. Version 7.x  is a highly advanced application compared to any previous versions. CJWSoft under no circumstances is responsible if you lose information or have website downtime.

BOTTOM LINE: (PERFORM THIS UPGRADE AT YOUR OWN RISK)

To do this upgrade you're going to need to have SQL Enterprise Manager and SQL Query Analyzer

That being said, on with the upgrade..

Open your SQL database in SQL Enterprise Manager

Regarding the following Tables

Rename "Users" to "ASPP_Users"
Rename "Groups" to "ASPP_Groups"

If you do not have a "Groups" table do not worry about it right now.

Now right click and DELETE the Config Table.
Yes, delete it..

Now, go into Design View for the "ASPP_Users" Table.

Rename the "Password" field to "Old_Password"
Be sure to spell it perfectly using the Underscore

If you have a "Groups" Field... leave it alone
If you do not have a "Groups" Field add one and make it a "nvarchar" field with a lengh of 255.

Now, we are going to add a few more new fields.

Add a field called "Redirection_URL" make it a "nvarchar" field with a lengh of 150.
Add a field called "PayPal_Subscriber_ID" make it a "nvarchar" field with a lengh of 100.
Add a field called "Newsletter" and make it a "bit" field
Add a field called "Password" and make it a "nvarchar" field with a lengh of 100.

Now close that window and save the changes..

Download these scripts.
2005-02-23_171110_aspprotect_v7_sql_upgrade_scripts.zip

Now open up SQL Query Analyzer
Connect to your SQL server.

Then load the script  "aspprotect_v7_config_table.sql" into the Query Analyzer.  Click the green play button at the top. If everything goes well the response should read something like this.

******************************************************
(1 row(s) affected)
******************************************************

Now, if you had a Groups Table your done with the database changes.

If you didnt have a groups table.

Then load the script  "aspprotect_v7_groups_table.sql" into the Query Analyzer.  Click the green play button at the top.

Now, go back to your database in Enterprise Manager and make sure all 3 tables are there and look ok. You might need to do a refresh or two to see them.

Now make sure an existing or new SQL user has (public / datareader / datawriter) permissions for all three tables. You reference this user in the asp code connection string so this user must be set up correctly. You may need your SQL server admins or hosting company to help you on this step as you may not have access to do this. You may not need to create a user and set permissions as the sql user you were logged in as to use query analyzer may by default get the correct permissions on anything you create.

Regardless, as you can see from this screenshot I have a SQL user called "aspprotectuser" and proceeded to set the permissions for that user. Under database access giving him (public,datareader, and datewriter permissions).


Now, you are done upgrading your SQL Server Database.

The existing passwords still have to be encrytped and moved from the "Old_Password" to the "Password" field

To that we have a special page we run in the application that will take care of that.

So, for now... go install the application, but using the database we just created.
Follow these instructions for the most part...
http://support.cjwsoft.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=181& ; ;PN=1

When you get to the part where you finally get into the admin area and need to make an admin account you will notice that your existing user database is there but none of the users have passwords if you look at them in the edit screen.

That is normal. Simply do what the instructions say and create and admin account using a username that does not exist..

Then log off... then back in as that new admin account. If that works you are ready to convert the passwords.

This part is very easy.

You want to run a special page via the browser.

http://www.mysite.com/password_admin/convert_to_encrypted.asp

Replacing the part in blue with your website info.

Once you get the page running you will see a login prompt and one form field just like before with the "get_me_in.asp" page

You will need to paste the "PasswordEncryptionKey" value that you used in the "config_inc.asp" file in the form field and hit enter.

If all goes well you will see a page telling you to click here to encrypt the passwords and copy them over.

So do what it says... dont click more than once and wait.

Eventually it should say it is finished. So go log in to the admin area of the system using the new admin account.

Now edit some users but dont save... you want to see if the passwords are showing up. If they are the conversion worked. If you see nothing or a garbled mess it did not work and you made a mistake during this whole process.

If things went well backup and delete the conversion file below.

http://www.mysite.com/password_admin/convert_to_encrypted.asp

You do not need it anymore.

Once you are positive every thing is running smoothly and everyone's passwords are ok you can go in and delete the "Old_Password" field as well.



If things didnt go well.. try again from scratch and go slowly.
If they still dont go well get ahold of us for help.

We are here to help, but if you really want us to we can be hired to do the conversion.

Christopher,

Thanks for the reply. I think I've found my problem, but can't test until later in the evening as it is on a live site.

Darrell

In addition to that I just noticed the </href> you have in there.. man that is some scary stuff you came up with.. that may appear to work and make a link but it is not correct. Each link will work but never truly be closed.

That is just not valid proper use of the anchor tag.
You make a link in html like so

<a href = "somepage.htm">somepage.htm</a>
http://www.w3schools.com/tags/tag_a.asp

Then your surrounding each link with <span lang="en-us"> </span>
Not sure why ?

I am a little confused here.  I am in the process of understand how this all works, mainly the email portions as I am running this through a home server (Windows XP).  I have tried test emails, but they are not going threw.  I ran the server_info.asp and it is telling me that I do have CDONTS installed, version 2.8.  Then I tried running, the test_mailer_component.asp.  This page is telling me it is not installed.  This process lead me to start looking at my components for my IIS.  Everything appears to be there. 

Any ideas, where I should go next.  It appears the CDONTS code is in every page that it needs to be in, and it appears that I have it installed, but there is a disconnect between the two..

ahhh ok.. I was going to wait till morning to answer this one..

glad ya figured it out

Terribly sorry, but we are not software-technical.  So can you please tell us exactly which folder the database would be in.

Thanks in advance.

This article from my old powerasp.com site explains what Server.MapPath is and also why you can't use it to specify the data connection in any of the CJWSoft applications.

Use ASP to determine the Physical Path Of Your Virtual Website

As this article mentions you can still use it to determine the path, but you can't use it in our data connection strings because the data connection page is an include file and server.mappath will report back different paths for the different directories....... meaning it will work in one directory level but not another as the path will be different.

http://support.cjwsoft.com/code/moreinfo286-2.htm

http://support.cjwsoft.com/code/moreinfo391-1.htm

http://support.cjwsoft.com/code/moreinfo385-1.htm

you have to check the session variables for groups a little differently.. info on that is here

http://support.cjwsoft.com/code/moreinfo198-1.htm

Hi there,

Well, that is why we added the PayPal subscription pack where all of that is taken care of and customers get put under a recurring billing cycle.
The more people you get to pay that way the less you have to do.

We also have routines for the two other supported payment methods so people can look up their account and add time to it whether it is active/expired or not.

Other than that, yes it is something you need to sort out on your own based on how you want to run your system. You have the source code and the sky is the limit on how you want handle all of that.  You send out an email to users about to expire. Whether they come back to the site/look up their account and add more time to it is up to them. I really just do not see any way ASPProtect could handle that whole process automatically.

As for batch changing to users in the database. We give you the source code and we also use an open database structure. You can run any query you want on the database whether with ASP code or directly in your database using the tools that come with it, You can write any code you like to do whatever you like to the database. You can even tie other systems and code into the database via OBDC and manipulate data. The sky is the limit like I said. I also don't really see how batch changes to the database relates to individual users paying again for access or not especially since we include payment  pages were a users can look up their accounts and pay for and add more time to it automatically ? At least not regarding the payment routine we provide support for.

ASPProtect can not handle everything every person would need to do. It is meant as a solid starting point for any project, but there are going to be times when more functionality will need to be added by the customer based on their specific needs.

There was nothing wrong with the server configuration. It turned out that the problem was that I disabled the email notification of new user registrations that I continually receive. That appears to disable the authorization email to new users as well.

One other issue. It appears that AOL email addressee's are not getting the authorization email. Does AOL have any blocks to CDONT generated emails?

Not sure because of the nature of the javascript method

for starters tighten up the html around the banner call

change

<tr>
<td width="460" height="60" align="center" valign="middle" class="imagead">
<!------- ASPBanner Ad code ------------->
<script language="JavaScript">
var code = '';
var now = new Date();
var nIndex = now.getTime();
document.write('<s' + 'cript src=" http://www.nababaseball.com/aspbannernet/aspbanner/injectban ner.aspx?BannerZone=1&nocache=' + nIndex + '">');
document.write('</' + 's' + 'cript>');
</script>
<script language="JavaScript">document.write(jscode);</script >

</td>

to

<tr>
<td width="460" height="60" align="center" valign="middle" class="imagead">
<script language="JavaScript">
var code = '';
var now = new Date();
var nIndex = now.getTime();
document.write('<s' + 'cript src=" http://www.nababaseball.com/aspbannernet/aspbanner/injectban ner.aspx?BannerZone=1&nocache=' + nIndex + '">');
document.write('</' + 's' + 'cript>');
</script>
<script language="JavaScript">document.write(jscode);</script >
</td>

If that doesn't help I would suggest using the ASP 3.0 version of ASPBanner. It can serve banners to a any type of page extension and it runs just as well as the .NET version. There is a new iframe method for calling banners that you can try instead of the javascript. The iframe method is explained in the ASPBanner Unlimited section of the forum.

It's probably something I could do for you as a custom project if you are interesting in paying to have that work done, but it is probably not something that will be added to this version of aspbanner as it is in my opinion a feature more suited for a more expensive software package.

It is also difficult to get ASP code to do things on it's own. Scheduling something to run on the server or some other clever scenario is necessary and that usually means it would be unique to each persons setup.

http://www.cjwsoft.com/custom_work.asp

I was actually able to do similar thing by allowing our dedicated search engine to access the site unchallanged.

<%
If Trim(Left(Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_USER_AGENT"),11)) = "MYPASSWORD" Then  
 SearchFlag = True
End If
 
If SearchFlag <> True Then
If Session("Access_Level") > CHECKFOR or Session("Access_Level") = "" Then 
%>
<!--#include virtual="/Auth/check_user_Code.asp" -->
<head>
<title>My Title</title>

</head>

<body>

My Protected stuff here

</body>

</html>

For this to work, the search engine must pass the PW to the web site. I just was not sure how to do the same thing with IPs. I will play with the code and see what happens. If it works, I will post it here to help others, if this is OK with forum rules.

Thanks,

Mo

where is your site ? I'll taka a look

umm.. rename the pages to ".asp"

After all these are ASP scripts we are dealing with and the product is called ASPProtect.

The web site says it is used to protect ".asp" pages

And the directions tell you to put the protection code on ".asp" pages.

ASP can not run in ".html" pages

If you do not know basic things like this you should really learn the basics of ASP before you try to use the application. I would suggest a good book or two. ASPProtect is for people that have at least some experience with Active Server Pages.

OK, well, that error is pretty self explanatory really. There isn't anything else it could mean.

What you showed me in that screen shot all looked correct, but still permissions to that file just can't be correct. The paths are correct. The path to the file looks correct. The ASPNET (ASP.NET) account looks correct.

I would try settings permissions directly on that XML file. Perhaps child permissions did not go through the way you intended. (the advanced tab must be used for that) If that doesn't work try giving ASPNET and Everyone full permissions on the file directly.

Possibly check the paths in the web.config file just for the heck of it.

Last case scenario, you can edit that XML file directly instead of using the screens in the application. Of course if that file does not have correct permission chances are other things like log files will give you issues as well.

That is all I can think of right now.